What is Local SEO?
Local Search Engine Optimisation as the name suggests is using SEO friendly techniques in a local area i.e. it focuses on a user’s current location. Local SEO is a method to augment one’s website in order to rank higher in local searches. People use search engines for many of their location-based needs. Whether be it searching for nearby hang-outs or availing certain services, people mostly Google their way out of it.
Why is Local SEO needed? How is it different from normal SEO?
In 2011 it was uncovered that about two fifths of all mobile queries were related to local information, i.e. information related to places nearby one’s current location. 67 % of these people make a direct move related to the search and 33% make a purchase. And with mobile applications and usage growing at a tremendous pace, these numbers are witnessing ultra-fast growth rates too. On top of it Google found out that the main reason for most mobile queries was calling or visiting a business. This has direct implications for how Search Engine Optimisation is viewed and adds a completely new dimension to it.
Normal SEO techniques do not require much focus on a user’s location. They are more concerned with general queries on the internet. But for specific businesses, it is important to keep in mind a user’s location based wants. As has been mentioned local searches are becoming more and more commonplace and it would be unwise for businesses to ignore local SEO techniques when there is a lot of profit to be made out of it.
How is Local SEO Marketing important for businesses?
Local SEO is more effective. Because when a person is searching for something near his/her location his wants are very specific. For e.g. if a teenager is standing in the middle of a market and searching for something on their phone, chances are it will be about a nearby restaurant or a gaming parlour. Thus such businesses would do well to have themselves listed with Google and other search engines.
This is also the case with every other type of business. A local clientele is a loyal clientele who will prefer coming over to your place again and again because of your proximity or ease of accessing your business. Mobile phones are increasingly becoming the go-to device for every customer needs. And as has been reiterated mobile searches are mainly about searching for local services. Also, mobiles and wearable devices have been witnessing tremendous sales.
Hence, with the cut throat competition present in every business sector these days and information searches becoming more geographically concentrated, local SEO is needed in accordance with the reduction of barriers between the digital and physical world.
Here are some tips that businesses can follow to improve local visibility:
- Having a local business page on the search engines is of paramount importance. No other local SEO technique will be useful if one does not have a page listed on Google, Yahoo! or Bing to begin with.
- Try to make your business as accessible to the clients as possible. The address on the web pages should be clear and your business marked accurately on the maps. Contact details including phone numbers and e-mail addresses should be easy to view as this is the first thing that potential customers are looking for.
- General SEO guidelines need to be followed here too. Having appropriate keywords, quality content, having sufficient pictures, an interactive and engaging site; all go a long way in attracting customers.
- Have an easy-to-use feedback and review mechanism. This is an important SEO tool, especially when going local as people are highly influenced by what other people have to say about the matter. A positive review has a cascading effect with people likely to have a positive image of your business even before they use your services. Negative reviews are of help too as they help you understand your weaknesses and help in improving one’s quality.
Local SEO marketing is useless only for huge national players who already have a dominant brand name or businesses that are present only on a single location. For all else, it is a must-do if one wants to stay relevant and useful to the customers. This is simple evolution where one needs to adapt to survive.
Similarly staying relevant in the market requires one to constantly change and evolve. Evolving into a business that cares about local SEO is the smart thing to do in these times.