Say where you are: the local words people search

It's easy to say "we" and "here" all the time and forget to say where "here" is. But people often look for local businesses with place words: "bakery in Acworth", "nail salon near the Marietta Square", "roofer Kennesaw". If your town and your neighborhood never appear in your profile, your listing or your posts, you can be harder to find for the exact searches that matter most.

This recipe takes one sitting, and then about a minute per post.

Time: about 35 to 45 minutes once. Then about a minute per post. You need: your phone, access to your Instagram, your Google Business Profile and your website, and a list of the places your customers come from.

Step 1: list your local words (5 to 10 minutes)

Write down the place words your customers actually use. Not the official name of the area, the one people say.

• Your town: Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta.
• Your part of town: downtown, the Square, near the lake, off the main road everyone knows.
• The towns you serve, if you go to your customers: roofers, cleaners, mobile groomers.

Keep the list short. Three to five words you'd be happy to see next to your name.

Step 2: your Instagram name field and bio (about 5 minutes)

Instagram search looks at your name field as well as your username, so add your town there: "Your business name | what you do, where." Then use your bio's second line to say where you are in the words from Step 1.

Step 3: your Google Business Profile (about 10 minutes)

Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, detailed business information helps it match you to the right searches.

• Address or service area: check that it's exact. If you go to your customers, list the towns you serve.
• Description: say what you do and where, naturally, in a sentence or two.
• Your business name: keep it your real name. Google's guidelines don't allow extra keywords or town names added to the business name.

Step 4: your website (10 to 15 minutes)

• Put your town in the headline on your first screen: "Fresh bread and cakes in downtown Acworth."
• Put your full address, or the towns you serve, in the footer of every page.
• Check that your name, address and hours match your Google profile exactly.

Step 5: your posts, from now on (about a minute each)

• Name the place in your caption when it's true and useful: "Fresh out of the oven on Main Street this morning."
• Add a location tag to your post.
• When you mention a neighbor business or a local event, tag them.

Last: search like a customer (about 5 minutes)

On your phone, search Google and Instagram the way a new customer would: what you do, plus your town. Note what shows up. Check again in a few weeks. This kind of change is slow, and it's rarely instant.

The short version

List the place words your customers use. Put them in your Instagram name field and bio, your Google description and service area, your website's headline and footer, and your captions. Keep your business name your real name.

If you'd rather spend that time on your business, answer a few questions at owdiscovery.com/contact-us and we will build your personalized proposal.

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Sources

• Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google": local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and complete, detailed information helps relevance. https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091
• Google Business Profile Help, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google": the business name should be the real-world name, without extra keywords or location details. https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
• Dummies, "Choosing an Instagram name and username for your business": Instagram search looks at the username and the name field. https://www.dummies.com/article/technology/social-media/instagram/choosing-instagram-name-username-business-249576/