A Beginner's Guide to Local SEO: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Did you know that 46% of the daily searches in Google are of people searching for local content? About 72% of these consumers performing local searches end up visiting a business within their location. If you have not invested in local SEO, you're missing out on many opportunities.

A local SEO strategy is one of the best ways of targeting people who resonate with your business. Instead of competing with big international brands through the general organic listing, you can focus on local SEO for local prominence. You’ll compete favorably and have your brand visible to relevant markets. 

If you're new to local SEO, our guide will shed more light. Keep reading to know what local SEO is and why it matters.

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a branch of search engine optimization that focuses on a website's optimization for the site to rank on local search results. Its purpose is to attract customers within smaller areas like in a city or town. Businesses with a physical location often consider local SEO to drive traffic to their store within a specific area. 

A local SEO strategy increases a company's visibility in the SERPs based on the local area and Google Maps. For you to rank, you need to consider relevance, prominence, and proximity. With time, your local SEO conversions will determine if your approach is bearing results.

How to Execute a Local SEO Strategy

The approaches you take with the typical SEO are almost similar to the local SEO strategy. However, the latter is localized for better targeting. Here are some of the local SEO tips to consider; 

Google My Business Optimization 

You should start your local search by optimizing your Google My Business. The tool is Google’s way of verifying the authenticity of your business. 

Start by creating a Google My Business page and verify the account. You should then use Google Posts as you encourage customers to leave reviews. Ensure that you have specified the location at this point.

Localize Your Content

 Content marketing is a game-changer to your business. However, you'll need to localize your business for you to attract a relevant local audience. General topics can attract a broader crowd that might not necessarily be relevant to what you're selling.

If you want to become a local authority within a specific industry, the content you share can make a significant impact. Use your content to promote the local industry, share news, and educational stuff. Your content should go beyond what you’re selling for you to appeal to your local audience. 

Optimize Your Online Citations and Directories

 Your citations need to be consistent across all the data aggregators. Conflicting information and misspellings can disfavor your local SEO. Google will not show your local business in search results if the details you have used are inconsistent. 

You should also remove duplicate listings in the directory. With directories and citations, the accuracy of information is the best way to have your brand rank.

Your Website Should Have Location Pages

 You can enjoy the key benefits of local SEO for your business by having location pages on your website. The location pages should include your business, phone number, address, store descriptions, working hours, and information relating to promotions and customers’ testimonials. 

Optimize Your Headers, Title Tags, Meta Description and URL

 With every new blog, you get an opportunity to target a specific audience in a given region. You'll increase your chances of being found when you optimize your content. Other than the content, you can optimize headers, title tags, meta descriptions, and URLs.

You should make these optimizations by having relevant keywords in each. Your content needs to be geo-targeted for it to reach the intended audience.

Benefits of Local Business SEO

Local SEO services are essential for any business. With the right SEO strategy, you’ll get desirable benefits for your company. Here are some of the reasons why local SEO matters;

Increased Web Presence

 As it stands, more than 3.5 billion people are online. With local SEO, you’ll be sure to have a significant web presence in your target local market. You’ll be more visible, which is a favor to your brand. 

High Conversion Rate 

 If you have invested in local SEO, your listing will be available when one makes the 'near me' searches or the queries mentioning a location. There are chances that people will call you if your products are what they are looking for. With contact details, you're likely to convert local searches into successful purchases.

More Reviews and Ratings 

 Local SEO encourages customers to review and rate businesses. The more reviews you have, the more your business appears reliable and trustworthy. Consequently, the search engine will push your business listing higher based on your ratings.

Enhance Your Business Reputation

 Your local SEO strategy will help increase your vicinity. With the right treatment of customers, you'll be sure to have a business reputation that will increase your popularity in a given locality. Your business will grow to greater heights over time.

Retain Existing Customers and Attract New Ones

 A business listing will probably give you more customers in the area that you operate. If you have great reviews, quality products, and amazing customer service, retaining and attracting customers shouldn’t be a problem. You'll have more people visiting your site and your physical store based on what they see when searching for the products or services you offer.

Local SEO Is an Indispensable Part of Digital Marketing

A local SEO strategy is essential for your business. With local SEO, you'll be marketing your services to the intended market. The benefits, which range from increased conversion to better competition, are undeniable.

Local SEO for a beginner can seem quite complicated. The strategies keep changing, and you'll need to know the tactics for the strategy to bear results. If you're not tech-savvy, it would be best to leave the work to SEO professionals. 

Are you in need of any digital marketing solution? Siren Digital Marketing has services such as SEO, Google Ads, Paid Social, Website Design, Directory Listing, and Website Design. Contact us today for services that will take your business a notch higher.