What is Local SEO, and How Does it Work?

What is local SEO? Do you provide local services? This post will explain local SEO and how it works, basics first – setting up Google my Business to get local search traffic.

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Why should I bother with local SEO when I can reach my audience globally online? Starting locally is a solid strategy for building a customer base more easily – let’s find out how.

 

Ever since the COVID-19 occurred, many businesses have shifted their shops online and started providing their services with the help of the Internet. Despite being in lockdown, many businesses earned significant profits and have been strong as ever, even in the face of a global crisis.

But how did they manage it? 

 

We saw many small local businesses struggle and even close over the past couple of years, but local customers still provide a foundation for sustainability. Knowing how to reach this customer base is a critical first step for any small business. This is why local SEO should be one of your first steps. 

B.T.W. Local SEO is one of the most cost effective and simple to implement strategies to put your business in front of customers.

And, you’re in luck!

This article will explain what local SEO is, how it works, and how you can integrate it within your business to achieve more revenue more quickly. 

 

So, let’s take a look at Local SEO! 

 

Basics First: What is Local SEO? 

 

A business being present on the internet can be very beneficial locally.

According to Hubspot, about 46% of all searches on Google intend to gain local information. 

 

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a process in which you improve the rankings on search engines such as Google for your local business. Local SEO is beneficial for companies and businesses that have a constant location. Using various local SEO methods, you can ensure your business gains improved organic traffic when people search for your services. 

The great thing about effective local SEO is that you can capitalize on both online traffic as well as foot traffic.

If a business is not focusing on Local SEO, they are throwing away their chance of attracting potential customers looking for the services being provided by your business. 

 

How does Local SEO Work?

 

You can implement Local SEO into your business in many different ways. However, it’s vital to understand how Local SEO works before doing that. 

 

Search engines such as Google rely on signals to gain and collect information for a local search. Different signals can include local content, social profile pages, links, and citations. With the help of these signals, the search engine can provide its users with the most relevant results. 

 

This way, a business can use Local SEO to position their services and products to people in close vicinity and find customers looking for their services.

 

Someone looking for Local SEO services in the country will go to Google or any search engine of their preference and search for “local SEO services in USA“. They will notice tons of results popping up in their search results. The user will see the website that focuses on local SEO the most relative to the specific keywords used by the user searching for those services. 

 

Obviously, the higher up on that list of results your business is the more traffic your business is going to receive. 

 

Local SEO Tips: How Can You Integrate Local SEO in Your Business?

 

Now you know how Local SEO can help you find your audience and get more sales. Now all you need to know is how to implement local SEO to make it happen for you. 

 

Here are some tips that you can use to do SEO for your business: 

 

1. Set Up Google my Business First: 

 

Why do I have clients set up Google My Business profiles as a first step?

Google Business Profile statistics:

• Google Business Profile (GBP) listings with 100 images or more get 1065% more website clicks. (Source)
• Google Business Profile (GBP) listings with 100 images or more get 520% more phone calls. (Source)
• 56% of local retailers have not claimed their Google Business Profile listing (Source)
• When optimizing for local SEO, many businesses will use their Google Business Profile listing as an opportunity to drive more local traffic.

An important point: Over 1/2 of businesses haven’t claimed their listing. This is a HUGE opportunity for you right off the bat.

If you search on Google, you should know that local business profiles take up more than 70% of the search results page. The most prominent section is called the local SEO 3-pack, and looks something like this:

If you haven’t claimed your listing, you’re missing pretty much your entire audience.

• 56% of actions on GBP listings are website visits. (Source)
• 60% of consumers contacted a business using the “click to call” option available on GBP listings. (Source)
• 16% of companies receive over 100 calls a month from GBP. (Source)
• Complete and accurate GBP listings get 7x more clicks than those missing info and are 70% more likely to attract location visits. (Source)

 

 

Google my business has become the most elite method of improving and developing local SEO. This is so because most people using the internet prefer using google, and Google’s algorithm favours people using content that it can support and verify. 

LOCAL VISIBILITY: GETTING LISTED IN GOOGLE’S 3-PACK

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO GAIN LOCAL VISIBILITY THEN YOU KNOW JUST HOW IMPORTANT GETTING LISTED IN GOOGLE’S 3-PACK IS, BECAUSE YOUR CONSUMERS SEARCH WITH LOCAL INTENT.

 

When a prospect in your city/region searches for your business, your website should appear at the top.

Why? Because these local searches are more valuable than global searches due to their high rate of conversions.

 

It’s important to note that Google includes more than 3 listings for local businesses.

The “3-pack” simply refers to the top 3 listings. If a user wants to access more businesses, he or she has to click the “More places” link below the 3-pack. With that said, conventional wisdom should lead you to believe that businesses listed in the top 3 results will receive more clicks than their counterparts listed below these results

 

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR GETTING LISTED IN GOOGLE’S 3-PACK:

• Create a Google My Business listing. If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and create a Google My Business listing for your business. This is essentially where Google pulls information to use in its 3-pack and other local business listings. However, you will need to gain good traffic for the listing, read more about how to gain more traffic for your Local SEO ventures.
• Verify your Google My Business listing. This is something that many business owners overlook, only to discover other users have edited their information.
• Link your Google My Business listing to your website. Within your listing profile you’ll have the option to include links to your website and social media accounts.
• Include your store hours and prices. Not only does is this information helpful to customers, but it’s also helpful to Google when it tries to determine a ranking for your business listing.
• Make sure your Google+ Profile is 100% complete!
• Ensure the usage of Google Posts within your account. Doing so helps you in gaining credibility and becoming trustable by Google. 
• After providing your services and selling your product to satisfied customers, ask them to share reviews about your business online. Online reviews are an authentic and credible way of gaining higher SEO rankings. 
• Be Responsive to the feedback you gain on Google My Business. However, when you reply to them, you will want to ensure that you specify your customer’s location and the product sold. 

 

These Tips are your way to help you gain credibility with Google My Business. Once the service renders your business authentic, your search rankings will top, and your business will start showing up in the sidebar space on Google Search pages. 

 

2. Customer Reviews: 

 

You should not only focus on gaining reviews and citations to improve your position and credibility with Google. Having reviews online and providing all the correct information about your business, the potential customers see you as authentic. They are likely to visit you when they are looking for the services you are selling. 

The online market has given people enough reasons to be skeptical, and the best way to avoid that is to have reviews and provide all the correct information. 

 

3. Hiring an SEO Company: 

 

If you feel that SEO is complicated and not your cup of tea, then the best course is to get it done by an expert. 

 

Although an expert will charge you, you will not have to worry about doing everything manually or doing something wrong. If you have some capital left or looking for some investments within your business, consider getting an SEO company. 

 

Hiring an SEO is your way to gain fast, SEO-friendly websites. You must be cautious when looking for an SEO company. You shouldn’t consider someone who has just started your business or someone that is selling services for considerably cheaper rates. 

 

You will want to rely on technical information and consider SEO to test how good a service provider might be. Search for an SEO company on Google or any search engine you prefer. See their rankings. They might be a good option if they rank first with the keyword they use. 

 

However, you must also consider their reviews and citations. You should see their previous reviews and consider companies like Glassdoor before investing your hard-earned money in obtaining services from that particular business. If you find many bad reviews, consider them a red flag and look for a better option. 

 

4. Increase Social Media Engagement and Share Your Posts to Google My Business

 

As the digital marketplace grows, so too do the consumer behaviors.

Social media has become the primary stage for brand to consumer interaction, providing a gold mine of engagement. And it is in these social media channels that you stand to gain a fighting chance for ranking on search engines. If you’re looking to boost your SEO and give it an extra edge, read on and discover why social media optimization may just be your secret weapon.

Everything you share on social media should also be shared on your Google My Business account. This will help you gain more traffic from the users of that social media site and make your business reputation more concrete. 

 

• Ensure the use of your business information prominently online. 

 

As a business, the more information you provide about yourself on the internet, the easier it is for prospects and search engines to locate you. 

 

To ensure that you provide adequate information on the internet to the people, consider setting up your NAP (name, address, and phone number). If you have a website for your business, ensure that you add it as a crawlable HTML text on your website. 

 

Don’t make the mistake of adding NAP in an image. When you use an image to provide NAP, it’s useless because images are impossible to be crawled from search engines like HTML text. You will want to provide NAP in a position where it is easy for people to access it. Using the footer or header of your website is a suitable space for NAP. 

 

5. Have a Mobile-friendly website: 

Today local search means mobile search. Just about every person on this planet owns one. And the majority of the searches are provided on smartphones! 

• 1 in 3 people conduct a search on their smartphone before visiting a store. (Source)
• 78% of local mobile searches result in an in-store purchase. (Source)
• 30% of Google mobile searches are related to location. (Source)

If your website isn’t mobile friendly — none of this traffic is going to convert for you. When you develop your website, ensure it has a mobile-friendly interface. Many websites still don’t support smartphones, and as a result, they load pathetically on mobile phones. 

 

If your website doesn’t open well on a smartphone, you will likely lose customers. Hence, you must ensure that people find it easy to navigate through your website as you make it mobile-friendly. 

 

Final Words

 

A lot of people make local SEO really hard — it doesn’t need to be.

Hopefully, this post helps you understand what Local SEO is, what it stands for, and why you should not miss out on it. 

Every small business has a lot to gain by using Local SEO, just remember to focus primarily on your Google my Business listing and building review and you’ll be on your way to seeing customers.

If you’re hungry for even more local search traffic take a look at this post;

 

Nevertheless, if you think that we have missed something or if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below.