What are the signs that you need a local SEO strategy? The word “local” is crucial in this question. Do you run a business that attracts clients from a radius of 0 to 15 miles? Would potential clients who are seeking your products and services travel up to 10 minutes to find you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your local SEO strategy is probably in need of some attention.
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What Is Local SEO and How Does It Work?
Local SEO entails enhancing your online presence in order to attract business from Google and other search engines for local queries. According to Hubspot’s local SEO statistics, local information is sought by 46 percent of all Google searches. And 72 percent of consumers who used local SEO near me search to find a local product or service went to a store within five miles.
So, how effective is local SEO? If you were one of those companies, it certainly did. Are you unsure where to begin? To demonstrate the value of concentrating on local SEO, we’ve compiled a list of five reasons why it’s critical to your company’s success.
Why Local SEO is important?
So, what does local SEO entail? What’s more, why is it important?
Reason #1: Consumers looking for your products and services will see your business information
Remember when you used to comb the yellow pages for businesses that provided the products and services you required? All you have to do now is use your laptop, desktop, or mobile device to type the product or service you’re looking for into a search engine. Businesses that sell or provide those items or services will appear. Also, if you type “near me,” it will display anything that is within driving distance of your current location.
It’s quite slick. Local SEO “near me” searches help you save time. Simply pick whatever you like, open the map and directions, and you’re ready to go. If you look closely at those results, you’ll notice that they’re populated by online company directories, similar to the yellow pages of old.
When it comes to local SEO vs. organic SEO, both are crucial. You want a content marketing strategy that will help your pages rank for specific keywords and keyword phrases in search engine results (the goal of organic SEO strategies). Local SEO, on the other hand, is crucial for firms that cater to a certain geographic area. It’s less important for multinational corporations that serve customers from all over the world.
Reason #2 – Consistently Accurate Citations in Online Directories Boost Your Local Pack Rankings and Organic Rankings
You must accurately and consistently list your business name, address, and phone number across the top-ranked local citations and business directories. Your NAP Data is the name given to this information (name, address, phone). If a search engine bot believes your information is consistent and accurate, it is more likely to feature your firm on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
That appears to be reasonable. Do you think you’d be annoyed if Google directed you to a business that no longer exists or provided you with a phone number that was no longer in service? Search engines are looking for this essential information about your company in a variety of locations on the internet.
They believe the data when they find it in numerous places and it’s all consistent and correct. When Google or Bing, for example, sees data that is ambiguous or inconsistent, they deem it to be less credible and reliable. As a result, search engines are more likely to ignore you in favor of a company that has more consistent NAP Data.
Reason #3: More Authoritative, Trusted Sites Link Back to Your Business Website
Backlinks, or links to your site from reputable, authoritative websites, are essential for SEO. They verify the presence of your website, demonstrating that it is a viable force in the wide internet universe. Some directory citation sites also include a website URL box in their listings, which are shown as ‘do follow’ links. This provides your website with vital link equity. Backlinks (as opposed to ‘no follow’ links, which are great but don’t provide you any juice) are used by search engines to establish your domain authority, enhancing your SEO.
Want to get a backlink while doing something else that will help you grow your business? Become a member of the local chamber of commerce or another business organization. This will result in a relevant local connection back to your website, as well as the opportunity to network at local events. You might pick up some business or even more backlink opportunities while you’re at these events.
Furthermore, if you have merchants or sell products, you may want them to link to your site as well (with a do-follow link, of course).
Reason #4 – Your company will be closer to appearing on the first page of Google search results
On search engine results pages, online business directories take up a lot of space (SERPs). As a result, local companies included in their directories appear first in local search results. If your name isn’t on any of those lists…
You must learn how to get your company featured in these local citations business directories or you will lose out on key customers. And what you don’t know on the internet can be harmful to you.
Even if you have the best pizza in town, if a guy from across town can’t find you when searching for “pizza near me,” he’ll go get his pizza from your competition. That brings us to the fifth reason.
Reason #5 – Your company will be able to get third-party reviews
The three main pillars for ranking high in the Google Local Map Pack are as follows.
- Relevance: How well do you target the terms or themes that your potential buyers would type into a search engine?
- Prominence: How well does your company stand out on the internet?
- Proximity: How accessible is your company to a potential customer looking for your goods or services?
We’ve already discussed relevancy and proximity. Now it’s time to talk about prominence: your company’s favorable reputation and comments on the internet. How do search engines locate this data? Customers can leave reviews and rate their experiences with local businesses on many sources and directories.
This added bonus will be beneficial to your organization if you provide exceptional service. However, positive reviews aren’t enough. You should respond to them as well. Also, don’t get too worked up if you get a bad review. Just remember to maintain your composure and answer correctly. Work to resolve the problem as soon as feasible. Even a modest apology is preferable to no reaction.
More Local SEO Advice
- On a Contact Us page on your site, identify all of your staffed locations, including their complete name, address, and phone number, for local SEO.
- List the complete name, address, and phone number of each location in the sitewide footer for firms with ten or fewer locations.
- Make sure your phone number is clearly accessible on your website and that it is clickable on mobile devices.
- Make sure your NAP Data is consistent across all pages of your website, just like you want to be consistent on directories.
- If your company has many locations, you’ll need a separate page for each one with its own content. Copying and pasting from one page to the next is not a good idea.
Bonus: The Importance of Competitor Analysis in Better SEO
Knowing how you compare to your competitors and what you can do better than them can help you rank higher and attract more organic traffic and sales.
A competitive analysis allows you to determine which keywords to target and which backlinks to consider. While the real estate industry is one of the largest, you must remember that you are all competing for the lion’s share of the pie, which means using the best techniques to position yourself as the better brand.
Final Word
As a result, what you don’t know online can be harmful to you. If you don’t have a local SEO strategy in place, you’re throwing money away that your competition across town will take.
Local SEO is effective, but it requires the same amount of time and patience as organic SEO. That’s why many companies engage a local SEO firm to put everything together.