WHAT IS LOCAL SEO & WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

Local SEO is better explained as a tool used by businesses to promote their endeavors in the market. The company invests in digital media for results. The results they hope for are only possible if their adverts are viewed by as many people as possible. It has been established that viewing without direct conversion of these views to possible clients is not good enough, hence the need for local SEO.

The modulus of the operation of Local SEO is somewhat different from the most common tools of on-page and off-page techniques.

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Local search

According to Google, a majority of the total search results that pop up on SERPs are local content. Well, Google tries to use the user’s real-time location to narrow down their suggestions, so they reflect tastes and frequents of the user and local businesses in the area of current residence. The majority of people look for directions, nearby stores, local contacts, etc. Therefore, search engines will understand what you are trying to look for and customize the search suggestions to mirror what you are after as a user closely. Thus, this is what is offered in local SERPs.

Local SERPs

Every company wants to convert the views and clicks online to businesses. To do so,  a company needs to increase their presence and visibility by opening the local pack. A local pack contains the business’s contacts; from it, Google narrows the user’s search such that it shows three company listings with a complete map. The local pack usually derives the relevant information to post from the GMB profile. The profile is critical to the search engine as it tries to deal with more questions directly from the SERPs.

Google My Business is the company profile as registered on Google. Initially, it used to go with the names of Google local and Google+ local.  Google maps and the local packs get information, so it becomes easier to suggest results to the users by narrowing their scope using the available information.

Furthermore, the information shared is that which you disclosed; hence, the knowledge panel of the GMB can have additional information like contact details, services rendered, opening and closing hours, the description of the business, etc.  With local SEO, your profile information needs to be up to date, so you may consider regular revisions. Just like the standard SEO practices so that the site enhances its ranking to the top, you need to provide accurate information that is authoritative, trustworthy, and with expertise.

Citations

Citations are places with information regarding your business, such as phone numbers, name, the address of the company, and the website URL. To count yourself amongst the best, you ought to appear in such places. If not, the competitors gain ground on you. A citation can be structured or unstructured.  Whereas unstructured citations result mostly by the effect of the press and social media, structured citations result from the information filled on the ground.

How to rank top in the local search

Below are the top 3 elements that dictate your rank in the local SEO.  Achieving success in this field requires you to concern yourself with these factors.

Proximity – the closeness of the business to the user

Relevance –  if the services you provide are relevant to the concerned user

Prominence – feedback from other consumers after consumption of the goods and services.

In technology, everything changes, everything advances. Just like search engines, SEO grows as well. Keeping up with these changes can be a lot and involved; hence, there are a lot of investments in keeping up with local SEO rather than the more substantial SEO. The rules may be close but different, and so are the objectives of the two. Users would never mind the number of visits and clicks converted to physical contact.

Web localization

This is a market strategy to ensure improved visibility locally.  It involves including details of your region, city of residence, or county on the website. Businesses with more than one location need to create separate pages. Also, it would be best if you got involved with the community and take part in their events, which you then mention on the site.

Building citations

There are two vital points to note here; you should always ensure that your details are present on the citation sites and that you always update this information regularly. The two strategies help to keep your business right in the mix with the rest of the best performing firms, hence improving the rankings and traffic on your site.

Claiming your GMB page

As earlier indicated, Google My Business profile is vital in ensuring that your business receives the most clicks and reviews. This happens only when the search engine suggests it in its results on either maps or the local SERPs. GMB profile should be one of the first things you should claim control.

Managing ratings and reviews

It is clear that reviews from users and third party sites are crucial for your business; therefore, managing them is necessary to keep your business on the favorite side of the search engine.

Why local SEO helps to attract new customers

• The search is narrowed to the user’s needs and location.
• Local SEO is the most efficient promotional tool according to statistics.
• Projected rates of growth in mobile internet.
• High rates of conversions result in even higher ROI.
• Not so many companies have registered with GMB.
• Free SEO opportunities.
• Print media coverage has dwindled as people increasingly get news online.
• Most of those who give positive feedback about your business will likely procure your services again.
• The internet is the main source of information about local companies.

What Is Local SEO  [bottom line]

Local SEO as marketing requires you to be smart and aggressive. Just like a business, you are competing with other companies to ensure that they make the top charts on the local SERPs. In addition to the authoritativeness, expertise, and trustworthiness, Google requires you to show prominence, relevance, and proximity.

Keeping up with all these needs you to be engaged and persistent. Some of the means in which you can get your business out there on the local market are to: claim your business profile with GMB, manage your citations, localize your website, managing reviews, and ensuring you get quality and relevant backlinks. These are some of the surest ways to maneuver through the local SEO.

Now you should no longer have to ask, what is local SEO, but if you have questions, you can always send us a message.