If you’re a business owner serving a local community, Local SEO is something you simply can’t ignore. Local SEO, if done properly, can make you the go-to business for your customers.
Not only will it help you to build a stellar reputation and drive visitors to your business, but it will also give you a constant advantage over your competitors.
But if you don’t give it the attention it deserves, your competition might use it to go ahead of you and relegate your business into obscurity.
So, today we’ll tell you what Local SEO is, its benefits, and how it can help you grow your business significantly.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is used for optimizing both your business and website for a particular location.
While traditional SEO is all about increasing the overall ranking of the website, Local SEO is about working on improving the ranking for local queries in certain geographical locations.
Search engines are advanced enough to understand local search intent and deliver search results accordingly.
Some may consider Local SEO a bit easier than general SEO, but it still needs a lot of effort and planning to succeed, especially when you’re competing for highly competitive keywords.
You’ll have to employ many intricate strategies to demonstrate to Google that your site and business offer the most relevant and reliable solutions for local queries.
Only then you’ll be able to outrank the competition and get organic traffic from search engines.
Benefits of Local SEO
Let’s learn about the key benefits of Local SEO. Learning about these will help you understand how you can put Local SEO to your use.
Increases Customer Base and Revenue
Local SEO can help users discover you in a specific area and find your shop. People regularly use search tools like google maps, especially when they’re on the move.
It has been reported by the THINK with Google that search for the term “Open Now Near Me” has increased by 400% in the last year.
That said, ranking for terms like “Near Me” depends a lot on the proximity of the user. But you can still stand out from the competitors that are closer in proximity than you.
If your rating is good, your profile is up-to-date, and you have a nice visually appealing website, you might be chosen by the customer even if your competitors are closer to them.
That’s because most people look for quality work when they need help with something.
Visibility
For the customers to come to your shop, you need to be seen by the customers. And without a strong online profile, you might remain in obscurity and unseen by your target audience.
Research conducted by Forbes reveals that 30-40% of people find local businesses through google maps.
Google map not only shows how to get to your shop but also shows reviews helping people decide if it’s a good option for them.
And if your business doesn’t feature in the top 3 packs of Google Maps, then it’s likely the customer will go for one of your competitors.
Thus, it’s very important that you use Local SEO to get a strong profile on google maps to beat your competition.
Control Local Reputation
Doing Local SEO well will help you maintain control over your local reputation.
For example, reviews are key for a higher conversion rate. And having a rating of 4 or above will make people confident in taking your service and visiting your business.
Businesses that have no reviews or poor reviews are likely to be ignored in favor of businesses that do Local SEO and have a good reputation online.
High-Quality Traffic
Local SEO can generate high-quality traffic that is often in proximity and ready to purchase.
You can also include links for booking in your Google profile making it easier for people to book online and free up your employees from answering endless phone calls.
You’ll be surprised to know that Local SEO has a conversion rate of 76%! That means these people visit a website within 24 hours of searching. And the fact that you’re getting this valuable traffic without much investment is insane.
So, it’s high time you took Local SEO seriously and used it to outrank your competitors in searches.
Staying Ahead in the Game
By using Local SEO, you can establish yourself as the authority in your local industry and get top rankings for relevant and highly competitive keywords.
This way, not only will you be getting more traffic, but you’ll also be pushing your competition below you. As a result, they will constantly be catching up while you’re busy setting standards.
Get Backlinks
Link building is vital to making your site an authority in the online space for the relevant industry. However, it’s no easy task to persuade local site owners to link back to your site.
But by focusing on Local SEO and improving your online visibility, you increase the chance of your site getting links naturally from other community webmasters, journalists, and businesses.
These links will surely lead to better ranking on SERP and can also open the door for more links in the future.
Conclusion
Local SEO is not a luxury, it’s a necessity that every business must embrace to survive in this age of cut-throat competition.
So, if you want your business to thrive in the local area, you need to act fast and find the right SEO strategy for your business.
