What is Local SEO?

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an incredibly effective way to market your local business online. To gather information for local search, search engines rely on signals such as local content, social profile pages, links, and citations to provide the most relevant local results to the user.

It’s probably the best way to promote their products and services to local customers at the exact time they’re looking for them online.

The rapid growth of mobile usage and on the go searching has made local optimization an important focus for businesses. Basically, local SEO is a strategic process that focuses on emphasizing the optimization efforts of local brick-and-mortar businesses. According to Google, 46% of searches now have a ‘local intent’.

To example, your faucet broke. You want a plumber near you that’s reputable, and you want one NOW. If you Google “plumber near me,” the SERPs will spit out a bunch of local businesses for you to choose from, including their average reviews.

What are Local SERPs?

Local SERPs describe the results that show up for a local-based query based upon where the customer is. Local SERPs usually include a local 3-pack on top and show the most relevant results on the map.

Everything that’s displayed in the local pack comes from the business’ Google My Business profile.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google. It can be considered a combination of an online directory listing and a social media profile.

It is essential if you want to appear in maps and in the local pack listings which are returned for local queries. Having a great google my business listing represents a significant opportunity for local businesses.

Your GMB profile can include a host of information submitted by yourself, such as the services you offer, contact details, business description, category, and opening times. On the other hand, GMB attributes, GMB Q&As, and Google Reviews are almost entirely generated by consumers, ideally with experience of your business.

Local SEO requires a variety of strategies

• NAPW Citations – Be sure your business’ name, address, phone number and website is EXACTLY the same across all of your online assets.
• Local directory listings – Claim and verify all listings on local directories including Yelp, Superpages, Foursquare, Yellowpages, etc.
• Reviews – 85% of consumers trust online business reviews as much as personal recommendations.
• Localized onsight content – The more relevant your on-site content is to the searcher, the more likely it will show up in search results. Creating unique geo-targeted service pages, specifying service areas, and including maps with your location on it will increase your chance in showing up in search results.
• Schema markup – Ask your web developer to implement local business schema on your website. It gives the search engines a clearer supply of local information about your business.

People these days rely on the internet to find information about all types of products and services. If your business is low on local search rank, it’s more likely to miss out on new customers. Implementing a variety of Local SEO strategies for your business can help you show up on the internet map for future customers to see!

To know more about the ways to improve your business on a web platform, contact us today!