Have you ever thought about how many people are looking for your business on the internet? And how many of them could get in touch, visit your company and become customers?
If you have a local business and you want that to happen, you need to know what local SEO is!
Search engine optimization strategies are essential in Digital Marketing. More and more, Google becomes an assistant for anything, including looking at the menu of the restaurant around the corner or the address of the store you want to visit this afternoon.
With these optimization strategies, you can improve the organic positioning of your business for users who are currently searching for solutions in your region.
Well-positioned in the results, your business gains more visibility and is more likely to win customers!
In this article, we will show you what is local business SEO and what are their main benefits.
WHAT IS LOCAL SEO?
Local SEO is a part of search engine optimization that aim to improve a brand’s positioning when users searching for solutions in their region.
This type of optimization is focused on the company’s website, but also on its Google Business Profile Manager page, which we’ll get to know even better in this article.
Local SEO is designed for searches that contain a geographic component — and that’s what sets it apart from general SEO.
The location of the user searching for local businesses and the inclusion of a region in the search terms (such as “near me” or “in London”) triggers the local search algorithm and modifies the way Google presents results.
This type of search gains a special look from the search engine. Google’s intention is to provide users with the best search experience. For this, it dedicates all its efforts to offering the best results as quickly as possible.
So, when a person searches for a restaurant or theatre on Google, the search engine understands that they are likely to be looking for options close to where they are.
So, the user’s location comes in as an essential factor to filter and sort the results, so that he finds the answer he wants faster, in the first positions.
With the rise of mobile searches, the geographic component has become more important to Google.
That way, when you’re on vacation in London and you search for “exchange rate”, for example, Google tries to offer results in the city or neighbourhood where you are – not where you live anymore. You don’t even have to specify that you want to see currency exchanges in GBP, as Google already knows you are there.
So, to optimize your business for these searches, local SEO must show Google where it is located and which regions it serves, in addition to showing the search engine that it is a relevant company in the region.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN BENEFITS OF LOCAL SEO?
Google is increasingly helping users to explore cities. Although today the world is digital, people do not miss restaurants when they travel or go to the movies where they live. Therefore, the search engine is concerned with improving the search experience for users who want to find solutions while moving around. Local SEO, therefore, represents an opportunity to improve your company’s positioning and increase visibility in the results for these people.
Is it worth optimizing for local searches for any type of business?
Before getting to know the benefits of local SEO, it’s important to understand that it’s likely not going to be useful for businesses that don’t have a physical location to sell, such as e-commerce stores.
We are talking about bars, restaurants, coffee shops, theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, shops, shopping centres, hotels, inns, beauty salons, barbershops, schools, offices, hospitals, among other types of companies. It is for these companies that the optimizations that we are going to see in this article are worth.
Let’s better understand the main benefits that local SEO can provide them!
It increases visibility in the region
Start with your presence on the Google Business Profile Manager account. Once adding all the required business details, your business will be listed on Google maps. After showing your business on Google maps, your business listing will start competing with other businesses near you having the same niche. Optimising it by adding a link to your website, other areas in your Google business profile will help your business to improve its visibility in your region.
It encourages taking action
In the customer journey, local searches represent a step closer to conversion. Those who search for a nightclub on Google, for example, maybe looking for options to have fun with friends next weekend or at that very moment. Then, with the local search results, the person can contact the business, read customer reviews, see some photos of the place, call you, visit your website or know how to get there.
The study showed that 76% of people who do a local search on their smartphone visit the business within 24 hours and that 28% of those searches result in a sale. See the importance of local SEO!
It increases local authority
When a user searches for the terms relevant to your business in Google maps, links that appear in the top positions seem to have more credibility.
While showing your business on the top, it demonstrates that you have higher authority in your business market in that particular region, as they stand out from the competition.
It attracts new audiences
Local searches are also a way to discover new businesses in cities. People who may have never heard of your business can find it on a search in the neighbourhood they are visiting.
Now that you know better about local search engine optimization and how to use it to increase more visibility of your business! If you need more information in regards to the Local SEO, you can contact us using this link.