Local SEO has been around since the birth of search engines. Back then, establishing your business on search engine listings was easy: all you needed to do was fill out a form on Google, Yahoo, or Bing and wait for the magic. But that’s not how it works anymore. While local SEO is still essential, the process has become more complicated. Many small businesses don’t understand why local SEO is critical to their marketing strategy — or how they can take advantage of it.
Learn about five reasons why local SEO matters for your business.
Local search results are more valuable than ever.
If you’re boosting your SEO status with keywords relevant to your business, then your chances of being found by the right people will be exponentially higher. To find those people, local SEO is your friend. To get started with local SEO, you need to understand what it is and how you can take advantage of it. It can be tempting to use keywords like “best local discount” or “best schools for adults” in your highly informative content. While these weaves can be effective for blogging or social media, they are great candidates for local SEO.
It’s no secret: search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for any website, and there’s no reason why your content can’t serve as a bridge to an audience that’s looking for what you have to say. If you want to expand your brand online, you need to have a clear strategy for ranking critical keywords. If you think that your brand is enough just yet, you’re not alone. There are many influencers out there with utterly made-up hair and makeup who play to their audience of hangers-on.
Seeing people so dedicated to lessons on doing things better is an excellent indication for Google that these kinds of posts might be helpful. And it’s not just influencers — anybody can write a good article. What sets local SEO apart is that people are taking the time to think about keyword research and how you can get top rankings in each relevant search engine.
Local SEO brings you new customers and sales leads.
Local SEO is a great way to get more customers because you’re giving people what they want. People are looking for local businesses online, and if you’re not showing up in their search results, you’re losing out on potential customers. For small businesses, a local understanding of SEO is key to their success. It includes content marketing, which is a great way to show up on Google’s first page of results.
The way to do this is by creating high-quality blog content about your business on a platform like WordPress that explains what makes your business unique and offers helpful tips. Infographics are an excellent way to answer questions and receive more clicks on your website.
Use infographics to clearly explain your company name and provide information about your products or services. Use bullet points to add more detail to what you have to say. While YouTube is valid for entertainment, search engine optimization (SEO) videos can get many views and boost your business on the video website.
Local SEO can build trust with your customers and improve your brand image.
Search engine optimization (SEO) can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By optimizing your website and business listings, you can attract more customers and improve your brand image. If you live in a city, it’s vital to focus on local SEO. Local SEO helps people find businesses like yours in their town. SEO is becoming a more complex task.
For example, you may want to rank for keywords that target someone looking for restaurant recommendations, and you could use an online directory like OpenStreetMap to help with this. Other unique SEO tips include: Building your website around local search engines is a worthwhile endeavor. It will allow people who use these sites to begin learning about your business before visiting your website. According to Alexa, it pays to invest in your website if you want to attract customers.
Your website or social media page usually becomes saturated with links back to competitor sites and ads. It leads to low user engagement and poor organic visibility. You may find that you have some visibility — but not the kind you wanted, and your website is doing little to no marketing. That’s when you need to adopt a local strategy.
Read more about how a regional SEO strategy can help your business become more relevant in your city. Successful local SEO attracts customers looking for a specific service or product.
Local SEO gets you in front of relevant potential customers.
Local SEO is a great way to get in front of people looking for what you have locally. Imagine you’re selling a product or service to people who live in your neighborhood. It is important to note because Google considers these products and services to be a part of your business if they’re relevant to the customer’s location.
Google uses reviews, abstract and specific queries in your area, and keywords when determining your rankings, among many other factors when choosing your search engines. Currently, 90% of searches on Google happen through local queries (which takes into account location, language, and device type), causing your business to rank higher whenever people search on this term. Like how Google can judge the quality of your website, they can also show relevance to searchers by your location in searches.
The best way to see how relevant your business is to searchers is to visit your page on any local search engine. Also to see how many first results come from people looking in your city. Local SEO will give you ideas on how to improve your rankings and also enable you to build a local audience of interested searchers. Google has also used its algorithms to determine how relevant people searching for a local term are. Every day, searches are on multiple topics for people looking for a specific product or service.
But these are only a few results. For example, the top results of people’s searches for ‘laundry tools’ in Tampa include Home Depot, Tide detergent, and Jet.com. If you source your listings using local Tampa SEO, you’ll see a more significant fraction of searches from your area.
Local SEO is a great way to get your business in front of the right people.
Local SEO allows you to get in front of the right people looking for your products and services. If you’re not using local SEO, you’re missing out on an excellent opportunity to grow your business and get more customers. Experts agree that 15–30% of all searches track back to a location — specifically, a city or town. It is known as a “city anchor” search position. People are always on the hunt for new places to live.
They want to feel at home wherever they choose to live. They want to brush up on their local culture and learn about what makes the place unique. People are always looking for restaurants, local passes to events, or boutique deals. Showing up on page one of Google search results gives people a good idea of what you’re all about. And how well you’ve done to get them to click on your listings instead of another listing that offers the same product or service. Discovering a new local business is excellent marketing in and of itself. People love finding new companies in their area.
You never know when they’ll start stopping by or stopping by again. If you’re a new business and you’re not getting business referrals, that could reflect poorly on you and hamper your potential to get in front of the right people. From humble beginnings through to fully grown businesses, there’s a chance each of us has struggled to find local businesses to patronize. It wasn’t always easy, but a few tips can help as you keep applying pressure on listings and keep people coming to your store. Namely, one-click local delivery, local deals, free shipping and discounts, and good customer service! Make sure your website appears alongside your listing on Google or Bing search results. Storefront is an excellent tool to go with your listing.
