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While globalization has fundamentally changed the market, many companies begin to build their success by selling to local customers. The Yellow Pages may once have been a business necessity, but they have been taken over by online search engines. Therefore, local search engine optimization (SEO) has become one of the most important keys to business success, regardless of the location or size of the company.
What is local SEO?
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Search engine optimization has become an integral part of marketing for businesses that depend on website traffic. Optimizing your content from search engines like Google helps your website rank high in search results, making it more likely that consumers will visit your website and engage with your brand.
Local SEO is simply an SEO strategy that aims to improve search results in a specific geographic area. If your business relies on online and offline customers in a specific geographic area, local SEO can be the key to your business’s survival and success.
Related: Having trouble with local search? Here’s what your local SEO strategy needs to be competitive in 2022.
The value of local SEO
Google alone processes an impressive 8 billion searches every day, and more importantly, nearly 50% of all Google searches come from people looking for local products and services. If you don’t have a local SEO strategy for your business, you will lose valuable web traffic. Local business owners simply cannot ignore an opportunity of this magnitude.
Local SEO is important for online businesses and for businesses that want to attract visitors. A few decades ago, consumers might have looked for local businesses in the yellow pages or on a map. Today, they use search engines to find contact information, location, business hours and other company details.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about one in two searches for businesses near me led to a store visit. If they searched on a mobile device, the numbers were even more compelling. Almost 90% of these inquiries were followed up by a call or visit to the business within a day.
Any business that relies on local customers cannot afford to miss out on the opportunities that local SEO can provide.
Related: 7 Weaknesses Local Businesses Face Online (And How To Overcome Them)
Utilize local SEO and work with Google to improve rankings
Marketers and business owners have a number of options to increase their visibility with local SEO. Is your brand looking to improve rankings or improve conversions and sales?
It’s fair to say that conversions are more important than ranking, but if a business isn’t listed on the first page of results, conversions will naturally be low. For most businesses, rankings and conversions are closely related.
Improving local SEO results starts with improving relevance, remoteness and visibility. These are the three criteria that Google’s algorithm uses to determine local search results. The company’s Google profile should also be updated to attract more local customers.
Relevance is a measure of the accuracy of the match between your business and an online search query. The search engine tries to determine if your business offers what the user is looking for. Providing clear and complete information on your website and business profile is critical to meeting these criteria and improving your relevance.
Proximity is how close your business is to the searcher’s exact location. If a user does not specify a specific location when searching, Google uses their location based on their IP address to prioritize nearby listings. Adding the “near me” specification to the search leads to similar results. To be featured on these listings, your business must optimize the location information on its website and Google listings.
Prominence is Google’s term for describing how well-known a business is both online and offline. A search engine determines your visibility based on offline information it has about your business, as well as online resources such as reviews and website popularity. Increasing the number of quality reviews for your business will improve your ratings. Interacting and responding to online reviews also increases your visibility.
Algorithms tend to change regularly and without notice. Like any SEO activity, successful local SEO depends on consistent effort. Many businesses benefit from professional support in local SEO management.
Related: Why Local SEO Will Become Even More Important
Covid-19’s impact on local SEO practices
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of consumer life. It certainly changed shopping habits, as lockdowns and movement restrictions became the norm. At this point, it’s too early to tell whether the pandemic has affected long-term spending habits.
In 2020 and 2021, online searches for products and services increased, partly out of necessity. Consumers needed online alternatives to fulfill their needs. Currently, evidence supports the continued popularity of online consumerism and the growing demand for in-person shopping experiences.
What is not in dispute is the incredible hardships the pandemic has caused many small businesses. Many have faced closures, layoffs and loss of customers. Carefully considered and well-managed marketing is essential to a successful relaunch. Proper local SEO can be the difference in this relaunch.
Local SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase visibility with a key target audience in a short amount of time. It may seem like a small part of SEO, but given the huge number of local intent searches, business owners and marketers need to make it a priority.
Search engines are the new yellow pages – with much more potential to transform the future of small business.
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A successful local SEO campaign will help your business because: Local SEO increases your website’s ranking in search results and in the local pack. Among all local advertising channels, it achieves the highest conversion rate. It increases your online visibility, especially with neighboring customers.
What is localized SEO?
What is Local SEO? Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses, especially those with physical locations. By following local SEO best practices, businesses can improve organic traffic from searches performed by customers in nearby areas.
What is localized search? Local search is the use of specialized Internet search engines that allow users to perform geographically limited searches in a structured database of local business listings.
What is local SEO & Why local search is important?
Local search is an integral part of any SEO strategy that targets customers in a specific region, city or neighborhood. Simply put, Local SEO is what you focus on to improve your rankings and visibility in local search results like Google Maps/Local Pack.
Why local search optimization is important?
Targeted Web Traffic: Optimizing your site for local search provides more targeted traffic to your site, which can lead to more leads, subscriptions, signups, and sales. More calls: Optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) can lead to improved Google Maps visibility.
What is local SEO and 5 reasons why it’s important?
5 Key Reasons Why Local SEO Matters
- It makes you more competitive. Even if you don’t invest in local SEO, you can be sure that other local businesses in your niche are investing. …
- Visitors and newcomers are welcome. …
- People want to shop local. …
- Phone searches drive sales. …
- It’s cheap.
Why is local SEO services important for local business?
Local SEO provides better conversion rates by driving targeted traffic and increasing conversion rates. Those users who are looking for more localized content are more likely to convert.
How is local SEO different from SEO?
Here is the difference. While traditional SEO focuses on improving your website’s national or global visibility, local SEO allows you to capture the local search area to connect with searchers in your area.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your business become more visible in local Google search results. Any business that has a physical location or operates in a geographic area can benefit from local SEO.
What is local SEO and why is it so important?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an online strategy that can make your website appear at the top of search engine results pages. If you want to attract and engage customers in your area, you will definitely need local SEO. This is where you optimize your website for local search results.
Why local SEO is important for SEO?
Local SEO allows you to publish important information about your website online, such as your business address and phone number. In addition, SEO techniques can be used to mark and promote the type of products or services you offer on your website.
What are the benefits of local search?
Benefits of Local SEO
- Improved traffic. Did you know that local information is the subject of 46% of all Google searches. …
- Better conversion rates. …
- Less advertising costs. …
- Constant business growth. …
- Long-term rankings. …
- Bypass competition. …
- Get more local reviews. …
- Get Neighboring Business connections.
Who benefits from local SEO and why? With local SEO, you increase your brand credibility by generating potential leads and sales. 75% of users never go beyond the first page of Google. This means that focusing on people who are already interested in what you’re selling can get you a lot of exposure and visibility online.
Why are local searches important?
Local search can help weed out searchers who are unlikely to contact your business. This is not because search engines have a concerted effort to protect businesses from customers, but because they want to provide relevant local results based on proximity and intent.
What is local SEO & Why local search is important?
Local search is an integral part of any SEO strategy that targets customers in a specific region, city or neighborhood. Simply put, Local SEO is what you focus on to improve your rankings and visibility in local search results like Google Maps/Local Pack.
Why local search optimization is important?
Targeted Web Traffic: Optimizing your site for local search provides more targeted traffic to your site, which can lead to more leads, subscriptions, signups, and sales. More calls: Optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) can lead to improved Google Maps visibility.
What is the benefit of local SEO?
Local SEO helps increase your online visibility by getting you noticed by new customers. Optimizing Google Maps and Google My Business can generate more direct calls, leads and sales. Optimizing your website for localized terms means you attract targeted traffic and better leads.
What is local SEO & Why local search is important?
Local search is an integral part of any SEO strategy that targets customers in a specific region, city or neighborhood. Simply put, Local SEO is what you focus on to improve your rankings and visibility in local search results like Google Maps/Local Pack.
Who benefits from local SEO and why?
With local SEO, your business gains more visibility by being found by the right people who are interested in your product at the right time. When your business gets more visibility, it means more profits, sales, and even relevance.
Is local SEO profitable?
As small businesses struggle to survive their first year, local SEO could be the key ingredient to making them not only viable, but profitable.
What is local SEO & Why local search is important?
Local search is an integral part of any SEO strategy that targets customers in a specific region, city or neighborhood. Simply put, Local SEO is what you focus on to improve your rankings and visibility in local search results like Google Maps/Local Pack.
Why is local search optimization important? Targeted Web Traffic: Optimizing your site for local search provides more targeted traffic to your site, which can lead to more leads, subscriptions, signups, and sales. More calls: Optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) can lead to improved Google Maps visibility.
Why is local SEO services important for local business?
Local SEO provides better conversion rates by driving targeted traffic and increasing conversion rates. Those users who are looking for more localized content are more likely to convert.
Is local SEO profitable?
As small businesses struggle to survive their first year, local SEO could be the key ingredient to making them not only viable, but profitable.
Is Local SEO Paid? Depending on the agency you choose and their special offers, you should expect to pay $399-$899 per month for smaller local SEO services. A small scale campaign may be the best option if you are just starting out with local SEO or if your business only operates in one location.
Is local SEO still relevant?
In fact, only 44% of businesses have requested their Google My Business listing, which is one of the absolute first steps on any local SEO optimization checklist. This is why local SEO is so important for businesses. Local searches are growing at a high rate and lead to more sales.
Who should use local SEO?
Any business that has a physical location or operates in a geographic area can benefit from local SEO. If you do a Google search for important keywords related to your business and a map with 3 ads appears below it (also known as a map pack), local SEO can help you grow your business.
How important is local SEO to your business?
Local SEO helps your business stand out—even if you don’t have a website—and helps drive more traffic to your premises through online leads. Since these leads are from people who are specifically looking for the products or services your business offers, they are also likely to give you a high conversion rate.
What is local SEO and why is it so important?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an online strategy that can make your website appear at the top of search engine results pages. If you want to attract and engage customers in your area, you will definitely need local SEO. This is where you optimize your website for local search results.
What is the benefit of local SEO?
Local SEO helps increase your online visibility by getting you noticed by new customers. Optimizing Google Maps and Google My Business can generate more direct calls, leads and sales. Optimizing your website for localized terms means you attract targeted traffic and better leads.
Who benefits from local SEO and why?
With local SEO, your business gains more visibility by being found by the right people who are interested in your product at the right time. When your business gets more visibility, it means more profits, sales, and even relevance.
How much should I charge for local SEO services?
How much does local SEO cost on average? For a one-time project focused on analysis, research, cleaning and optimization, the average price for a local SEO project would range from $300 to $1,500 with an average price of around $750.
How much should a small business pay for SEO?
How Much Does Small Business SEO Cost? The average cost of SEO for a small business is $750 to $2,000 per month, or $5,000 to $30,000 for one-off projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 per hour.
How much do SEO experts charge?
→ Expect to pay $100-$300 per hour for a professional SEO consultant. You’re paying for experience, so an SEO consultant that charges less than $100/hour is probably not worth their salt and not worth your time.
How much do freelancers charge for SEO?
Hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency on an hourly basis usually costs somewhere between $50 and $150 per hour. Of course, you can find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this breakdown of hourly SEO rates showed that 6% of SEO providers charge more than $200/hour.
What is a local search ranking?
Local SERPs describe the results that appear for a local query based on where the customer is. Local SERPs typically include a local 3-pack at the top and display the most relevant results on a map.
What is search ranking? Search engine ranking (search engine ranking) refers to the position that a particular website has in the results for a particular query. Depending on the query, there can be many pages of results, so search ranking refers to the specific page on which a given website appears, as well as its position on that page.