What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business?
Kevin Ocasio
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business? Local SEO is an important strategy that helps small businesses market their products and services online to customers within a geographical location. The only thing that makes local SEO different from organic SEO is the addition of the geographical component. If you own a brick and mortar store like a pizza parlor, you know that not everyone in your place is aware of your presence. But because 4 in 5 consumers use the internet to find information about local stores, you have a huge opportunity to be found. All you need to do is simply build an online presence.
Local SEO Brings You More Customers According to BrightLocal’s research, since people are using their mobile devices to buy, they are naturally inclined to look for something near them. Imagine for a moment that you are having a vacation in a foreign place. You feel hungry and wonder if there’s a pizza store nearby. You take out your smartphone, go to Google, and enter the words “pizza store near me” or “pizza in [place].” Google gives you a map and the NAP (name, address, and phone number) of the nearest store. Your next move would be to buy from that store! Local SEO is so targeted. Even businesses without a physical address realize that localization may give them an edge over their competitors.
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business?
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business? Only a Small Percentage of Local Stores Embrace Online Marketing You have more growth opportunities and chances to rank on top of search results if you optimize your business for local SEO today. Why? Only 44% of local stores have listed their business on Google My Business. Listing your business on Google My Business is a great marketing tactic. And the beauty of it is that it’s completely free. You can get started even without setting up a blog yet. However, make sure that you optimize your listing. Here are some tips: Keep your details updated such as your opening hours, phone number, etc. Select an accurate category Use high-quality photos of your store Add as many information about your business as you can
Local SEO Tips to Boost Your Visibility Like organic SEO, you also need to optimize your on-site (if you have a website) and off-site performance so that you dominate search results. That way, more local customers will be coming through your doors. Check out these 5 simple local SEO tips below:
1. Use a domain name that reflects your business.
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business?
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business? It’s important that your customers easily remember you. When registering your domain name, pick something that clearly reflects your business. For example, if you run a flower shop in New York, a good domain name might be lilysflowersnyc.com.
2. List your business in local online directories. Aside from getting a Google My Business listing, you can enhance your online visibility by adding your site to local directories. Make sure that you’re found in every directory possible since Google also values local listing websites. Check that your NAP is consistent everywhere. Google considers your information on these sites as citations or reliable sources of information. Reputable sites include Yelp, Bing, and Angie’s List.
3. Make it easy for customers to leave a review. If you get in touch with your customers via email, grab the opportunity to ask them to leave a review. Provide a link that will lead them to your review profiles. Also, it would be good to have some ratings and reviews on your site aside from the ones on local directories. This will increase your social proof and attract more customers.
4. Create a mobile-friendly website. Having a website that is responsive or mobile-friendly is so important since nearly 90% of online searches happen on mobile devices.
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business?
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business? You should have fast-loading web pages, readable fonts, and call-to-action buttons that are big enough for customers to click.
5. Write content based on your geographical location. Provide value to your target customers by creating content that matches their geographical location and interests. If their area has a common problem (for example, their weather), talk about it. You will also need to place local names in your post titles and in the body.
Conclusion Local SEO isn’t going away anytime soon. If you aren’t localizing your online campaigns despite having a physical store, you won’t be gaining a lot of traction. Get started by following the simple local SEO methods I have just mentioned. Good luck!
What Is Local SEO and How Can It Benefit Your Business?