Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your company to be more visible in Google's local search results. Any company that has a physical location or serves a geographical area can benefit from local SEO. Many of the activities associated with local SEO will not only help you improve your visibility in local search results, but will also help you create better online visibility in general. Local SEO is important for online businesses and for businesses looking to attract foot traffic.
A few decades ago, consumers could have searched for local businesses in the yellow pages or on the map. Nowadays, they use search engines to find contact information, location, hours and other details about a company. Whether you have a physical location or provide services to a particular geographical area, local SEO allows you to better connect with people in your neighborhood, town, or city. As detailed in the benefits mentioned above, local SEO is very important and can help you maintain a competitive advantage in a business environment full of fierce competition.
We help you develop backlinks from websites such as local newspapers, local directories, distributors and suppliers. Local SEO helps your business stand out, even if you don't have a website, and helps attract more traffic to your facilities through potential online customers. Searches with local intent are on the rise: 4 out of 5 consumers now use search engines to find local information, and the information in the search results takes a whopping 70% of consumers to a physical store. Content marketing and link building are necessary to establish prominence and relevance, two of the fundamental pillars of local SEO rankings.
In fact, only 44% of companies have applied for their Google My Business listing, which is one of the first steps in any local SEO optimization checklist. Local searches generally seek information about local businesses, so having information easily available (that is, an important part of developing and refining a local SEO strategy is evaluating competitors and identifying what they are doing better than you). Being able to offer them authentic recommendations from their colleagues for your business as a result of your reputation management activity is a big plus and underlines why local SEO is important. The more mature your local SEO strategy is, the greater your chances of attracting traffic and generating leads or sales.
The local search results show a selection (snack package or local package) of the three most relevant results. That means it won't be that difficult to beat your local competitors in local searches to get all that business. In addition to the site's text, it's also important that your site has all the structured data markup (schema) relevant to local SEO. We've fully established why local SEO is beneficial and addressed how it can transform a business.
A Google My Business profile is completely free and is a vital stage of any local SEO campaign. If you haven't yet created one for your company, that should be the next step on your to-do list.
