Regular organic SEO and local SEO are not the same. But do you understand how one of these differs from the other? Most importantly, do you know whether your business needs local SEO for higher visibility?
If you sell a product or offer a service online, you will need to include SEO into your overall marketing strategy. What is important is to know whether you need traditional SEO or local search. The purpose of Search Engine Optimization is to optimize the online presence of your business in order to generate more leads. Though organic SEO and local SEO have come to be interconnected in today’s search marketing, each of these requires focus and attention in a dedicated manner.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is exactly what the term sounds like. Local search engine optimization is done to optimize the search visibility of a business in order to attract local users. Using this SEO, you can generate local leads for your business. Local SEO is for you if you operate in a specific area or region.
Traditional SEO is for popularizing a brand or business on a global scale. Through general SEO, you can generate a lot of website traffic regardless of the geographical relevance of the business. For example, a well-written blog post can go viral and attract a great deal of traffic from different parts of the world. But it will not help a local business. This is where local Search Engine Optimization comes into play. If you plan to get more phone calls, store visits, and sales, you will certainly need to create a local search strategy and implement it in a tactful manner.
Why You Need Local SEO
If your target audience is based in a specific area or region, you will need to use local Search Engine optimization to reach out to them.
Local SEO involves optimizing your city and address. It is crucial to understand that potential customers who are in or near your city are actively looking for a product or service you provide.
Optimizing for local search means you will help these people find your business immediately. If you do not know, 45% of all Google searches are for local businesses. This should tell you the importance of local SEO and why it is a highly effective way to help people in your city or area find your business and buy your product or hire a service you provide.
When a potential customer looks for a roofer, dentist, plumber, or restaurant, he or she wants the service provider in their area or city. The customer knows that only those businesses that operate in his or her city are close enough to help him or her. This is why you need local SEO.
A lot of people are searching for some or other type of local businesses to fulfill their specific needs. Almost half of all Google searches are local, not optimizing for local search only means missing out on potential customers and sales. If you are able to create an effective SEO strategy and implement it in a proper manner, you will beat out the competition and rank at the top of local search results. When more people find your business, you will generate more leads for your business. This will boost your business’s bottom line in a major way.
What Type of Business Do You Have?
Not all businesses need local SEO. To find out whether your business requires local search optimization, you need to look at the type of business you operate. Usually, the following businesses need local SEO.
- Hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, bars
- Dental clinics, doctors
- Law firms, attorneys, lawyers
- Florists
- Plumbers
- Electricians
- Roofers
- Online-only services
These are just a few examples. Any business that provides service locally will need to implement local Search Engine Optimization. A local search on Google looks like “plumber near me” or “plumber in the Bronx”. Whether you are a roofing contractor, dentist, plumber, or any other service provider, it is important for you to understand how SEO can help your business generate more sales.
Our local marketing agency in & near Scranton, PA has experienced SEO Specialists who are trained to optimize your business for search engines.
Factors that Influence Local Search
Just like organic SEO, local SEO is also influenced by a number of factors. Three main factors among them include:
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Proximity:
When a potential customer searches for a product or service in his or her city or area, Google tends to return listings of those businesses that are the closest to the potential customer. You can take care of this when optimizing your Google Business Profile for local search.
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Relevance:
Google pays serious attention to relevance. Its local search algorithm has been designed to show accurate business listings based on what type of product or service a searcher is looking for.
Prominence: When it comes to local search rankings, one of the main factors is online reviews by customers. Your business ratings as well as customer comments and reviews will always play a big role.
When you build a local SEO strategy for your business, you should take all the key ranking factors into consideration in order to get the desired results. If you lack the experience and skills, you should seek the help of a local SEO marketer or local SEO agency for expert advice and planning.
Want to Improve Your Local Online Presence?
Now that you understand why local SEO is so important, it is time to start optimizing your business for local search. To find out whether your business needs local search optimization and how exactly it can help you generate more calls and sales, you should head straight to Evolve Local Marketing in & near Scranton, PA. Our local search marketers and strategists have helped a number of businesses reach out to local customers and increase lead generation month after month. Our SEO services in & near Scranton, PA include SEO audit, local search strategy and planning, local marketing campaigns and content generation for GMB, on-page signals, NAP citations, etc.
For your free consultation, feel free to get in touch with one of our local search marketers via a phone call at (570) 818-5097 or the contact form below.