For local businesses, ranking high in local search results is critical for driving website traffic, phone calls, and foot traffic. While optimizing your Google My Business listing is foundational, you can’t neglect other powerful platforms – like Facebook.
With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook presents major opportunities to improve local SEO and connect with more nearby customers.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore proven Facebook tactics to boost your local search visibility and website traffic.
Why Facebook Matters for Local SEO
Here are some compelling stats on Facebook’s influence for local businesses:
- There are over 200 million monthly Facebook users searching for local businesses.
- 65% of these local searches on Facebook result in purchases.
- 76% of Facebook users turn to Facebook to find recommendations for local businesses.
- Posts by local businesses see 2x more engagement than non-local business pages.
Clearly, Facebook is where your potential customers already spend time and look for local businesses. By optimizing your Facebook presence, you can capitalize on this demand.
Optimizing Your Facebook Business Page
Your Facebook Business Page serves as your digital storefront. Make sure it sends the right signals about your local business to search engines and customers.
Location Page Title
Include your city/region name in your Page title – e.g. “John’s Pizza (Denver, CO)”.
About Section
Fully optimize this with your address, phone number, business description, and link to your website.
Profile Picture and Cover Photo
Use high-quality images showing your business exterior, interior, products, etc.
Call-To-Action Button
Add a CTA like “Order Now” to drive clicks to your website or online ordering system.
Services
List all your main offerings, products, and services.
Improve Local Rankings
Select “Improve Local Rankings” under Page Settings and verify your address.
Publish Localized Content
Publishing regular posts allows you to engage local followers and improve SEO simultaneously.
Geo-Targeted Posts
Target posts to users within 5, 10, or 25 miles of your business location.
Local Deals and Events
Promote special offers, sales, workshops, classes, or events happening at your location.
Local Photos and Videos
Share photos and videos of your business, products, services, and staff. Give people a behind-the-scenes look.
Local News and Updates
Comment on local news and events related to your industry.
Seasonal and Holiday Posts
Tailor content to holidays, events, and seasonal offerings.
Ask Local Followers Questions
Pose questions to spark engagement with local customers. Offer giveaways for commenting and liking.
Run Facebook Ads Geotargeted to Your Area
Facebook advertising allows granular location targeting by city, zip code, neighborhood, and radius.
Some effective local ad formats include:
- Page Likes Campaign – Get more local followers by promoting your Page.
- Offer Ads – Highlight special deals and limited-time local offers.
- Event Ads – Increase event turnout by targeting nearby customers.
- Click-to-Call Ads – Drive phone calls from mobile users.
- Location Extensions – Expand Google/Bing ad reach across locations.
- Messenger Ads – Engage customers directly via Messenger.
Leverage Facebook Messenger for Customer Engagement
Interacting directly with local customers on Messenger helps build relationships that drive conversions. Some ways to use Messenger:
- Automated Menu – Provide quick access to your offerings, contact info, hours.
- Appointment Scheduling – Let customers book appointments.
- FAQ Bot – Answer common questions automatically.
- Promotional Alerts – Send special offers and event reminders.
- Customer Support – Provide real-time support.
- Lead Generation – Collect contact info for sales follow-up.
Integrate with Facebook Software Tools
Take advantage of software integrations that enhance your local marketing:
- Appointment Scheduling – Let customers book appointments directly on Facebook.
- Food Orders – Receive and manage online food orders.
- Customer Chat – Chat with website visitors in real-time.
- Instagram Shop – Tag products in Instagram posts that users can purchase.
- Business Manager – Manage Pages and ad accounts in one dashboard.
- Business Suite – Unified inbox for Messages, Comments, and Notifications.
Claim and Optimize Your Facebook Places Listing
Just like Google My Business, Facebook Places listings appear in local search and maps results. Fully optimize your free listing:
- Business Name, Address and Phone – Consistent with your website and Google My Business.
- Category – Accurately describes your offerings.
- Services – Detailed list of all products and services.
- About – Localized description and keywords.
- Photos – Interior, exterior, products, menu, etc.
- Hours – Correct hours for every day of the week.
- Improve This Listing – Verify your NAP info.
Encourage Customer Check-Ins, Tags, and Mentions
The more your business gets mentioned on Facebook, the more signals it sends about your local authority. Some ways to earn social mentions:
- Check-In Offers – Encourage check-ins by offering deals for customers who tag your location.
- Hashtag Campaigns – Launch a custom hashtag campaign and ask customers to use it when posting about your business.
- Photo Contests – Hold contests for the best local photos and award prizes to winners who tag you.
- Reviews – Respond to all Facebook reviews and politely ask happy customers to leave honest reviews.
- Events – Host local events that will get lots of social shares, check-ins, and tags.
Advertise Your Facebook Presence Locally
Let potential customers know they can connect with your business on Facebook:
- Add Facebook icon links to your website and emails.
- Promote your Facebook presence in other local ad campaigns across channels.
- Showcase your Facebook handle and QR code on printed flyers, signs, receipts, menus, etc.
- Run Facebook and Instagram ads driving clicks specifically to your Facebook Page.
Analyze Local Performance in Facebook Analytics
Dive into the Facebook Analytics tool to assess how your Facebook presence contributes to local SEO. Analyze:
- Website clicks and traffic sources.
- Actions on your posts and ads.
- Engagement from followers in your local area.
- Performance of location-targeted ads and posts.
Use the insights to refine your local Facebook marketing strategy. Double down on what works.
Consistency Is Key
Don’t treat Facebook optimization as a one-time project. Continuously post localized content, respond to reviews and comments, advertise to nearby customers, and analyze performance.
The more optimized and authoritative your local Facebook presence, the higher visibility you’ll have in local search.
Conclusion
Facebook presents a major opportunity for local businesses to connect with customers and improve local SEO simultaneously.
By optimizing your Page, running geo-targeted ads, engaging local followers, and monitoring analytics, you can increase website traffic, phone calls, and foot traffic from nearby customers.
A thoughtful local Facebook strategy combined with core SEO foundations will ultimately help your business stand out and thrive in your community.
What local Facebook tactics have you found most effective? Let me know in the comments!
References
- https://www.rioseo.com/blog/benefits-of-facebook-local-marketing-go-to-guide/
- https://daltonluka.com/blog/facebook-seo-guide/
- https://www.onelocal.com/geotarget-facebook-ads-business/
- https://www.verint.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-customer-engagement-using-facebook-messenger/
- https://seo.co/local-seo/facebook/
- https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media/completely-optimize-facebook-page/
