Local SEO: Why Does It Matter?

By Ali, Having 13 years experience in the IT & Servicing Industry. A.I Lover, Startup Enthusiast, IoT Implementor, and Blockchain Follower.

Posted on: August 22, 2022 1:30 PM

DIGITAL MARKETING > SEO

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Local SEO: Why Does It Matter?

Aug 22, 2022 01:30 pm

Before we dive into what local SEO is? Let’s first try to learn about what local search means. Local search is when somebody searches for businesses, products, services or any other information relevant to one specific location. They could be searching for “shows near me” to find an upcoming show in their town or “best car service in [location]” to find a car service nearby.

In simple words, local search is more specific to a particular location than general Google searches. And Local SEO refers to the technique of search engine optimization (SEO) that helps your business to become more visible to local consumers online. According to studies, 46% of all Google searches are performed by people looking for products, services, or information in their local area. ^[1]

What are the benefits of local SEO?

Following are the benefits of using local SEO for your business,

Gain more online visibility – With local SEO, your business gains more visibility in that it gets found by the desired audience interested in your product and at the right moment. When your business is more visible, that results in more profits & sales.
Get you more traffic to your brick-and-mortar location
Targeted web traffic – Draw more targeted traffic, which increases your chances of conversion.
More calls – Optimizing Google Business Profile can enhance Google Maps visibility. Therefore, it can lead to more calls and more in-person visits.

Improve trust – Reputation management builds trust in your business. Consumers tend to go for online reviews to help decision-making when choosing a local business.
Improved conversion rate – Website optimization can improve your conversion rate, increasing contact form submissions, phone calls, email subscriptions, or sales.
More Competitive – Local SEO keeps you informed about your rivals’ moves. You can incorporate those tactics into your approach by studying what your competitors are doing well.

Suggested Read: Discovering – What Are Search Operators?

Local SEO Checklist

Without a solid foundation, local SEO cannot be successful. Your website is the most crucial component. Without a great website that sticks to SEO best practices, no amount of optimization is going to get you the results you desire.

Your website must include the following,

Make your site mobile friendly – In today’s technologically advanced world, smartphones are almost everything we need. Mobile-optimized websites help you reach a greater audience and increase conversions.
Boost the website’s speed – Page speed is an increasingly important ranking factor nowadays. On top of that, nothing frustrates searchers more than a slow-loading website that will cause them to leave a website if it doesn’t load quickly.
It only takes split seconds to persuade a visitor to wait for your page to load before they move on to the next search.
The right URL structure – You need to consider the structure of your website for both search engines and users. Ensure your site is easy to navigate with a clear path for users to follow from the moment they land on it until they become customers.
Internal links – By linking relevant pages of your site together, Google and searchers can easily find the information they are looking for.
Add structured data markup – Structured data helps the search engine to understand your website or content better with organized data. It increases the chances for your content to appear in the search results as a featured snippet, knowledge graph, and so on.
Conduct local keyword research – Keywords are the words or phrases people use to find information on search engines. By targeting specific keywords as part of your local SEO strategy, you can increase your chances of appearing for those searches.
Optimize title tags and meta descriptions – Once you know that your website is in good shape and you have a robust local keyword list, you can start optimizing for local searches. One crucial way to do this is by optimizing each web page’s title tags and meta descriptions.

A title tag is the HTML title of the web page and is displayed on the search engine results page.

Meta descriptions are the HTML code that shows under the title of a page in search results to give users a better idea of what content to expect on the page before they click.

Your meta descriptions should be between 50-160 characters long and include your target keyword and a description of the content on the page.

Why is local SEO Important?

Optimizing your business for local SEO allows you to promote your products and services to an audience of interested buyers and people who are close to your business and are actively searching for a product or service that you sell.

Since these leads are from people specifically searching for products or services your business offers, they are also likely to give you a high conversion rate.
Searches with local intent are on the rise, with 4 in 5 consumers now using search engines to find local information and search result information, sending a massive 70% of consumers to a physical store. ^[2]
Local SEO also helps drive people’s decisions in favor of your business. The more information they have about your business before they visit, the more trustworthy you are in their eyes.

Also Read: Why Keyword Intent Is Important for Conversion Rates?

FAQs

How much does local SEO cost?

Pricing for Local SEO services can range from $500 to $5000 or more. However, it will depend on what industry you’re in, the competition, and the SEO initiatives. Your SEO consultant will ultimately present you with a plan and SEO strategy for approval.

Is local SEO effective?

Local search is effective for small businesses. Studies show that 46% of all Google searches seek local information. ^[3]

Suppose your business isn’t optimized for local search. In that case, your business could lose out on potential customers. In short, local SEO is critical if you want your business to stay relevant.

How can local SEO increase sales?

In today’s digital age, SEO is crucial to any business’s success, not only because it increases visibility and reaches online but also because it allows you to increase sales by increasing traffic to your website, giving you more chances to convert leads into customers, and giving you the tools for increasing conversions.

Conclusion

If your business has a physical location, there is no reason why you should not try local SEO. Local SEO is affordable, accessible, and can add immense value to your business. Local SEO is no walk-in-the-park for a small business. Let’s say you are looking for long-term benefits from local SEO. It would be best if you integrated the many factors involved with search visibility systematically and comprehensively.

Also Read:

References:

[1] What is Local SEO? – brightlocal

[2] SEO Statistics 2022 – joelhouse

[3] 16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO – HubSpot