SEO Tips And Tricks To Make Your Local Event A Success

In the digital age, some marketers struggle to really get a handle on search engine marketing and how to use it to their advantage. SEO plays a pivotal part in driving traffic to a website on a regular basis, but it’s also a key component of local events like expos, annual celebrations, competitions, and more. You might be surprised to learn just how many people type “events near me” into their Google search bar. If you want to make sure your networking events, festivals, and fundraisers really draw a crowd, you’ll need to start using local SEO as part of your strategy. Read on to learn some important SEO tips and tricks to utilize when promoting your next event.

Don’t Neglect Your Site

Even if your website is used for more than just promoting your event, consumers will look you up before committing to purchasing a ticket. That’s why you can’t afford to put your site on the back burner. “Coming soon” sections or under-optimized content simply won’t do. If you have one specific page on your site set up for promotional and informational purposes, make sure to use SEO practices in your title tags, descriptions, and more. Although you should mention the date and year in this information, it’s best not to put the year in the domain and/or URL. Your landing page should be “evergreen,” meaning that you don’t have to redirect links or build new pages every single year. To make sure your site is optimized properly, work with a search engine optimization company.

Start Early

Although you might be worried about promoting too early, lest potential attendees forget, there’s really no such thing when it comes to local SEO. The more anticipation, the better. The fact is that SEO takes time to have an impact, and more people are likely to attend when they have more chances to hear about an event. The trick is ensuring that your marketing doesn’t get stale. As long as you have a creative and versatile strategy to ensure the message doesn’t get old, it’s preferable to get a head start on your event marketing. Post teasers and updates on multiple platforms and run a contest to really get people involved leading up to your local events.

Embrace Multimedia And Social Media

Don’t forget that SEO can tie in beautifully to social media and creative forms of content. Video content can be particularly helpful for connecting with your audience, as it has a high shareability factor. Just don’t forget to add transcripts below any videos you post, as this will help visitors who can’t watch videos and will help Google understand what your post is about. Be sure to create events on social media, too. According to a recent Social Media Marketing Industry Report, nearly two-thirds of marketers feel Facebook is the most important social media platform. Create your event on Facebook and promote it on other platforms like LinkedIn. Pick and use a hashtag for your event to get everyone revved up for it.

Place Ads

While organic local searches and subsequent traffic are incredibly important, you’ll likely need to supplement that with some targeted ads. Paid ad campaigns on social media or through other local channels can boost your overall visibility and attendance, when done correctly. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all provide opportunities for ad placement that might appeal to your target demographic. If you want to get your content seen, these channels allow you to do that and they make it easy to translate those views into ticket sales for your local events.

When you’re struggling to sell tickets and get the word out for your local events, ask yourself: are you really utilizing SEO? If the answer is “no” or “I’m not sure,” you should contact one of our search engine marketing experts today. We can help ensure your website is primed for user engagement and that your events have the best chance of attracting the attention they deserve.