What do you do to search for a product or local service provider? Open your search engine and do a little online research? Well, your customers do the same.
A study shows that 46 percent of Google searches look for local vendors. What’s more, 80 percent of local searches convert potential clients to paying customers.
So, if you want to drive more traffic to your website or potential customers to your brick-and-mortar store, you’ll need a strong local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is all about optimizing your website to make it more visible for search engines for local search queries. These local listings allow customers to discover businesses and services near their area. Ultimately, the main goal of local SEO is to showcase your website at the top of the local pack in search results.
Local SEO strategies include:
• Claiming a Google Business Profile (previously Google My Business or GMB profile)
• Local citations
• Doing local keyword research
• Optimization of on-page content as per local search
• Addition of local business schema markup
Why Do Clients Trust Local SEO Service Providers?
There are four top reasons clients prefer working with a local service provider or a local marketing agency in their city.
1. They Can Meet Face-to-Face
Some customers prefer to shop offline if they know the store’s location is near them after searching on Google. In addition, offline shopping allows them to take expert advice from professionals, and many stores also meet buyers’ customized needs.
When meeting face-to-face, buyers can explain their requirements in a better manner, making it important to focus on local SEO to expand your audience reach for your local business.
2. Bad Experience With Outsourcing Companies
It is difficult to know the quality of a product or service while searching for it online, which can increase clients’ frustration levels. Being able to get the contact details of stores in a nearby location allows customers to visit your store personally, speak with sales representatives, learn about your services in detail. With this information at hand, customers are more likely to make use of your services or purchase your products.
There are, however, dangers to hiring substandard services from an offshore company. But, if you strategically outsource web development, it has many benefits.
As your website is the face of your business, if you start getting traffic on your website through local SEO, your website should convince potential customers to visit the store offline to initiate a sale.
Moreover, without the option of a personal visit to a store, some devious online companies have the perfect opportunity to cheat customers. As per a study, fraudulent eCommerce activities surpassed $20 billion in 2021, which is around 18 percent higher than the previous year.
3. Get Help During an Emergency
What if you require medicine or medical attention urgently? Or you run out of groceries and need something last minute? Buyers often face these kinds of emergencies and rely on local businesses to fulfill their needs. Building a strong local SEO presence online can help your brand serve customers when they need you the most. This is a great opportunity for you to win their trust and convert them into loyal customers.
4. Grow the Local Economy and Community Engagement
Local shopping is a win-win solution for both stores and buyers. Residents can support businesses in their area, and boost the local economy at the same time. So, if you want your brand to be home-town proud, start investing in local SEO to grab the local audience.
First, let your customers know more about your shop and its distance from their homes. Of course, once customers start approaching your store, you are responsible for nurturing them by taking care of their needs. But initially, most businesses implement local SEO to help build a reputation in their nearby area.
Increase in Search of ‘Near Me’ and ‘Close By’ Type Searches
Over 150 percent growth is found in customers who type ‘near me now’ in the search engine.
As per Think With Google, 76 percent of users search for something nearby and visit the store on the same day. There are brick-n-mortar stores that fear being beaten by online retailers. However, some consumers need products which can’t be purchased online immediately.
People have adapted such types of ‘near me’ and ‘close by’ search technology. For example, customers can type their pin code in the search bar to get the closest store near their place. Thus ‘near me’ is not only intended to find a specific place but, rather, a specific place in a particular area at a given time.
What Are the Benefits of Local SEO?
There are endless benefits of having a digital presence. Here are a few to consider:
1. Enhance Visibility in Your Niche
Local SEO is an undeniable benefit as it can improve visibility in a specific niche. If your website appears in the local list of Google searches, your business will be approached by local customers who are truly interested in your service. Moreover, they are looking for the same services you offer; therefore, you must ensure that your website addresses their pain points correctly.
According to Forbes, the top five Google results receive 67.6 percent of clicks. This implies if you apply local SEO strategies to your website correctly, your chances of appearing in the top five positions will increase.
2. Get Relevant Traffic
This is the main concern of all businesses, and local SEO can make the process easier. To achieve this, start by creating your Google Business Profile, registering your business in various local business directories, adding your local landing page, and you are ready to get all the relevant traffic that you could have imagined.
Its important, however, to always provide your company’s accurate information. To enhance your search engine position, you must accurately provide your business name, contact details, address and other details.
If your local business isn’t targeting the local area, you are missing opportunities as many customers look for stores within a five-mile radius.
3. Create a Strong Marketing Campaign
With local SEO, you are already narrowing down your targeting parameters. This is another reason to opt for local SEO, as it makes your marketing campaign easier. In addition, no matter which type of marketing strategy you choose, targeting a particular area will reduce your cost because of smaller coverage.
Setting up the business online and offline will help you understand your customers’ requirements better. Every town has its specific set of expectations, making it worth your while to research customers’ needs and implement that in your business.
Local SEO Tips
Local SEO is not an option anymore; it’s a must for every small business, especially if one of your goals is to get a high Google ranking. To attain a good ranking in local search, we’ve shared some top SEO tips below:
1. Keyword Research for Local SEO
If you know a bit about SEO, you might know what keyword research is. Keywords are phrases that customers type in the search query to find relevant information. For instance,
• Best dentist near me
• Local wine shops near me
Defining the target keywords your customers’ search for will highlight other services in the area similar to yours. SEO experts always suggest using Google Keyword Planner to know the business-related keywords which are most searched by the audience. With such a tool, you can also use the month-wise keyword search to determine the seasonal variation in your business.
2. Blogging
Be choosy while selecting blog topics, and never remain biased about your products or services while writing a blog. Instead, you should provide relevant and valuable information to your audience and help them explore their options.
Believe it or not, it not just industry giants who blog. Even local startups get benefits by keeping their websites well-designed. Thus building a creative website is an integral part of local SEO strategy. So if you need help implementing these strategies, you can always enlist the help from experts for local SEO to get the full benefits associated with it.
3. Always Consider Mobile Searches
As smartphones have become a part of life now, it’s natural for your customers to look for services using mobile phones. As per the study done by Uberall, 82 percent of consumers use their mobile devices to do ‘near me’ searches. Its, therefore, best to create a mobile-friendly website so that customers won’t face any trouble getting the information they need.
Unlock the Power of Local SEO
Local SEO can give you the desired boost your business needs by getting attention from relevant audiences. There are various parameters of local SEO, and it is more than identifying your location. By creating more citations for your business, you’ll make your website more visible locally, attracting local customers to your brick-and-mortar store and driving traffic to your online business.