Recently updated: December 12th, 2024
If you are a local business, local SEO is the need of the hour. It ensures your target audience can find you with ease. Nearly 81% shoppers conduct online research and then go out and buy what they want, according to study performed by GE Capital Retail Bank.
Another study by Google has found that out of every four consumers, three do a local search to locate stores in their cities and towns. These figures should convince why your business should be using a local SEO company.
As a local business catering to customers in your area, you need a different SEO strategy compared to other businesses. Your SEO strategy should help rank higher in search engine results.
However, this can be difficult if you don’t know local SEO or have the right SEO tools. Also, local SEO involves many different elements like Google My Business listing, Google+ listing, online reviews, keywords and meta tags. It can be overwhelming to learn these technicalities and put them into action. You can avoid these issues by using reputable local SEO services.
If you still think local SEO services are not worthwhile, here are some compelling reasons that will demonstrate the importance of local SEO.
Just a few years ago, local businesses had to do minimal SEO to attain first-page ranking. It was possible with Google My Business page to be part of the elite Google Seven Pack. However, the Seven Pack has been cut down to Three Pack, and if trends are to be believed the Three Pack will be further culled to Two Pack, and one position will be reserved for a paid advertiser.
This is indicative of local search becoming competitive, and you need to put all your resources into local search engine optimization to ensure your target audience can find you with relative ease.
So, the traditional SEO marketing will be of no use if you are looking to be at the top of Google search results. You need specialized local SEO packages to thoroughly optimize your online presence for Google and other major search engines.
While Google does have tutorials to help local businesses enjoy optimal online visibility, it is still a for-profit business. It is under tremendous pressure from its stockholders to monetize local search.
Hence, Google is gradually doing away with organic local search results, and is introducing pay-to-play solutions wherein the top three Google search results will be paid results. This means if you want to be part of the top three local search results, you will have to pay.
For a local business, competing with top brands for the top results can be expensive and challenging, especially if you are unaware of the ABC of local SEO. Thankfully, you can always to turn to a reputable local SEO marketing company that will do the hard work for your business and ensure it gets to the top of SERPs.
When it comes to local search, location is everything. After all, a search engine like Google knows the actual location of the user. This location has an effect on the SERPs that the user sees.
Google has announced through its blog that it intends to make search results more relevant for local users. Thus, if your business is not located away from the user, it will not be displayed on the user’s local search results. This can be frightening, as you may lose a prospective customer.
However, if you have the right local SEO services, your business website will gain visibility in local searches and ensure you get found by your target audience.
Your SEO strategy should include mobile marketing. Smartphones are omnipresent and people are using for more than just Whatsapp and social networking. Smartphone users are using their handheld devices to find services and products on the go.
When a person uses their smartphone to run a search, Google can precisely pinpoint their location. As a result, it will show the user just those businesses and services that are in the vicinity and omit everything else. So, your business require not just mobile-friendly website, but also one that is optimally optimized for such users, and only a qualified and experienced local SEO marketing company can help you in this regard.
Nowadays, it is common for people to go online and ask for recommendations and suggestions for services and products. People often oblige. Also, people are not averse to leaving behind online reviews on digital review sites. What may surprise you is that before people approach a store, restaurant, or any other service or goods provider, they read online reviews to choose the right business.
Google loves online reviews and they make it to search engine results. Hence, you should worry about the reviews that your customers write. If you are smart, you will encourage your customers to leave online reviews.
However, just leaving reviews is not enough; you also need to respond to all reviews. When prospective customers read these reviews and your response, they will judge you favorably and the chances are higher that they will choose you over your competition.
In traditional advertising, such as direct mailers, flyers, and classifieds in the local newspaper, there is wasted exposure. Your ad is thrust on the faces of people even if they are not looking for what you are offering. On the other hand, with local SEO, you never have to worry about wasted exposure.
Your prospective customers get to see your ads only when they want to see. In other words, they get to see based on the search they perform. Hence, it will not be wrong to say that local SEO is not just efficient, but also cost-effective.
Local SEO is an ongoing process. That is why it is necessary you have a local SEO company at your side to handle the following local SEO strategies on a constant basis:
The concept of online directories is catching in India, and this means you should ensure your business has a presence in these directories. Since you are catering to the local populace, your business should be in local business directories so that you can be found by potential customers.
Directory citations should be accurate and consistent. You should have your business name, address, and phone number across all local business directories.
Back links are not dead as many would like you to believe. However, for local SEO, link building is different from conventional link building. Here, it is perfectly alright to get links to your business websites from an unrelated local business.
Google realizes that when it comes to local businesses, relationships are everything, and local businesses tend to support one another. Hence, if you have incoming links from other local businesses, your site will be ranked high in search engine results as it the Google algorithm will deed it credible. You can get local links through community events, supporting a community donation drive or sponsoring local events.
NAP refers to name, address and phone number. Make sure you have the same NAP as mentioned in citations. Also, include your pin code in your website so that it shows up in local searches.
Your business NAP should be mentioned in the header, footer, About Us page, and Contact Us page. It should also be mentioned on your blog. If you have business interests in more than one city, it is best to create city-specific webpages that are properly optimized for search engines. Make sure each site has unique and high-quality content.
No local SEO is complete with a Google My Business listing. Ensure you have a properly optimized profile page that speaks about your business and the services or products offered. Include images of your business premises, both from inside and outside. Also, mention your NAP and business hours.
If your Google My Business (GMB) listing is properly optimized for Google, it will turn up in search results, specifically as a part of the Local Three Pack. When this happens, chances are high that a potential customer will click on your GMB profile to check your location to visit you personally, or call you for enquiries.
Every time a customer visits your business, encourage them to write online reviews. This can be tedious and repetitive, but in the long run it will pay off. Once you have more than 10 reviews on your GMB page, they will be shown to other users. Hence, it is necessary to get these reviews.
Make a point to respond to reviews, be it negative or positive. This demonstrates your customer service and can do wonders for your business. People like businesses that care about what their customers have to say and are willing to go beyond call of duty to ensure they are satisfied.
Local SEO is a specialist job and requires a qualified and dedicated professional. You should partner with a local SEO company who can offer you affordable and reliable local SEO packages. This will ensure your business gets found by your target audience and your revenue and profit grow manifolds.
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