Local SEO has become something of a buzzword in recent years, yet the power of optimising your website for a specific geographical area is yet to be realised by so many businesses. Whether you’re just starting out or are long established, it’s so easy to overlook local SEO, with countless companies laser focused on chasing national business rather than leads based nearby.
In this blog post, we reveal exactly why you should put local SEO first, what local SEO actually means, and where to get started.
Local SEO is just that, a search engine optimisation strategy that helps to increase the visibility of your brand in the local search results.
Any company with a physical location or service area should care about local search results. By optimising for location-based keywords and phrases that are relevant to your product or service offering, you can grow your business a little closer to home, which could mean great things for those profit margins.
With more and more consumers passionate about supporting small, locally based businesses, local SEO strategies have never been so important.
According to the latest statistics from Google, a whopping 30% of mobile searches are linked to specific locations, while 78% of those searching for nearby products or services pay a visit to the business premises within one day.
By investing more time and resources into your local SEO strategy, you can boost business (not to mention physical footfall), enjoy improved visibility online, encourage great local awareness, lower your SEO costs, and gain a clear advantage over competitors that are more broadly focused. Building a presence within your local area also creates a powerful connection with your target audience, meaning a more loyal customer base that’s with you for the long haul.
There are many ways you can optimise your web presence for better local results. Optimising your Google Business profile and encouraging customers to leave reviews is a great place to begin. Getting your business listed in other directories will also forge a strong link with a specific location.
On-site, the local theme should continue, with locally relevant content featuring across your blog roll, product descriptions and landing pages. When optimising any aspect of your web presence, local keyword research will be your ally.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when optimising for local search. Call on our experts to discover a local SEO strategy that will work for you, your budget and your local audience.