What is the importance of local SEO for local business?

Someone types ‘mobile shop’ in Google search. You are a mobile shop. You think your store name will pop up high enough on the search page for that someone to spot you? And what if you’re already sky-high on that list, but that potential customer is miles away from your store? That and more, is what we’re going to serve you below! At the end of it, you will be able to fathom how a local SEO company can help your business thrive locally.

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a marketing technique of making your company’s online presence on search engines more visible to local users and potential customers in your locality.

That’s just lots of words, you say! Oh, ok, we’ll make this simpler for you to understand!

Someone’s searching for ‘Italian restaurants near me.’ Our Google Guru with its clever algorithms, perceives that they are looking for something in the area around them. So, if you’re a clever Italian restaurant yourself who has employed the services of a local SEO company, Google will make your business appear in the top 3 businesses that appear in the box (called Local Pack/Map Pack) at the top of the search page along with a map and dropped pins. And consequently, you will become more visible to your local and possible customers and have more clicks than any links that pop up lower on the page. Read more on Why Is SEO Critical For SME Businesses? (mybigbrandstory.com)

SEO vs Local SEO

Being clever ourselves, we can anticipate your next questions! – So how does local SEO differ from general SEO? And which type does one lean towards more? The latter really depends upon the kind of business you own. So, if you’re an e-commerce company or an online-only one, you can opt for general SEO as this will attract website traffic from all over the world. 

But if you’re a grocery store or the neighbourhood beauty parlour, you might ask your SEO company to target the local market by using localized keywords by adding the name of a city or area or phrases like ‘near me’. It’s the local SEO that can generate more productive action like calls, store visits and sales.

Where does local SEO get displayed?

So, the pecking order goes something like this – you’ll have your pay-per-click ads appearing first on the search engine results page (SERP).

Then, depending upon the localized keywords utilized by your SEO company, the local search results will display the Map Pack of the top three most relevant results in a boxed area. Below this box is the organic (unpaid) list of results.

Google My Business profile

Woe betide you if you who haven’t set up your firm on Google’s business directory! Be sure your local SEO company has done exactly this as it makes your business more visible online, including on Google Maps.

It’s a very important chunk of local SEO strategy for if your business address isn’t updated in Google’s directory, it will not surface when a customer runs a ‘near me’ search.

Why is local SEO important?

It’s nice to have the face of your company (a.k.a. your website!) bared to the world – you don’t know who could fall onto your lap! Read more on What Is The Importance Of A Website For Small Businesses? (mybigbrandstory.com) But local SEO goes a step further by endorsing your products to interested buyers – people who are actively searching for something that you sell. Read more on How To Increase Brand Awareness For Small Businesses? (mybigbrandstory.com)

Local SEO puts your business right up there.

Think reverse. While searching for a good restaurant, what will tend to pull your eyes towards it on the SERP? Studies say you will mostly be disposed towards looking at the top local 3-pack. In fact, you might not even condescend to check below! In the same way, local SEO can successfully brandish your own company name at the top of the SERP where it will enjoy higher visibility.

Nominal source of local advertising.

Smart advertising, is how we’ll put it! So, except for the fees you’ll pay your local SEO company, you don’t have to pump in fresh money into local SEO. It conveniently allows you to punch in important info about your site online like address and contact number of your business. You can also merrily highlight and promote your products on your website using SEO techniques. Thus, local SEO allows you to have your cake and gobble it too! – promoting your business, but not charging you a dime for it.

Increase in leads from mobile users.

You’re looking for sports shoes. What do you do? You pick up your phone and do a quick scout for a shoe store in your neighbourhood. Research shows that the upsurge of mobile search for local services has been so dramatic in recent years that companies are especially optimizing their local SEO search for mobiles, thus making it an important source to gain leads.

Boost in trust levels

“Delicious, authentic food. Best part it’s located by the sea! But expensive!” What a reliable way to find out about an eatery’s attributes! – Looking over the online reviews to see people’s personal experiences about it. Google Business Profile, which has product/service reviews plastered all over it, is like a bedrock of local SEO success. The more online reviews you manage to cobble together, the more trustworthy your company becomes in customers’ eyes.

Local search becoming popular

Although online business has fired up in the recent years, local businesses are still on customers’ radar. Just think – if you need something quickly, the fastest and surest way is to go to a shop near you to buy it. But if you order the same thing online, you will have to wait for the transportation time. Further, complications like returning goods, etc, too might arise. That’s the reason most searches online today are still being done with the purpose of finding a local brick and mortar store. So, find a local SEO company that will effectively cast your business web in the vicinity!

Conclusion:

People are browsing search engines and online reviews like never before. Laddering up to the top of the search pages can be a real piece of work, especially if you are a local business. Catch hold of a sharp local SEO company who will make you sit pretty on the top!