This guide, Metrics Made Manageable: Measuring Your Local Online Presence, is designed to empower small businesses with the tools and knowledge to effectively track and measure their online exposure, even with no prior marketing experience. By following the actionable steps outlined, small business owners can gain valuable insights into how their business is perceived online, identify opportunities for growth, and make informed decisions that attract more local customers. Investing time into this guide will not only help you enhance your online visibility with minimal financial investment, but it will also provide you with a clear path to building a stronger, more successful local presence.
Why Local Online Presence Matters for Your Business
In today’s digital world, your small business’s local online presence plays a crucial role in attracting new customers. When potential customers search online for products or services in your area, how visible your business is can determine whether they choose you or a competitor. A strong local online presence ensures that your business appears prominently in local search results, making it easier for customers to find you.
By understanding and tracking your local online exposure, you can identify what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement. This knowledge allows you to make informed decisions that enhance your visibility and ultimately bring more customers through your doors.
How Measuring Your Online Exposure Can Drive Local Success
Measuring your online exposure is not just about knowing how visible your business is—it's about using that information to grow your customer base. By regularly tracking key metrics, you can see how your efforts to improve your local presence are paying off and where you need to focus more attention.
Download and print the 'Measuring Local Online Exposure Checklist'. This way you can mark each task off as you follow each step of this guide.
One highly effective way to grow your local customer base is by getting existing customers to leave great reviews online. Positive reviews not only build trust with potential customers but also improve your ranking in local search results.
Step 1: Tracking Your Local Search Engine Rankings
How to Monitor Your Position in Local Search Results
To attract new customers, it's essential to know where your business appears in local search results. When someone searches for a product or service you offer, the higher your business ranks, the more likely they are to choose you over a competitor. Here's how you can easily monitor your position:
Perform Regular Manual Searches:
Use a computer or mobile device to search for your business type (e.g., "cafe near me") in your local area.
Note where your business appears on the search results page. Are you near the top, or do you have to scroll down to find it?
Record your position regularly—once a week or month—to track changes over time.
Set Up Google Alerts:
Google Alerts is a free tool that can notify you whenever your business is mentioned online. This can also help you see if new mentions affect your ranking.
To set it up, go to the Google Alerts website, enter your business name and key terms related to your business, and choose how often you want to receive alerts.
Using Free Tools to Track Local Keyword Performance
Keywords are the specific words or phrases that people type into search engines when looking for something. By understanding which keywords are driving traffic to your site, you can optimise your online presence. Here’s how you can track keyword performance using free tools:
Google Search Console:
Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how your website performs in Google Search.
To get started, sign up for Google Search Console and add your website.
Once set up, go to the "Performance" tab to see which keywords people are using to find your site and where your site ranks for those keywords.
Look for keywords that have high impressions (how often your site appears in search results) but low clicks—this could indicate opportunities to improve your content to better meet what people are searching for.
Google Trends:
Google Trends is another free tool that allows you to see the popularity of search terms over time.
Enter keywords relevant to your business and set the location to your local area to see how popular they are.
Use this information to tailor your website content, blog posts, or social media updates to match what people are searching for locally.
Understanding Search Rankings and Their Impact on Local Visibility
Understanding how your business's search rankings affect your local visibility is key to driving more customers through your doors. Here’s why it matters and how you can use this knowledge:
The Importance of Being at the Top:
Most people don’t scroll past the first few results on a search engine page. Being in the top three positions can significantly increase the likelihood that potential customers will click on your business.
Regularly monitoring your ranking helps you understand where you stand compared to competitors and how visible your business is to local searchers.
Improving Your Ranking:
If your ranking is lower than you’d like, focus on improving elements like customer reviews, website content, and local keywords. The steps you take to encourage more reviews, optimise your site with relevant keywords, and regularly update your content can all help boost your ranking.
Track the impact of any changes you make by noting any improvements in your position over time.
Measuring the Impact:
Use the data from your search rankings to assess how visible your business is locally. If you notice more website traffic or customer enquiries after a ranking improvement, this could indicate that your efforts are paying off.
Combine this with other metrics, like customer reviews and social media engagement, to get a full picture of your local online presence and its impact on your business.
By following these steps, you can effectively track your local search engine rankings, understand the importance of your position, and use this information to improve your local online visibility and attract more customers. All of this can be achieved with minimal investment, using free tools that are easy to access and implement.
Step 2: Measuring Website Traffic from Local Audiences
Setting Up Google Analytics to Track Local Visitors
Google Analytics is a powerful, free tool that allows you to track and understand the behaviour of visitors to your website. Here’s how you can set it up to specifically track local visitors:
Create a Google Analytics Account:
If you don’t already have one, sign up for a free Google Analytics account.
Once signed in, follow the prompts to set up a new property (your website) and receive a tracking ID.
Add the Tracking Code to Your Website:
Google Analytics will provide you with a tracking code. This code needs to be added to your website’s HTML so that it can start collecting data.
If you’re not comfortable with coding, many website platforms (such as WordPress or Wix) have plugins or easy-to-follow guides to help you add this tracking code.
Set Up Location-Based Filters:
Within Google Analytics, go to the ‘Admin’ section, and under ‘View’, select ‘Filters’.
Create a new filter to include only traffic from your local area (e.g., your town or city). This will help you focus on how local customers are interacting with your website.
You can do this by selecting ‘Include’, then choosing ‘City’ and typing in the name of your location.
Analysing Traffic Sources to Identify Local Visitors
Understanding where your website traffic comes from is crucial for identifying which efforts are driving local visitors to your site. Here’s how you can analyse these sources:
Access the Traffic Sources Report:
In Google Analytics, navigate to ‘Acquisition’ > ‘All Traffic’ > ‘Source/Medium’. This report will show you where your website traffic is coming from, such as search engines, social media, or direct visits.
Identify Local Traffic:
To focus on local visitors, apply the location-based filter you set up earlier. This will show you only the traffic from your local area.
Look at which sources are bringing in the most local traffic. Are most people finding you through Google searches, social media, or perhaps directly by typing in your website’s URL?
Assess the Effectiveness of Each Source:
Compare the performance of different traffic sources. For example, if a significant portion of local traffic is coming from social media, consider increasing your activity on these platforms.
Use this data to identify which marketing efforts are working best for attracting local customers and which might need improvement.
Understanding Local Customer Behaviour on Your Website
Once you know where your local visitors are coming from, it’s important to understand what they do once they’re on your website. This can help you tailor your site to better meet their needs and encourage them to become paying customers.
Use Behaviour Flow Reports:
In Google Analytics, go to ‘Behaviour’ > ‘Behaviour Flow’. This report shows how visitors move through your website, from the page they land on to the pages they visit next.
Focus on the behaviour of local visitors by applying your location filter. Look for patterns in how local customers interact with your site.
Identify Key Pages and Exit Points:
Determine which pages local visitors are most interested in. Are they spending time on your product or service pages? Are they visiting your contact page?
Also, note where they tend to leave your site. If many local visitors are exiting from a particular page, it might indicate a problem or an area for improvement.
Optimise Based on Insights:
Use the insights from your behaviour flow analysis to make adjustments to your website. For example, if visitors are frequently leaving from a specific page, consider improving the content on that page or making your call to action clearer.
If local visitors often reach your contact page but don’t follow through, ensure your contact information is easy to find and that the process to get in touch is simple.
By setting up Google Analytics to track local visitors, analysing where these visitors are coming from, and understanding how they interact with your website, you can make informed decisions to improve your site’s effectiveness. This will help you attract more local customers with minimal investment and ensure that your website is working as hard as possible to grow your business.
Step 3: Monitoring Local Engagement on Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with local customers, but to make the most of it, you need to track and measure how effectively you're engaging with your local audience. Here’s how you can do it, step by step, without needing any marketing or technical expertise.
How to Track Local Audience Interactions on Social Media
Understanding how your local audience interacts with your social media content is key to building a stronger connection with them. Here’s how you can track these interactions:
Identify Your Local Followers:
Start by looking at your follower list on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X (Twitter). Often, users will have their location listed in their profile or bio.
Make a note of your local followers, as these are the people most likely to become your customers.
Monitor Post Engagements:
Keep an eye on who is liking, commenting on, or sharing your posts. Are these interactions coming from local followers or from a broader audience?
Most social media platforms provide basic insights for free. For example, on Facebook, you can go to the ‘Insights’ tab and check the ‘People’ section to see where your engaged audience is located.
Use Hashtags and Location Tags:
When posting, use local hashtags (e.g., #YourTownName) and location tags to increase the chances of reaching local audiences.
Track the performance of posts with local tags compared to those without. You can do this by comparing the engagement levels—such as likes, comments, and shares—on these posts.
Measuring the Growth of Your Local Follower Base
A growing local follower base indicates that your social media efforts are resonating with people in your area. Here’s how you can measure this growth:
Track Your Follower Count Regularly:
Set aside time each week or month to note down your follower count on each social media platform. Pay special attention to any increase in followers from your local area.
If you’ve recently run a local promotion or campaign, see if there’s a spike in local followers afterwards.
Analyse Your Follower Demographics:
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide insights into your followers’ demographics, including their location.
Go to the insights or analytics section of the platform and check the ‘Location’ data. This will tell you what percentage of your followers are local and help you track any changes over time.
Set Growth Targets:
Based on your current follower count, set realistic goals for growing your local audience. For example, aim to increase your local followers by 10% over the next three months.
Measure your progress regularly to ensure you’re on track to meet your goals.
Using Social Media Metrics to Assess Local Influence
To understand your impact on local customers, you need to assess how influential your social media presence is within your community. Here’s how to use social media metrics to gauge your local influence:
Engagement Rate:
Calculate your engagement rate by dividing the total number of interactions (likes, comments, shares) by your total number of followers, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
A higher engagement rate indicates that your local audience finds your content interesting and relevant. Aim for a steady or increasing engagement rate over time.
Reach and Impressions:
Check how many people your posts are reaching (reach) and how often your posts are being displayed (impressions). Most platforms provide this data under their insights or analytics sections.
If you’re using local hashtags or location tags, monitor whether these posts have higher reach and impressions among your local audience compared to your other content.
Mentions and Shares:
Track how often your business is mentioned or shared by local users. Mentions and shares indicate that your content is resonating with people enough for them to spread the word.
You can monitor mentions manually by searching for your business name on social media or setting up notifications to alert you whenever someone tags your business.
Customer Feedback and Reviews:
Pay attention to comments, direct messages, and reviews left on your social media pages by local customers. Positive feedback and reviews can boost your local reputation and attract new customers.
Regularly check these messages and respond promptly to build stronger relationships with your local audience.
By effectively monitoring local engagement on social media, measuring the growth of your local follower base, and using social media metrics to assess your local influence, you can ensure that your social media efforts are directly contributing to attracting and retaining local customers. This approach is cost-effective and easy to implement, making it accessible even for small businesses with minimal marketing experience.
Step 4: Analysing Online Reviews and Local Reputation
Online reviews are a crucial part of your local online presence. Positive reviews can significantly boost your reputation and attract new customers, while negative reviews can have the opposite effect. Here’s how you can track and measure your online reviews to ensure your local reputation is helping, not hindering, your business.
Tracking Customer Reviews Across Various Online Platforms
To get a complete picture of your online reputation, it’s important to keep track of all the reviews your business receives across different platforms. Here’s how you can do this:
Identify Key Review Platforms:
Focus on the platforms where your customers are most likely to leave reviews. The most common ones include Google Business Profile, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot.
Make a list of these platforms and ensure you have claimed your business profile on each one so that you can respond to reviews and monitor feedback.
Set Up Alerts and Notifications:
To avoid missing any new reviews, set up notifications on each platform so that you’re alerted as soon as someone leaves feedback.
For Google Business Profile, you can enable email notifications for new reviews. Similarly, on Facebook, you can turn on page notifications to stay updated.
Use Free Tools to Monitor Reviews:
Consider using free tools like Google Alerts or Social Mention to monitor mentions of your business across the web. These tools can help you keep track of reviews and any discussions about your business, even outside the main platforms.
Regularly check these tools and the review platforms to ensure you stay on top of your online reputation.
Measuring the Impact of Reviews on Local Consumer Trust
Reviews play a vital role in building trust with potential customers. Measuring their impact can help you understand how reviews influence your local audience. Here’s how to measure that impact:
Calculate Your Average Rating:
The average rating across all platforms is a quick indicator of how your business is perceived. Add up the total of all your star ratings and divide by the number of reviews to get your average.
Track this average over time. An upward trend indicates growing customer satisfaction, while a downward trend suggests areas where you might need to improve.
Monitor Review Volume and Recency:
The number of reviews you have and how recent they are can influence consumer trust. Customers tend to trust businesses with a higher volume of recent reviews.
Track the number of new reviews you receive each month. Aim to encourage a steady flow of reviews by asking satisfied customers to share their experiences online.
Analyse Review Sentiment:
Beyond star ratings, look at the content of the reviews to understand the sentiment. Are most of your reviews positive, or are there recurring issues mentioned in negative reviews?
Categorise reviews into positive, neutral, and negative, and track the proportion of each. A higher percentage of positive reviews generally correlates with higher consumer trust.
Using Review Data to Gauge Your Local Reputation
Your local reputation is a reflection of how the community views your business. By using review data effectively, you can gauge and enhance this reputation:
Track Local Review Trends:
Identify whether your reviews are coming from local customers. Local reviews often carry more weight for potential customers in the area.
Encourage local customers to mention specific details about their location or their experience with your business to reinforce your local presence.
Respond to Reviews Promptly:
Engage with customers by responding to their reviews, whether they’re positive or negative. A quick, thoughtful response shows that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving their experience.
Track the responses you give and any follow-up reviews or comments that result. Positive engagement can further enhance your reputation.
Use Reviews in Marketing:
Highlight positive reviews in your marketing efforts, such as on your website, social media, or in email newsletters. This not only builds trust with new customers but also encourages others to leave reviews.
Measure the effectiveness of this by tracking any increase in website traffic, social media engagement, or enquiries following the promotion of positive reviews.
By tracking customer reviews, measuring their impact on consumer trust, and using review data to gauge your local reputation, you can ensure that your online presence is contributing positively to your business’s success. These steps are simple to implement and require minimal investment, making them accessible for any small business looking to grow its local customer base.
Step 5: Evaluating Local Citations and Directory Listings
Local citations and directory listings play a crucial role in your business’s local online presence. Citations are mentions of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites, such as local directories, online maps, or review sites. Consistent and accurate citations can significantly boost your visibility in local search results, helping you attract more customers. Here’s how you can track and measure the impact of your local citations.
How to Check Your Business Information Across Local Directories
Identify Key Local Directories:
Start by identifying the most important local directories and citation sources for your business. Common directories include Google My Business, Yelp, Yell.com, Thomson Local, and Facebook.
Additionally, check industry-specific directories relevant to your business.
Search for Your Business:
Go to each directory and search for your business by name. Note down where your business is listed and what information is shown.
If your business is not listed, consider creating a profile to ensure you’re visible to local customers.
Verify Your Business Details:
Ensure that your business’s NAP details (Name, Address, Phone number) are consistent across all listings. Inconsistent information can confuse potential customers and negatively impact your local search rankings.
Look out for any outdated or incorrect information, such as an old address or phone number, and update it immediately.
Tracking the Consistency and Accuracy of Local Citations
Consistency is key when it comes to citations. Search engines like Google use this information to determine the credibility and legitimacy of your business. Here’s how you can track and ensure consistency:
Create a Citation Tracking Sheet:
Use a simple spreadsheet to log all the directories where your business is listed. Include columns for the directory name, the exact NAP details as listed, the URL of the listing, and the date you last checked it.
Regularly update this sheet to keep track of any changes or corrections you make.
Check for Inconsistencies:
Go through your citation tracking sheet and compare the NAP details listed on each directory with your official business information.
Note any discrepancies, such as different phone numbers or addresses, and correct them as soon as possible.
Use Free Citation Tools:
Consider using free online tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal to help you identify inconsistencies in your citations across multiple directories.
These tools can scan the web for mentions of your business and highlight any inaccuracies, saving you time and ensuring your information is consistent.
Measuring the Impact of Citations on Local Search Visibility
Once your citations are consistent and accurate, it’s important to measure their impact on your local search visibility. Here’s how you can do this:
Monitor Local Search Rankings:
Regularly check where your business appears in local search results on Google and other search engines. Look for improvements in your ranking after correcting or adding citations.
Use a free tool like Google Search Console to track changes in your search rankings over time.
Analyse Website Traffic:
Check your website’s analytics (using a tool like Google Analytics) to see if there’s an increase in local traffic following updates to your citations.
Look for spikes in traffic that correlate with the timing of when you corrected or added citations, indicating that your improved online visibility is driving more visitors to your site.
Track Customer Enquiries:
Pay attention to any increases in customer enquiries or visits that occur after you’ve improved your citations. More accurate and consistent information can make it easier for customers to find and contact you.
Consider asking new customers how they found you, to see if your citation improvements are having a direct impact on customer acquisition.
By checking and updating your business information across local directories, tracking the consistency of your citations, and measuring their impact on local search visibility, you can significantly enhance your local online presence. These steps are straightforward and can be implemented with minimal investment, making them accessible to any small business looking to attract more local customers.
Step 6: Assessing the Effectiveness of Local Online Advertising
Online advertising can be a powerful way to reach local customers, but it’s essential to track and measure the performance of your campaigns to ensure you’re getting the best return on your investment. Here’s how you can assess the effectiveness of your local online advertising with minimal effort and investment.
Tracking the Performance of Local Ads with Basic Tools
To understand how well your local ads are performing, you need to track key metrics. Here’s how you can do it using simple, accessible tools:
Set Up Google Ads for Local Campaigns:
If you’re using Google Ads, ensure your campaign is set up to target local customers specifically. This includes selecting your local area in the geographic settings and using keywords relevant to your location.
Google Ads provides built-in tracking tools that show how many people have seen your ad (impressions), clicked on it (clicks), and taken action on your website.
Use Facebook Ads Manager:
If you’re advertising on Facebook, the Ads Manager tool allows you to track your campaign’s performance in real time.
Focus on metrics such as reach (how many people saw your ad), engagement (likes, comments, shares), and clicks. Facebook also provides location-based metrics, so you can see how many local users are interacting with your ads.
Monitor Results with UTM Parameters:
UTM parameters are small pieces of code that you can add to the end of your ad’s URL. They help you track where your website traffic is coming from in Google Analytics.
Set up UTM parameters for each ad campaign to see how many visitors are coming from each specific ad and whether they’re taking desired actions (e.g., making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter).
Measuring the Reach and Engagement of Your Local Ad Campaigns
Understanding how many people your ads are reaching and how they’re engaging with them is key to evaluating their effectiveness. Here’s how you can measure these aspects:
Track Reach and Impressions:
Reach refers to the number of unique people who have seen your ad, while impressions refer to the total number of times your ad has been shown.
Use the analytics provided by your advertising platform (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager) to monitor these metrics. Higher reach means more potential customers are seeing your ad, while high impressions can indicate repeated exposure, which may increase brand recognition.
Analyse Engagement Metrics:
Engagement metrics include clicks, likes, comments, shares, and other interactions with your ad. These metrics help you understand how interested your audience is in what you’re offering.
Look at the engagement rate, which is the percentage of people who interacted with your ad out of those who saw it. A higher engagement rate usually indicates that your ad content is resonating well with your audience.
Measure Local Conversions:
Conversions refer to specific actions you want users to take after seeing your ad, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or contacting your business.
Use conversion tracking tools available on your ad platform or through Google Analytics to see how many of these actions are coming from local customers. This will help you assess whether your ad is effectively driving local business.
Using Ad Metrics to Improve Future Local Campaigns
Once you’ve tracked and measured the performance of your local ads, you can use this data to refine and improve future campaigns. Here’s how:
Review and Compare Ad Performance:
After running your ad campaign, review the performance metrics. Compare the results to previous campaigns to see what worked and what didn’t.
Identify patterns in successful ads, such as particular keywords, images, or messaging that led to higher engagement or conversions.
Adjust Targeting and Budget:
If your ads aren’t reaching enough local customers, consider refining your targeting settings. You can narrow your audience by adjusting geographic boundaries or focusing on specific demographics.
Similarly, if a particular campaign is performing well, you might consider increasing the budget to reach even more local customers.
Test and Optimise Your Ads:
Consider running A/B tests, where you create two versions of an ad with slight differences (e.g., different headlines or images) to see which performs better.
Use the insights from these tests to optimise your ads for better performance in future campaigns. Continuously refining your ads based on data will help you maximise their effectiveness.
By tracking the performance of your local ads, measuring their reach and engagement, and using the gathered metrics to improve future campaigns, you can ensure that your advertising efforts are both cost-effective and impactful. This method allows you to make data-driven decisions that help grow your local customer base with minimal investment and effort.
Conclusion: Making Your Measurements Count
As you’ve worked through this guide, you’ve learned how to track and measure various aspects of your local online presence, from customer reviews to social media engagement and local citations. Now, it’s time to put that data to work. Here’s how you can use the insights you’ve gained to strengthen your local online presence, set actionable goals, and ensure continuous improvement—all with minimal investment.
How to Use Data to Strengthen Your Local Online Presence
The data you’ve gathered is a powerful tool that can help you make informed decisions about your business’s online strategies. Here’s how to use it effectively:
Identify Areas of Strength and Weakness:
Review the data from your different tracking efforts. Identify where your business is performing well—perhaps your local search rankings are high, or you’re receiving a lot of positive reviews.
Also, pinpoint areas where there’s room for improvement. For example, if your social media engagement is low or your citations are inconsistent, these are areas to focus on.
Leverage Positive Feedback:
Use the positive aspects of your data to your advantage. Highlight strong customer reviews in your marketing, showcase successful ad campaigns, and continue practices that are driving high engagement.
This not only reinforces what’s working but also helps attract more customers by building trust and credibility.
Address Weaknesses:
Use the data to identify and fix issues that may be hindering your online presence. If you’ve found inconsistencies in your business information across directories, take the time to correct them.
If certain marketing efforts aren’t yielding the desired results, consider tweaking your approach or reallocating your resources to more effective strategies.
Setting Actionable Goals Based on Your Metrics
Setting clear, actionable goals is essential for translating your data into real-world improvements. Here’s how to set goals that are both achievable and impactful:
Define Specific Objectives:
Based on your data, set specific goals for each area of your online presence. For example, if you want to improve your local search ranking, set a goal to move up by a certain number of positions within the next three months.
Ensure each goal is clear and measurable, so you can easily track your progress.
Prioritise Your Goals:
Focus on the areas that will have the biggest impact on attracting new local customers. For example, if reviews are driving most of your new business, make improving your review strategy a top priority.
Start with a few key goals to avoid becoming overwhelmed, and gradually expand as you achieve success.
Create an Action Plan:
Develop a step-by-step plan to achieve each goal. For example, if you aim to increase positive reviews, your plan might include steps like asking satisfied customers for feedback, responding to existing reviews, and monitoring your review platforms regularly.
Assign deadlines to each step to keep yourself on track.
Regular Tracking for Continuous Improvement
Success isn’t a one-time event—it requires ongoing effort and regular tracking. Here’s how to ensure continuous improvement:
Set Up a Regular Review Schedule:
Schedule time to review your data on a regular basis, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. This will help you stay on top of changes in your online presence and adjust your strategies as needed.
Use this time to compare current data with past performance to assess progress towards your goals.
Adjust Strategies Based on Data:
Be flexible and willing to adapt your approach based on what the data tells you. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change tactics.
Conversely, if a strategy is proving successful, consider how you can expand or enhance it for even better results.
Celebrate Successes and Learn from Failures:
Recognise and celebrate when you achieve your goals. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces the importance of tracking and measuring your efforts.
If you don’t meet a goal, review the data to understand why, and use that insight to improve your approach moving forward.
By using the data you’ve gathered to strengthen your local online presence, setting clear and actionable goals, and regularly tracking your progress, you can ensure that your small business continues to grow and attract new local customers. These steps are designed to be simple and effective, allowing you to make a big impact with minimal investment.