Whether you're a coffee shop owner, local hairstylist or restaurant, local visibility drives your business's success. While a strategically placed sandwich can attract more foot trafficthe real power lies in digital marketing, unlocking the potential to drive Google traffic and attract customers online.

But not all Internet traffic is “good” traffic—especially when it's not targeted for your service area. What you need are customers who can physically walk into your office or storefront, actively looking for service providers in their vicinity.

This is where the essence of “local” internet marketing flourishes. Combining digital skills and community engagementlocal internet marketing allows you to attract local customers who are eager to engage with your business.

Connected: 4 strategies to help you attract more local customers to your small business

Local Internet Marketing, Defined

Local Internet marketing refers to the strategies and activities that businesses use to attract customers to a specific geographic area. It is especially important for local businesses that depend on foot traffic or those that are licensed to operate only in certain areas. The goal is to reach people who are in the vicinity of the business and/or are looking for geo-specific service providers.

Grow with local SEO

People use search engines (namely Google) to find restaurants, clothing stores, salons, law firms, coffee shops and more in their local area. A Google search for “burger place near me” brings up a list of Google Maps and organic Google results targeted to the user's location.

As a business owner, you can take advantage of the power of search engines to be found by local customers. To do this, you will need to optimize your website for the search terms (“keywords”) that your potential customers use to find products or services like yours. That's what it's called local search engine optimization (SEO).

This includes strategic use keywords in the titles and content of your web pageswriting detailed page descriptions, implementing user-friendly navigation, and optimizing your website for mobile device. Create engaging content that appeals to local audiences, such as blog posts, videos or infographics about local events or interests.

However, Google is not the only search engine in town. Bing, Yahoo!, Yandex and others can also show your business in search results if you follow SEO best practices.

More than just Yelp

Yelp is one of the most popular business directories on the Internet, with a broad user base and a robust review platform. However, there are many directories that businesses can use to be found by local customers.

One such directory is Google for Business, Google's proprietary (and free) directory platform. Businesses can find and claim an existing listing or create a new listing to display their phone number, hours, business description, photos, logo, website link, reviews and more.

Some other directories you should submit your business information to include the Yellow Pages, Bing Places for Business, Foursquare, Better Business Bureau, Superpages, Merchant Circle, EZLocal, and eLocal. It's also worth submitting your business to industry-specific directories (such as Avvo for the legal industry or The Photographer's Workbook).

Make sure your business details are consistent across all directories. Prioritize getting reviews for your Google Business Profile, then drive customers to leave reviews on subsequent profiles.

Connected: Why Local SEO is the key to business success

Gain an edge with local search advertising

While local SEO focuses on optimizing your website to improve its organic rankings, local search ads include paying for visibility through ads that appear alongside search results.

Google Ads is the most common platform for running paid search ads. With Google Ads, you're able to target a specific geographic area, determine which keywords you want to “rank” for, write compelling ad copy, and track the results of your ad spend.

of Meta Ads the platform also allows you to target certain audience demographics, interests and geographic locations to attract the most suitable customers for your business. Search ads are a way to drive instant visibility, traffic and leads for your brand, as opposed to waiting for traffic from SEO.

Touch your local community

Don't underestimate the value of good fashion networking. Engaging with your local community through Facebook Groups, LinkedIn CommunitiesInstagram and the like is a great way to promote your local business.

The best approach is to find local networking groups specific to your industry. Join these communities in order to comment on existing posts, make connections with its members, and post your own interesting or useful content.

Be sure to be authentic and avoid overly promotional posts. Engage with the community to build trust and credibility, prioritizing long-term partnerships over short-term promotions.

You can also check out resources like Meetup.com and Eventbrite to find online and in-person networking opportunities in your area.

Connected: 5 Simple SEO Methods That Produce Big Traffic for Small Businesses

Level up your rep and comments

Positive online reviews are an important factor when it comes to SEO and the reputation of your business. To increase your local visibility, encourage satisfied customers to leave comments on platforms like Google, Yelp, Facebook and other online directories.

Make it easy for customers to leave reviews by including links to your review profiles in follow-up emails, invoices and on social media. Respond to positive reviews, thanking customers for their business and respond to negative comments to handle concerns in a professional manner.

It may be beneficial to offer incentives or discounts to customers for leaving reviews (restrictions may apply to certain industries). Getting lots of five-star reviews can improve your Google Maps ranking and ultimately build trust with potential customers.

Remember, local internet marketing is about much more than ranking high on Google. Take a multi-channel approach to getting your business found in local directories, community groups, social platforms and even through paid advertising. This way, your business can attract more foot traffic as well as online customers.