What Is CRO for Local Search? How To Improve CRO (2024)

If you were looking for a hardware store in your city, you might Google something like “best hardware store near me” before deciding which one to visit. This type of research is increasingly common—46% of online searches have local intent, meaning there’s an opportunity for businesses to capture and convert potential customers by improving their local organic search results.

But there’s more to it. Lots of local search traffic is great, but, if visitors aren’t taking action—for example, calling your store or visiting in person—then it isn’t producing value. This is where conversion rate optimization (CRO) for local search is beneficial. CRO improves your online presence so when a potential customer discovers your business it leads to a sale.

Here are some of the benefits of CRO for local search plus strategies for implementing and improving it.

What is conversion rate optimization for local search?

Conversion rate refers to the percentage of your website’s visitors who take a desired action—whether a macro conversion, such as a purchase, or a micro conversion, like signing up for a newsletter. Optimizing your conversion rate involves various methods for increasing the percentage.

From a local search perspective, CRO refers to improving your business’s online presence, including its Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and Maps listings, profiles on third-party review sites, and your website’s local landing pages.

Conversion rate formula

The standard conversion rate formula is:

Conversion rate = (number of website conversions / number of visitors) x 100

For local search, businesses can choose to expand the definition of visitors to include Google Business Profile impressions. When defining conversions, they can choose to include actions like calls, messages, and bookings. You might formulate this as:

Conversion rate = (number of website conversions + number of Google Business Profile conversions) / (number of visitors + number of Google Business Profile views) x 100

CRO and SEO

CRO and search engine optimization (SEO) are two distinct but complementary online marketing strategies. Businesses use SEO to increase traffic to their website by ranking for relevant keywords on search engine results pages (SERPs).

They use CRO to convert that website traffic by improving their website’s effectiveness and user experience. By increasing their conversion rates, businesses can increase revenue even if their web traffic doesn’t increase.

Benefits of CRO for local search

Focusing your CRO efforts on local search can you help achieve your business objectives in three major ways:

Better user experience

Local search CRO starts with tailoring your business’s online experience to local visitors. By improving this, you’re potentially increasing customer satisfaction and boosting your revenue.

For example, people might Google your brand plus the city where they live. To optimize your conversion rate for these types of searches, you might build a landing page dedicated to this specific query. Potential customers can easily find the information they’re looking for, and you increase your likelihood of making a sale.

Improved ROI

One CRO method is improving certain features of your website, such as its mobile-friendliness, calls to action (CTAs), and local landing page content. This can have a significant impact on your return on investment (ROI) in your local search marketing efforts. The more local visitors you successfully convert, the further your dollars go when you boost your placement in local search results (such as via paid advertising).

Increased local presence

According to a report by SerpWatch on local businesses, 83% of survey respondents said they would prefer to support local shops over large corporations.

Tap into this sentiment by positioning your business as a local option. By dedicating resources to CRO, you can build a more reliable, high-converting local customer base and boost your revenue in the process.

Ways to use and improve CRO for local search

Improving your business’s conversion rates for local search can help increase your sales. Here are several ways to implement CRO for local search:

Update your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is a free listing for physical businesses, connecting them to the local community. A listing typically includes:

• Essential information like your company’s name, address, website, contact information, and business hours.

• Engagement with customers, such as reviews and questions and answers.

• Key products and services or categories of products and services.

Add high-quality images, encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, and regularly update your profile (such as when store hours change or when you release new products or services). This improves your local search visibility and provides local searchers with the information they need to make purchasing decisions.

🌟Resource: How To Use Google Maps Marketing To Grow Your Business

Leverage local keywords

Local keywords are specific to a region, city, or neighborhood and attract residents or visitors in that area. Leveraging these will help search engines interpret your business’s geographic relevance, improving your chances of appearing in local search results. This draws relevant, high-intent traffic from local searchers who are more likely to convert to customers.

Local searches often include a city or neighborhood name in the query. For example, a non-local search is “plumber,” whereas a local search is “Chicago plumber” or “plumber near me” (if you’ve enabled geolocation services).

Use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs to identify relevant local keywords and phrases for your target audience, then incorporate these into the headers, title tags, meta descriptions, and URLs of your website content.

Create local landing pages

Customize your local landing page to the audience’s specific needs and preferences. This approach will help local traffic connect to and engage with your business, increasing your odds for conversions.

Local landing pages might include location-based keywords, local customer testimonials, localized images, information about location promotions, details for local events, and maps and directions.

Optimize your site for mobile

According to Google, 76% of people who perform a local search on their smartphone visit a physical location within a day. Capitalize on this consumer behavior by optimizing your website and landing pages for mobile devices. This makes it easier to capture local customers and drive foot traffic to your business.

Optimizing for mobile also increases your Google search impact, because Google uses mobile-first indexing, prioritizing mobile-friendly websites on SERPs. When optimizing for mobile:

• Use a responsive design that adjusts to the user’s device and screen size.

• Simplify the navigation bar by using a hamburger menu (a menu icon consisting of three stacked horizontal lines).

• Improve your site speed so it loads within one to two seconds.

• Use a touch-friendly design with large input fields.

• User vertical design elements for display on smartphones and tablets.

• Keep the language simple and avoid walls of text.

Clarify your CTAs

Customers are unlikely to take action if the prompt isn’t clear. An effective CTA guides the user to conversion with copy that’s clear, compelling, and prominently displayed. Use actionable language, like “Buy now,” “Book a call,” or “Sign up.” Test a variety of CTA elements, including the placement, copy, and design.

🌟Resource: 15 Ecommerce CTA Examples and How To Write One

Improve brand localization

Brand localization helps your business resonate with local audiences. Adapt your messaging and content to reflect the area’s cultural nuances. For example, incorporating local slang and language can personalize your communication and make it more persuasive: A business might refer to a city by its nickname, such as the Big Apple for New York or The 6ix for Toronto.

Collaborating with other local businesses, organizations, and events can also improve your credibility in the eyes of the local community. List your local sponsors or partners on your website to further encourage local conversions.

Implement lead captures

If customers aren’t ready to convert, capturing qualified leads lets you continue nurturing them toward a purchase. Add email capture forms to your localized landing page with an incentive or promotion specific to the area or local store branch.

Additionally, consider using geo-targeted pop-ups, which display for visitors who live within a specific geographic area. Then create an email flow to follow up with them.

Retarget old leads

Retargeting lets you re-engage prospective customers who don’t convert. Segment old leads based on their past interactions with your website or their stage within the consumer purchase decision process, then tailor your messaging to those local leads.

Perhaps you’re having a sale or you’re opening a new location in their area. Make them aware of this information. Offering an incentive is another great way to draw their attention.

Review your presence on third-party sites

People looking for a great restaurant or the best vintage store in their neighborhood often check out review sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor to help them decide which business to visit. Improving your presence on third-party sites like these enhances your online visibility and improves your credibility (especially if you have lots of great reviews), leading to improved conversion rates.

To improve your presence on third-party sites, ensure your business profile is complete and accurate, and actively encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Don’t forget to respond to or engage with customers who take the time to write reviews—good or bad.