What Is Local SEO?
The objective of local search engine optimisation, a subset of search engine optimisation (also known as SEO), is to raise the profile of a local company in the listings produced by local search engines such as Google. Local search results often answer a “near me” intended question, which indicates that a searcher is looking for something “in [CITY X]” or that the search engine has realised that there were geographic limits to the search. In other words, the searcher is seeking something “near me.”
Businesses can enhance their visibility in these local search results for phrases related to their company and the products or services they offer by utilising local search optimisation tactics to improve their online presence. In the below article, we will discuss why local SEO matters for your business and let you know some important pieces of information to help navigate you through a saturated online market.
Why is Conducting Local Search Engine Optimisation So Important for Small Businesses?
Almost half of all searches conducted on Google now are for local information. Even when someone is doing a regular search like they would every day, there is still a good probability that Google may show local businesses in the area.
Why is that so crucial for locally owned and operated businesses?
According to data provided by Google, the number of searches, including the term “near me today/tonight,” saw a nine-hundred percent spike between 2017 and 2019. Google began giving more results for searches that were geographically connected based on the following criteria to satisfy the requirements of its users better:
- Proximity
- Relevance
- Prominence
With that being said, if the company is located close to where a person is conducting their search, if it provides the services or products that the person may be looking for, and if it has its local business listings optimised, then you have a greater chance of being discovered.
What Advantages Does Local Search Engine Optimisation Offer?
Investing in local search engine optimisation (SEO) provides small businesses with a number of benefits, one of which is improved exposure in the search engine results pages (SERPS) of Google. Exposure in Google search results is why local SEO matters in a nutshell. If you don’t exist on a google search, then your SEO is non existent. If you rank in the top 10 results for local searches, your website is at least partly optimised for search engines. A professional SEO expert will help determine which keywords (searches) your business should focus on in order to maximise results.
A Method of Advertising That Is Both Affordable and Efficient
Local search engine optimisation is a more cost-effective method of online advertising because, even though managing your company’s information in online directories takes time and effort, local business listings can typically be set up across the web for free with tools like Google My Business and Facebook. As a result, local SEO is a more effective strategy for reaching local customers.
Reached Potential Customers Who Are Already Interested in Purchasing
A staggering eighty percent of all local searches carried out on mobile devices ultimately result in a purchase being made. This may be linked to the fact that local SEO places you in front of the client at the precise moment that they are searching for a product or service, which makes it significantly more likely for them to make a purchase or, at the very least make an inquiry for additional information. Another reason why local SEO matters significantly.
Increases the Percentage of Qualified Search Traffic Delivered
A local search can help eliminate potential customers who are not likely to make contact with your company. This does not mean that search engines are trying to hide businesses from potential customers; rather, they want to give customers local results that are relevant to them, depending on where they are and what they are looking for.
What Role Can Local SEO Play For Small Businesses?
It is not that difficult to increase the visibility of your small business on local search engine results pages (SERPs). Here are some of the most straightforward approaches you can take to enhance the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts.
Build Local Citations That Are Accurate And Consistent
Local citations are situations in which your company name, address, and phone number are cited online. An example of this would be a listing of local businesses. Ensure that the information you provide is true and that it is presented in a way that is consistent every time it is utilised, regardless of where on the web you choose to add local citations.
Include Your Company in Online Directories Serving the Local Area
Establishing local business listings on major search engines and online business directories, such as Google My Business, Yelp, Yext, Bing Places, and Facebook, makes it simpler for search engines to validate the authenticity of your company and ensure that your information is accurate. (It bears repeating: Ensure that the data you collect are accurate and consistent!).
Create and manage a profile for your company on Google My Business.
If you have a small business, you should create a Google My Business page for it so that you can input information about your company directly into Google Search and Google Maps. In addition, having a Google My Business profile enables you to keep an eye on how consumers rate your company on Google, provide instant updates to the information about your business’s hours of operation, and even communicate with clients using tools like Google Posts.
Maintain a Consistent Response to Evaluations (Both Good & Bad)
Customers need to see you care about them and your business if you take the time to reply to online reviews, which may also be a favourable indication of your rank in local search results. Although increasing the number of reviews your company has may involve some work, once you begin receiving them, you should be prepared to reply, regardless of whether the reviews are positive or bad.
Include Content from Your Community on Your Website.
Your website copy can have a significant influence simply by incorporating local keywords. To be more specific, using business identifiers like “dentist in [CITY, ST]” inside the content of your website will assist search engines in better grasping not only what it is that you do but also what geographic locations in the surrounding area you service. If someone in your region conducts a search using the phrase “dentist near me,” they will have a greater chance of finding your business.
Identify your business model.
Suppose you are inquiring about how to perform local SEO for a business that is not a traditional brick-and-mortar brand. In that case, the likelihood is that the company that you are marketing belongs to one of the following four categories:
- 1. Businesses Located in the Service Area (SAB)
This category encompasses most residential services, such as plumbing, landscaping, housekeeping, etc. Your company may or may not have real street addresses that function as headquarters or offices. Still, the defining characteristic of your company is that you service neighbouring clients face-to-face at their locations rather than at yours. This may or may not be the case.
- 2. Running a business out of one’s home
Your home address is your physical location, hence depending on the nature of your business, you might either go to nearby customers to service them (like a dog walker), serve them at their homes (like a daycare centre), or do a combination of the two (like a daycare centre and a dog walker) (like a yoga teacher who teaches some classes at their home studio and some as private appointments at clients homes). The fact that you conduct business out of your home is the identifying characteristic of your company. If you work from home but never meet face-to-face with consumers for delivery or fulfilment, then you do not belong under this group; rather, you fall under the category of people who work from home and never meet face-to-face with clients. 3.
- 3. Virtual business
You handle every transaction remotely, using the phone, computer, shipping, and other remote communication and interaction forms. Your company may be an online retailer, like the Dollar Shave Club, or it could provide digital services, like Credit Karma, or sell products through print catalogs or some other remote means. You might be running your business off of one or more physical addresses, and you might be trying to attract consumers from various geographic areas or cities, yet no clients ever come to your sites. Your company is distinguished by the fact that you do not engage in face-to-face interaction with clients.
- 4. A hybrid form of company.
This category functions as an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of subcategories.
A restaurant that offers on-site dining, where customers come to the location but may pay online; curb-side pickup, where customers arrive at the location but may pay online; and delivery, where customers pay online, and drivers come to the customers’ homes is a famous example.
Another possibility is to start a home services firm, similar to a security professional, that offers walk-in key grinding at a physical location, in-home appointments for the installation of new locks on doors, and online sales of security supplies.
Another example of a hybrid business would be a model like the Vermont Country Store, which combines traditional storefronts with online purchasing and a substantial amount of print catalog-driven business.
The COVID-19 pandemic and other causes contributed to the rise in the prevalence of hybrid business models in the year 2020, yet, no one characteristic can be used to characterise these models. Only when all of them seek strategies to boost customers’ awareness in a particular local region will they come together as a unified group.
As a company owner, you must use local SEO techniques to engage local clients and attract new ones. To begin, you must register your company with Google My Business and other web directories. You should also search for local keywords and incorporate them into the content of your websites, videos, and blogs. In addition, you must motivate pleased clients to provide positive feedback through reviews and testimonials. Last but not least, you can rapidly increase your brand’s authority by designating a single page for each of the products and services you offer.
How are these services available through DotMD?
Local SEO matters significantly. Many different things may be done to improve the quality of your website. DotMD specialises in optimising websites so that you may get the most out of the traffic that comes from organic search results. Since we know how essential it is to your company’s success, we are here to make the process as easy and hassle-free as possible for you. Our services are available to assist you and your company in any way we can, from developing keywords to creating content to take advantage of those keywords. Feel free to reach out to us today and we can provide you with a local SEO analysis of your business, otherwise we hope you learnt why local SEO matters and that this information helps you with your SEO research.