In the last few years, there has been a noticeable increase in searches using additional keywords “near me”. Customers prefer to search for services and products in their local area, as near me searches have doubled since 2015. Google Trends shows similar growth for the term “near me”.

Customers search for services they need by searching for things such as ‘digital agencies + near me’ or marketing companies near me.

To benefit the most from this trend, you need to ensure that your business shows up in local searches. You might be wondering how exactly these searches work, what it is relevant in today’s world, and how it impacts local businesses today.

This article will give you all the information necessary to understand why local search is so dominant in digital marketing in Las Vegas today.

How do ‘near me’ searches work?

Because search algorithms are confidential, it is difficult to identify the exact algorithm that governs searches. Emerging research has identified important factors that influence ‘near me” organic results.

Website owners began to use keywords such as “near me” in their titles and contents. This is because when a user searches for “near me”, only pages that contain the keyword should be displayed.

John Mueller answered a question about how Google ranks pages for a “near me” query.

“So far as I know, this is mostly a matter of location. So adding “pizzeria close me” to your pages doesn’t make sense. We would rather figure out what is nearby the user.

Two things are required for a search engine’s ability to find it accurately:

• Your address should be placed on your website. Make sure it is structured correctly so that search engines can find you.

• We will discuss how to set up a Google My Business local listing (GMB), later in this article.

Google also provides three metrics that outweigh all factors when it comes down to local search results. These metrics are:

1. Relevance

Google checks that your website content matches the search terms in local searches. Google will not show a website if a user searches for Internet advertising in Los Angeles jobs near me while there is a position available at your restaurant.

2. Distance

Distance is another important factor to be considered for these searches. Google uses the location term in the search to determine how far a search result is and ranks pages accordingly. Google will calculate the location based on information about the user’s current location if the location isn’t specified in a search.

3. Prominence

Authority, customer ratings, business image, and authority are all important factors in determining prominence. Google attempts to reflect the popularity of brands that are well-known in offline communities. Local searches will rank higher for businesses with higher reviews and scores.

Information online about a company can also establish prominence. This includes articles, backlinks, directories, and many other things.

Importance of ‘near me’ searches

It is important to optimize your website for “near me”, especially if your goal is to attract clients from your area. Forbes found that 95% of smartphone owners have used their phones to do a local search.

The study also showed that 61% of people called the business, and 59% paid a visit to the business after they had done an online search. Another study found that most people call businesses directly after searching Google for them.

These statistics show that location-based searches can be a great source of potential customers in your area. These leads are more likely to convert because they search for the products and services you offer.

How should digital agencies optimize their websites for local searches?

The “near me” search is as precise as it gets. The search engine extracts users’ exact latitude/longitude to find businesses in the vicinity.

These searches can be used for businesses in all industries, from restaurants to coffee shops to printing houses to Miami marketing companies. Here’s how to make sure your digital agency in New York can take advantage of the growing popularity of this type of search.

Create your Google My Business profile

Google My Business, is a Google tool that allows you to manage all aspects of your business, including contact details, hours, and location. You must ensure that the information you provide on Google about your business is correct if you want to be a leader in the ‘near me” results.

Searches for your business name will show all the information you have provided. Searchers will be more inclined to give you a chance if you make it easy for them to find out as much information about your business as possible.

Keep the customer’s reviews visible

To dominate the ‘near me” results online, customers’ feedback is crucial in the form of ratings and reviews. Google says that review score and count are factors in local search ranking. This helps you to be more prominent on Google. Customers can also write reviews on Google by simply opening Google Maps and clicking ‘write a review.

Keep NAP visible and consistent

Your NAP should be visible and consistent across the internet to rank higher in local searches. NAP stands for;

N = Company Name

A = Business address

P = Telephone Number

This information will make it easier for Google to display the most relevant data to users. NAP is a way for consumers to find you and recall the establishment easily.

Get backlinks with geographic anchor

Google considers backlinks trust votes. Therefore, obtaining quality backlinks can increase your visibility and help you rank higher in search engine result pages (SERP). It is important to remember that backlinks must include the name of the locality in the anchor text. You should also try to create local content that includes geographic elements.