What are the best SEM strategies for promoting local businesses?

1 Choose the right keywords

Keywords are the words and phrases that people use to search for things online. They are also the basis of your SEM campaigns, as they determine when and where your ads will appear. To choose the right keywords for your local business, you need to do some research and analysis. You can use tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer to find out what your potential customers are searching for, how competitive those keywords are, and how much they cost. You should also consider the intent behind each keyword, whether it is informational, navigational, or transactional. For local businesses, you want to focus on keywords that show a high intent to buy or visit your location, such as "best pizza near me" or "dentist in Chicago".

2 Optimize your landing pages

Landing pages are the web pages that people see after they click on your ads. They are crucial for converting your visitors into leads or customers, as they provide them with relevant information, offers, and calls to action. To optimize your landing pages for local businesses, you need to make sure they match your keywords and ads, and that they are easy to navigate, fast to load, and mobile-friendly. You should also include elements that showcase your local credibility, such as your address, phone number, map, reviews, testimonials, and awards. Additionally, you should use clear and compelling headlines, subheadings, images, and copy that highlight your unique value proposition and benefits.

3 Write engaging ad copy

Ad copy is the text that appears on your ads and persuades people to click on them. It is one of the most important factors that affect your click-through rate (CTR), quality score, and cost per click (CPC). To write engaging ad copy for local businesses, you need to follow some best practices, such as using your keywords, emphasizing your location, creating a sense of urgency , and including a clear call to action. You should also use features like ad extensions and ad customizers to make your ads more relevant, informative, and appealing. For example, you can use location extensions to show your address and directions, call extensions to enable people to call you directly, or countdown customizers to show how much time is left for a special offer.

4 Test and measure your results

Testing and measuring your results is essential for improving your SEM performance and ROI. You need to track and analyze various metrics, such as impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, conversions, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend (ROAS). You can use tools like Google Ads or Bing Ads to monitor and report on these metrics, and to set up conversion tracking and attribution models. You should also use tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to understand how people behave on your landing pages, and to identify any issues or opportunities for optimization. Moreover, you should conduct regular experiments, such as A/B testing or multivariate testing, to compare different versions of your keywords, ads, and landing pages, and to see which ones perform better.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?