Local SEO is very important for many small businesses and is also one of the more difficult online marketing strategies to master. This is partly because Google’s algorithm isn’t playing any games these days, and partly because there are so many businesses working on their local SEO at the same time you are. If these people are your competition it’s going to be more and more difficult to rank as time goes by.
Despite all of this, there are still businesses out there that aren’t embracing the essential nature of local SEO. Some are trying to keep things on a purely social playing field by purchasing ads on Facebook and focusing their marketing efforts exclusively in these areas. Others are (seemingly) deliberately ignoring the opportunity presented by the local listing pages offered by the major search engines – Google, Bing, and Yahoo each offer pages that businesses can claim in order to increase their local exposure. And if the search engine has a result to deliver that was created with their webmaster tools, don’t you think it’s more likely than someone other content to appear when someone searches for a term relevant to your business?
What does local SEO do for your business?
Local SEO can do a lot of things for your business that can give you a boost in the rankings, but did you know that there are other benefits as well?
- Local SEO helps your business look more authentic – Local listings served up by the major search engines are rising in favor with users who believe that these listings are more authentic than organic or paid search results. Many factors increase the trust factor of local listings including maps, contact information verification, relevant media, and customer reviews, among others.
- Local SEO adds more credit to your rankings – Local SEO can have the added benefit of giving your rankings a boost by placing them in a different class than traditional organic or PPC results. More screen real estate is being given over to local results (especially with Google) and this means that the businesses who can get listed in these local spaces are going to appear more often and get in front of more potential customers than a business that does not engage in local SEO.
- Local SEO can help increase conversion – Users who are searching for more localized terms are more likely to convert on average. Because the person is often in the area of the business they are searching for, there is a higher chance that the person will follow through to the business’ website and then eventually contact that business over the hone, by email or in person.
- Local SEO is the ticket to mobile traffic – With features like Facebook Nearby for social users and the different ways the major search engines are structuring their local mobile results pages, you could easily see a big increase in mobile traffic just by engaging in a little local SEO. Make sure you not only have a mobile-friendly version of your website available, but that all versions of your website, social profiles, and other web presences are as complete as possible and showcase your business’ name, location, and phone number.
Local SEO is a sort of low-hanging fruit in the internet marketing industry. Your business can get started with something as simple as claiming your local business pages offered by the major search engines. Beyond this if you feel that you might need a bit of help getting things going, consider hiring a well-recommended SEO services company that USA marketers trust. Just ask around and see which names pop up the most amongst business owners in your industry and you’ll have an idea of who you might want to contact and who you’ll want to steer clear of.
Local businesses can really enjoy the benefits of local SEO because more of than not people love to support local businesses as opposed to national or global chain stores.
Be warned, local SEO is just like any other kind of SEO in that things change daily (algorithms for search engines being a major player) and there are no guarantees. All you can your SEO service provider can do is focus on a sustainable and content-driven strategy for your website and see it through!