Trade Shows with Local SEO

Foot traffic is key to making an impact at trade shows. Yes, your booth design, giveaways and in-person sales pitches are important but how do you get the right people—the ones who are actually interested in your products or services—to your booth? This is where local SEO comes in. Local SEO isn’t just for brick-and-mortar stores or restaurants; it can be a powerful tool to get people to your trade show booth. Trade show SEO is an often overlooked but highly effective way to drive targeted traffic to your booth.

Let’s get into how local SEO tactics like optimizing your Google My Business profile, using location-specific keywords and online reviews can help you succeed at your next trade show.

What is Local SEO and Why Does it Matter for Trade Shows?

Before we get into the details, let’s define what local SEO is. Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to get more business from local searches. These searches happen on Google and other search engines and often include location-based keywords like “near me” or the name of a city.

In the context of a trade show, local SEO helps you connect with people who are attending the event or interested in attending but haven’t decided which booths to visit. This type of optimization ensures that when someone searches for vendors, exhibitors or industry-specific products in the city where the trade show is happening, your business is at the top of the search results.

Setting up and Optimizing Google My Business

One of the most important local SEO tools is Google My Business (GMB). GMB allows you to control how your business appears in Google’s search results and on Google Maps and is key to getting visibility at a trade show. Here’s how to optimize your Google My Business profile for trade show success:

• Claim or update your listing: First off, make sure you’ve claimed your Google My Business listing. If you’ve already done that, make sure all the information is up to date including your business name, contact info and location.
• Add trade show details: If you’re exhibiting at a trade show, update your listing with temporary details such as the location of your booth, event hours or even any promotions you’ll be running at the show. You can also post announcements or updates through the Google My Business dashboard to keep attendees informed.
• Ask for customer reviews: Online reviews are a big part of local SEO. The more reviews you have the better you’ll rank in local searches. At trade shows you can incentivize visitors to leave a review by offering a discount or entering them into a giveaway.

A well optimized Google My Business listing increases the chances of people finding your booth as they search for exhibitors or industry related businesses in the trade show’s area.

Location Specific Keywords

Another local SEO tactic is using location specific keywords. Keywords are the backbone of any SEO strategy and by incorporating them into your website, social media posts and other online content you can increase your visibility for local searches around the trade show.

Here’s how to use location specific keywords to boost your trade show SEO:

• Research local keywords: If your trade show is in Chicago for example, you should be targeting keywords like “trade show exhibitors in Chicago” or “Chicago trade show booths”. These keywords will help search engines connect people looking for trade show information with your business.
• Optimize landing pages: Create a dedicated landing page for the trade show on your website. Make sure to include the city, event name and other location specific details in the copy. For example “Visit us at the XYZ Trade Show in Chicago” should appear naturally throughout the content. This gives search engines plenty of clues that your business is associated with the event.
• Blog about your attendance: Write blog posts leading up to the event that mention the trade show and the city. Share what visitors can expect from your booth and how your products or services are relevant to the local market.

By using location specific keywords you’re giving search engines a way to match your business with people searching for trade show information or exhibitors in the area. These people are more likely to convert as they’re already interested in attending the event and learning more about industry related businesses.

Social Media with Local SEO

Social media is a key tool for any trade show marketing strategy but when combined with local SEO it’s super powerful. By creating geo targeted content on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn you can increase your visibility with attendees both before and during the event.

Here are a few ways to use social media to support your local SEO:

• Use location tags: When posting on social media use location tags for the trade show venue and the city. This will help people in the area see your content and increase your visibility for people searching for exhibitors at the event.
• Create event specific hashtags: Many trade shows have official event hashtags. By including these hashtags in your posts along with location specific keywords you’ll reach attendees and others interested in the event. This is an easy way to increase your visibility and drive more foot traffic to your booth.
• Partner with local influencers: Partnering with local influencers or industry experts attending the trade show will get your message in front of a bigger audience. Influencers have a loyal following and if they mention your booth or business it will increase your local search visibility.

Social media with local SEO means you’re not only showing up in search engine results but actively engaging with your audience in real-time.

NAP Consistency

One often overlooked aspect of local SEO is NAP – Name, Address and Phone number. Ensuring your business’s name, address and phone number are consistent across all online platforms (your website, Google My Business, social media etc) is key to local SEO success.

Why does NAP matter for trade show SEO? Imagine someone finds your business in a local search but can’t find your booth location because your contact information is different on your website compared to your Google My Business listing. This inconsistency will cause confusion, reduce trust and ultimately fewer visitors to your booth. Keeping your NAP consistent will give potential visitors a seamless experience from their online search to their physical interaction with your business at the trade show.

Measuring Your Local SEO Success at Trade Shows

As with any marketing strategy you need to track the results of your local SEO to see what’s working and where you can improve. Tools like Google Analytics and Google My Business Insights will give you valuable data on how people are finding your business and engaging with your content online.

Here are a few metrics to monitor before and during the trade show:

• Search visibility: How often do you show up in local search results
• Website traffic: How much of your website traffic is coming from local searches, compare this to your non-trade show traffic.
• Engagement with your Google My Business profile: Use GMB Insights to see how many people viewed your profile, clicked on your website or requested directions to your booth.

By monitoring these metrics you can refine your local SEO strategy for future trade shows and do even better next time.

Conclusion

Local SEO is a powerful underutilized tool for trade show success. By optimizing your Google My Business profile, using location specific keywords and keeping your NAP consistent you’ll drive targeted traffic to your trade show booth. This will increase your chances of meeting people who are already interested in what you have to offer. With a solid trade show SEO strategy you’ll not only stand out at the event but create long term connections with your target audience.