5 Benefits of Local SEO
When you think of SEO, you probably only think about putting your business’ website online and showing up on page 1 of Google search.
Lofty goals!
But there is more to SEO! Local SEO is an important strategy, even for businesses that don’t just serve a specific geographical location.
Why?
Well, when you think of the nearly 2 billion websites online and the billions of search results for nearly every major search term, local SEO benefits businesses by targeting localized search terms that are easier to rank for.
While narrowing down keywords to those that have less search volume might seem like a terrible idea, we promise that there are more benefits than simply finding a break-in point for ranking on Google.
We’ll discuss those in a bit. But first …
What is Local SEO, Anyway?
Although your website is available online for everyone to visit, Local SEO optimizes your website using keywords targeting a specific area.
Local SEO is important for businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, and home services to get found by those in the area or looking to be in the area.
While your business may not be completely focused on locals, it is still beneficial to target the audience in a particular geographical area. We’ll discuss why this is beneficial for your SEO in the example in the next section.
Why Does Local SEO Matter?
To show a clear picture of the value of local SEO, let’s view it from the perspective of a user’s search intent.
We’ll pretend, for, a moment, that you’re a local pet store that delivers pet supplies throughout the U.S.
Say a user is on Google and they perform a search for “crate training a new puppy.” It wouldn’t matter as much that the first page results show blog posts from pet stores across the country because this user is interested in information for training a new puppy.
However, if the same user searches for “pet store near me” you will want your store to pop up in search results. Right?
According to Google “‘Where to buy’ + ‘near me’ mobile queries have grown by over 200% in the past two years (where to buy flowers near me, where to buy stamps near me, where to buy pumpkins near me).”
Local SEO matters because people use their mobile phones to find what they need at the moment.
Having your business optimized for local SEO helps you to get found in those critical moments a customer is making a purchasing decision.
What are the Benefits of Local SEO?
We’ve been harping on the importance of local SEO to getting found online, in a targeted area. But there’s more!
Increase Online Visibility
Competing for ranking on search results against broad keywords and your competitors isn’t easy these days.
There are nearly 2 billion websites online! (You can check out the “total websites online” ticker at Internet Live Stats for the latest numbers.)
According to Moz, “[o]n average, 71.33% of searches result in a page one organic click. Page two and three get only 5.59% of the clicks.”
With so many businesses and content online, it is difficult to compete for broad terms, much less rank on the 1st page of Google Search Results! In the following examples, we’ll show the differences in competition between two sets of keywords.
For the first example, you are trying to rank for the keyword “Pet Store in NY” which has over 1 Billion results and 720 monthly searches.
Let’s change the target, assuming your pet store is located in Carmel, NY. By changing your keywords to “Pet Store in Carmel NY”, you’re targeting localized traffic in or near your local area. And while the monthly searches have dropped to 70, competing with far fewer search engine results of just less than 5 million. And the map now shows fewer results as well.
Focusing on local SEO efforts can help you to break into ranking locally before focusing on more broad and competitive keywords.
Cost-Effective Marketing
In many cases, optimizing for local SEO doesn’t have to be expensive and can be easy to start.
It is free to claim and optimize your Google My Business, Apple Maps, and Bing Places profiles as well as the Facebook Business Page for your company.
For local businesses like restaurants, hotels and other attractions, Yelp also offers free business profiles.
Local SEO can reduce advertising costs when you show up organically for local and “near me” searches.
Local Links and Networking
When your business is focused on local SEO, you have the benefit of collaborating and networking with other local business owners.
This is useful if you want to cross-promote products or build relevant backlinks to products or services that complement your own.
Another useful local SEO tactic is to include your business in local directories for extra visibility. But, inclusion in these directories when ensuring consistent NAP (name, address and phone number) optimizes your online presence and signals to Google that you’re a legitimate business and can increase the likelihood that your business ranks well.
Possible Repeat Customers
These days, nearly everyone has heard the trendy phrase to “shop local“. Local SEO will help you to get found and allow your local customers to try out and hopefully frequent your products or services.
Increase Trust
Having profiles on local directories and collecting reviews will help build trust and community around your brand.
Vendasta shares 6 reasons why businesses need more reviews (and we recommend reading their article for all the details). They are:
- Increase Sales
- High Marketing Value
- Boosts SEO Rank
- Establish Relationships with Customers
- Provide Better Products and Services
- Updated Reviews Convert Sales
While spending time and effort on improving SEO just makes good business sense, it’s even more beneficial to focus on local SEO when you have a local presence, even if it isn’t your focus.
Local SEO is a great strategy, especially for businesses just entering the market to get their website noticed.
We understand you probably wear a lot of hats and face many challenges with running your business, so learning SEO may seem like a daunting task. If adding this to your list of duties prevents you from doing what you’re most passionate about, it may be a good time to hire an SEO expert.
Passionate digital marketing expert with over 10 years of experience. Broad, hands-on marketing skillset, from web developer, SEO, PPC, Data Analytics & Tracking.