What is local SEO?
Search engine optimization is the way to make any business or website visible in the search engine page results. So far, local SEO is different from the general SEO that we have known. Local SEO is making local businesses visible in the local search results. This SEO also works differently from general SEO. Let’s say that it has got a unique pattern of operating principles.
This SEO can bring opportunities for those local vendors about whom people search online most of the time. They can find the local vendors/business once they type “near me” after the services/products they are searching for in a specific location.
Why is local SEO important?
Nowadays, people take recommendations, good online reviews, several ”check-ins,” shares on different social media platforms, and Google Maps ratings more seriously.
These are the factors that affect the choices of people and it affects more when the business is nearby or let’s say local business. If the rating is high and the recommendation is strong with more appearances in local searches, companies would be able to look forward to better days.
Localized businesses do better when they appear in searches because potential customers can find them online and walk into their stores at any time. It can nudge to seek more attention from potential customers, primarily online since more than 90% of online searches are made to look out for local businesses.
More than 70% of online investigations lead to purchases made offline. Local SEO emphasizes local organic search, which supports a local business to increase the number of customers and visitors.
- Low cost-effective plan for local business with local impact
Unlike large enterprises, local businesses don’t hold considerable budgets in their hands. They have to cut through their marketing budget to thrive in the locality. Local SEO allows them to grow their business prospects in the locality on a significantly less budget.
It is vital to understand the local space, its unique content, competitions in the area, and possible local opportunities for local SEO. After understanding the ground of local business, it can draft a good SEO strategy. - Development of more local links with more opportunities
It isn’t always that authoritative websites can bring more support to tiny businesses. Local links play a huge role in the local business market. Getting more links is about creating more new connections and opportunities in the local area, which brings changes to the small business.
It is pronounced and natural that it is necessary to have more local links than your competition to increase your business rank online. Exploring the local area, and finding and observing more about the business can help to leave a good impression on the local audiences. - More good reviews, more recommendations
Online reviews are the backbone of the modern customer’s journey, and earning reviews is the goal of contemporary marketing strategy. Any reviews made online can do outstanding marketing of the product/service of the local business. The way of handling the reviews and resolving the customer issues in public would leave a strong impression on potential customers.
Good responses from local business owners have always been considered the best strategy for increasing the number of customers and visitors. - Development of locality
Local SEO focuses on a local area. It explores every nook and corner of that particular area. When it successfully uplifts the local business, it also promotes the local organic content, local communities, local newspapers, local events, and local people.
It is why local SEO optimizes the local business and the infrastructure of a locality through the increasingly more transactional local business.
Who needs local SEO?
Local businesses, SEO agencies working with local customers, multi-location stores, and service-based organizations need local SEO.
Here are some examples of why some localized business needs this SEO service.
- Real estate agents
The first thing that people need is a roof over their heads, and real estate agents can help people find a suitable home easily. This SEO sets up the business online and helps people find good agents more efficiently to get an appointment to meet up and visit potential homes, saving a bit of time and effort for another house-hunting program.
- Doctors
Every day there are many local searches for doctors nearby. People get sick and prefer to visit good doctors nearby rather than a far away doctor. The Closer the doctor is, the better it is. This SEO makes it very simple to find a doctor nearby or in the same city. People can also call, set up an appointment, and find a way to reach a doctor’s location very quickly.
- Lawyers
A lawyer is someone who helps a person through legal issues. It has been observed that people search for lawyers to see if there are good ones nearby. People can’t just jump from one city to another to meet up with a lawyer and have counseling.This SEO allows people to find good lawyers online in the local area with their name, address, and phone number.
- Restaurants
People love food as it is the fuel for their bodies. People search for good restaurants online every time they think of food. Not everyone cooks nowadays, so restaurants are preferred to have a better time with loved ones saving time to cook dinner. People prefer restaurants with good reviews and locations and valid local address information found online.
Like these, many other individuals, companies, organizations, etc., need local SEO services.
Why is it essential for small businesses?
Small businesses have a tiny goal when it is established with a small budget and limited resources. Local businesses can’t afford expensive SEO services which work for a large geographical area.
Local SEO helps these businesses to understand the local intent and promote their business in their area within their budget range. It gets help from local directory websites, social media, local newspaper sites, and local events managing sites.
What are local SEO services?
Some of these SEO services provided for local businesses are mentioned below.
- GBP profile set up
GBP stands for Google Business Profile. This service is to set up your Google Business Profile and manage it on your behalf. GMP helps people find you very quickly in Google search and Maps.
This service includes updating your information whenever necessary, adding photos, logos, and posts in Google, dealing with reviews and ratings, etc., to leave a good impression on your potential customers who find you online. - Local acknowledgment and popularity management
It is necessary to handle all the reviews and ratings that you get through GMP properly because it makes up your reputation among the audiences.
This service lets you focus on the excellent delivery of your services to build up popularity and acknowledgment. The agency does its work by managing your profile online professionally to build your image. - Citations
Citation means the reference to something. Citations for local businesses help to construct local links. Not only that, but Google can also trust your business for real if it is listed in any trustworthy online directories and let your business reach out to more people in your locality.
This service helps you build genuine local links and citations to reach more people after validating their existence. - Local keywords search
Keywords are a significant factor for Google as it provides relevant information based on the keywords provided by users in the search engine. Research the keywords searched most and keywords used by competitors, select the keywords suitable for your business, and optimize your profile are local SEO services.
- Reporting
Reports should include every activity done up to date. It should consist of the number of viewers, conversion rate, search rankings, new links, social links, keywords used, citations added/removed, incoming reviews/ratings, etc., for the clients.
How does it work?
Search engines identify the searches made for different reasons and show the relevant results.
Local search results depend on the following things to be ranked in search engines.
- NAP citations
- Google business profile
- Keywords
- Reviews and recommendations
- Number of “check-ins” at that location
- Social media presence
- Google Maps star rating
Some activities which make it works are below.
- Keyword optimization to improve the ranking
- Setting up Google business profile for Google Search and Maps
- Building the local links to gain more traffic
- Title and meta description optimization to improve the ranking
- Auditing the existing citations and creating new citations
- Setting up local NAP for correct information
- Setting up a specific website formation to ascend in the local search
- Updating on social media with posts, images, videos, etc
- Taking in reviews, ratings, and comments from customers through Google and Social platforms
- Local content publishing and also introducing the local writers along with their guest posts
These are fundamental tasks that you can do to boost your website growth at the local level. There are several other activities that you can carry out for local search engine optimization.
Tools that you can use for Local SEO
While the business is growing, it sets up its branches in different places. This kind of business can’t function in the same way in all areas. They have to be location-specific to be the long run. Local SEO is for location-wise optimization.
As you already know, there are several activities that you ought to do to make this SEO work. You can find many tools to make your job easy as well.
Some of them are below:
Tools to change your location
- Valentin.app (Free)
It is a free tool that helps you to use a different location to search. It produces a search region according to your needs, and you can find out what appears in the SERPs on a location basis. It shows your current location and the other place you are using to search.
- Manual Geolocation Chrome Extension by Maurice (Free)
This tool is an extension to the browser that sets aside the HTML geolocation and allows you to browse different locations.
- GeoProxy Chrome extension (Free)
This tool is also an extension. It acts as a substitute for the actual location of the browser and helps you to surf through a different place.
Tools for local citation software / business listings management
- NAP Hunter (Free)
This tool is an extension of the Google Chrome browser and is used for citation auditing. It can perform different searches to display the citation profile. You can also download the file for further use.
- MOZ Local (Paid)
This tool is developed for different functions like listing, reputation, social media embedding, avoiding duplicate data, activity logs, and alerts. Moz Local is used to checking citations, updating, and building them especially.
- WhiteSpark local citation finder (Paid)
This tool can be used for free and paid for as well. It lets you find citations very quickly and guide you to find a better strategy to expand your local business.
Tools for checking / tracking for local rank
- GrowthBar (Paid)
You can use this tool for free once you make an account. This account will let you access a few features, and to use all, you can pay some and use the full-on features for discovering a huge number of keywords, tracking competitors, and keeping your content up to date.
- MapLabs (Paid)
It is a paid tool that you can use to keep track of your rank and give you an intuition to grow your business locally.
It keeps the records and provides excellent review management, activity management, and other SEO activities to let your business grow in multiple locations. - Rankwatch(Paid)
It is the tool used to track down the data to maintain the ranking in the SERP and look over the competitor’s activity to increase traffic.
Tools for mobile optimization
- The SERPeretor (Paid but can be used 3 times a day free for limited features)
This tool is used for checking the local-mobile SERPS based on locations through your handphone.
- The Pageoscope (Paid)
It is used to test landing pages and show how your CTA looks on the mobile phone.
Summary
Every business must hire one local SEO company to gear up the sales and popularity if they have the best-finished products, that’s for sure.
There are various methods of marketing the business of a particular area, tools that you can use, and storm their stores with potential customers. Essential points in any industry are quality product/service, customer service, and marketing strategies.
Local SEO optimizes any local business’s online presence for any area through related local searches focusing on those essential points. Localize your business with local SEO to get more audiences location-wise and optimize the organic traffic to reach more potential customers.
