We have something special about local businesses, the ones that put life into a community. It could be the smell of coffee floating down Fitzroy laneways, the smiling tradie vans parked up along the streets of Hawthorn or the fashionable boutiques around the Hawthorn foreshore; all of them can tell a story of how they improved their businesses in Google rankings.
And nowadays, some of these local legends have become sparked in a different manner, on the Internet. Businesses around Melbourne are not only being noticed; they are being ranked higher than ever on Google rankings thanks to Optirank, a reliable digital solutions and SEO provider, the doors are open and the customers are coming.
This case study has a more detailed examination of three success stories of Fitzroy, Hawthorn and Port Melbourne and how Optirank assisted each of the businesses to grow one keyword at a time.
Fitzroy: Underdog to Neighbourhood Star
Fitzroy has always been a character, a bit of an artist, a street kid and full of local flavour. However, in such a vibrant suburb, competition may be stiff. A local cafe, so close to Brunswick Street, had it all: the best coffee, nice employees and regular customers. However, they were not being ranked among the new visitors when they were searching online.
They approached Optirank to assist them, and this is when things began to pick up. The team conducted a comprehensive SEO audit of Optirank and found out what the strengths of the cafe were and what it lacked. The plan was basic and efficient, creating local keywords (such as best coffee in Fitzroy), optimising their Google Business Profile, which helped in improving their Google rankings and requesting satisfied customers to leave feedback.
The café had gone up the Google rankings in a few months, moving from the second position to the first position in the search results for coffee Fitzroy and other frequent keywords. The number of people who began to appear increased, and internet orders doubled.
The owner of the cafe did not say that Optirank merely assisted them in ranking better. They made us feel we were a part of the story of Fitzroy online. We have already started receiving visitors who claim to have discovered us on Google – that is enormous gain for a small cafe.
Hawthorn: Tradies Take the Number One Place on Google rankings
A plumbing company that was a family business Down in leafy Hawthorn was performing well but receiving minimal online exposure. They possessed good word-of-mouth referrals, but in the modern world this is not enough. That’s where Optirank came in. The team developed a smarter local search strategy which was aimed at real people and real searches.
They updated the business site with local content, included specific service pages such as emergency plumber Hawthorn, and ensured that all the business contact details were consistent on online listings.
They also uploaded some brief blog posts on general plumbing problems in the neighbourhood, as a fact, many old homes in Hawthorn have old pipes, and this made the business sound friendly and like an expert on the internet.
The disparity was black and white. Within two months:
- Inbound calls increased twice.
- There was a 150 per cent increase in traffic to the websites.
- The company was among the top three results of the various plumbing searches within the region.
Why is it?
- The Web did not imagine using SEO would help traders much, but geez, was I wrong! Optirank would fix a leak quicker than we would.
- Hawthorn is a competitive suburb, and this business is now taller than the giants in the industry – proving that when hands-on and local trades are rightly matched with online digital mates, they can reign supreme.
Port Melbourne: Coastal Boutique Discovers its Online Partner which improved Google rankings
A fashion boutique store by the water in Port Melbourne was attempting to make its beachside appeal known to a larger group. Their bricks-and-mortar store was busy, yet the internet sales were silent. They desired their site to have a laid-back, beachy feel and appeal to local fashion-loving customers.
Optirank took time to know the story of the brand and what was special about it. They assisted in redesigning the site and changing it to more friendly, SEO-enriched material with the use of such phrases as the coastal fashion Port Melbourne, and Melbourne beachwear boutique. They have also enhanced the product descriptions and assisted the team to keep their Google listing alive with new photos and posts.
- It did not take long before the boutique began to climb the rankings. There was an influx of traffic of local and interstate shoppers, and they began shipping to new customers whom they found by Googling them.
- Owner said that our shop has been put in the limelight as it deserves. Optirank helped us to merge beach life with online achievement.
- The boutique has become the destination of Port Melbourne in sun-themed fashion – both offline and online.
Final Destination: Local Wins, Real Results
The fact that these three stories are connected together is not only about SEO or some fancy digital tools but also about the fact that they are locally connected. The imaginations of Fitzroy, the family orientation of Hawthorn and the beachside atmosphere of Port Melbourne all have something on the table. And as companies in these regions receive the appropriate digital push, the outcomes are actual, such as an increased customer base, fame, and unity within the community.
Optirank does not believe in a one-shoe-fits-all solution. Their secret? Listening. They get to know what each business is unique about and develop a strategy like a glove.
And whether your business is or is not running a cafe in the Fitzroy area, a plumbing service in Hawthorn, or a boutique by the bay in Port Melbourne, then it is worth bearing in mind the following:
Local love and a good online presence can get your business to the top – just as the case with these legends.
Optirank – Making Local Businesses Shine Online.