Small businesses far and wide have come to understand the power of local search engine optimization (local SEO). As a business owner or manager, you may still be trying to wrap your head around the concept of organic SEO, and understanding the differences between the various SEO strategies. Fortunately, incorporating a local search engine optimization campaign and implementing SEO strategies is not as difficult as it might sound. By following a process with a specific set of tasks, you can make your way up the search engine rankings and be found by a whole new set of customers who are close to your location.

What is the Difference Between Local and Organic SEO?

Understanding the distinction between local and organic SEO is the first key to mastering it. Simply put, a local SEO campaign incorporates a geographical component that an organic SEO (or national SEO campaign) usually does not. The end goal of local SEO is to build up the relevance of a site based on its actual location, rather than just its content. Organic SEO can have a geographical element, but it’s not necessarily focused to a physical location.

If you have an eCommerce business that is striving to reach consumers from around the country, or even across the world, organic SEO might be just the right fit. Local SEO works well for small businesses, or those that are focused around a brick-and-mortar location, like a plumbing service in San Jose, or an IT managed services business in Santa Clara.

The distinction between organic and local SEO involves more than geographical location. How you improve your organic SEO is based largely on links. The more links that you have from websites with authority, and in your related industry, the better your online visibility will be. When it comes to local SEO, citations and customer reviews are “king”. Citations are merely mentions of your business’s name, address and phone number in directories like Superpages, Mapquest and Yellowpages. Having a lot of citations for your brick-and-mortar business, especially those that are relevant to your business niche, shows your business is trustworthy in terms of local SEO. In addition having a fair number of customer reviews that rate your business positively, and which are also done on a regular basis, is another positive ranking factor as well.

Seizing the Local SEO Campaign Opportunity

Any businesses that needs to reach local clients can benefit from a local SEO campaign. By utilizing this strategy, you have the unique opportunity to reach out to consumers who are specifically looking for the services or products your business provides. Local search is actually growing rapidly, particularly on mobile devices. In fact, it’s estimated that 46% of all web searches have a local aspect to them.

Google displays the 3 most relevant local SEO search results in a “(local) 3 pack”. Google “3 packs” visually highlight those businesses in a colorful, prominent map. The following ranking factors are use by Google to determine how your business is listed:

    • Relevance: Refers to how well a local listing matches to what someone is searching.
    • Prominence: How well known the business is.
    • Proximity (distance): How close the business is located relative to where the searcher is located.

How Do I Boost My Business Visibility in Relevance, Prominence, and Proximity?

 

Proximity (or Distance):

There is nothing you can do about proximity because it’s a purely objective measure of how close your physical location is, relative to the person performing the search. If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google calculates the distance based on what is known about their location. It’s the one local 3-pack criterion that is out of your control.

You can, however, do something about the other two:

Relevance

To improve relevance, complete all the detailed business information in your Google My Business listing and use relevant categories associated with your business. Also include photos of your office and the types of products and/or services your business provides in your listing and website.

Another thing to consider is looking closely at the search terms your customers use for relevant searches. This includes looking at the growing number of searches done on smartphones or tablets and incorporating those patterns into your local SEO strategy. Many of those searches tend to be largely conversational, like, “local grocery stores” or “coffee shops near me.” Paying attention to what local phrases or “shorthand” references are commonly used in your business location and including them in your content can help you boost rankings in search.

Prominence

To improve prominence check that your business name, address and phone number is accurately and consistently listed across the web in directories, articles, and on your website. Google reviews and scores are also factored into prominence as well. Google downgrades a business’s prominence rating if it finds inconsistencies as it brings your business’s credibility into question and raises suspicions of “whether you are who you say you are”.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, and there can be changes in this set of criteria by Google as they continuously work on improving the quality of search results.

Local SEO vs. Traditional Approaches

Local SEO also offers significant advantages to a B2B business over those that rely solely on newspaper and word-of-mouth advertising. Traditional marketing methods are great for planting ideas and getting attention, however it’s hard to beat the benefit of connecting with potential customers who are ready to buy as soon as they are see your offer. Getting your name, address and contact information out there – right when customers need it – will greatly increase the chance that they will call or walk through your door, not just visit your website or put a visit on their “to-do” list.

The ROI on Local SEO

If you are considering implementing local SEO, you might be wondering what the return on your investment of time and resources would be. Will local SEO really help you to attract new customers? Chances are very high that it will. Nearly 97% of local customers use online searches and directories to find local businesses. Phone books and paper directories have long been a thing of the past, while local SEO is here and now, and will definitely be around for a while.

Local SEO provides a means to connect to potential customers in a very highly targeted and timely fashion. Because search engines like Google are designed to provide the most relevant information that users want, search engine optimization practices that increase the relevance of your webpages to a certain locality boosts the relevance of these pages to searchers looking for local business help. Employing local SEO results in a high conversion rate and a good return on investment (ROI) when it is properly implemented.

Consider:

    • Local SEO boasts a 50% higher conversion rate than traditional hard copy or online directories.
    • Looking at the rapidly growing number of searchers on mobile devices, statistics indicate that a very high percentage—literally and is something you need to pay attention to.

The Importance of Mobile Optimization

There’s no doubt that internet users are turning to their smart phones for information more often. While newspaper readership is down, mobile usage is continuing to increase. As of November 2019, 81% of Americans say they own a smartphone. Tablet ownership has risen from 45% in 2015 to 55% in 2019, declining slightly overall, but increasing in the adults 74+ age group. More recently, Smart Speaker reach has more than doubled between 2017-2019 in U.S. households with Wi-Fi, going from 12% to 29%. To top it off, 90% of smart phone users utilize a search engine at least once a day. All of this is good news for businesses looking to leverage the power of local SEO.

Optimizing your website for mobile phone use is an absolute necessity when it comes to local SEO. It requires you to focus on keywords that are relevant to local searches. Including the name of your city, county or neighborhood is crucial, as well as utilizing keywords that mobile users are likely to use naturally.

Once prospective customers visit your website, you also need to keep them engaged. Your website should be prepared for mobile traffic by ensuring that it is “Responsive” (or mobile friendly) so it is easy to read, simple to navigate and looks great on various small and mid-sized screens. Photos, reviews and videos will also promote your efforts to make your site engaging on mobile devices. The effectiveness of videos in keeping visitors on your site is very high, and sites with videos are far more likely to make their way to the top of the search rankings than those without. A video that revolves around your local keywords packs an extra punch and will generate much more traffic than a few well-placed reviews.

An effective local SEO campaign also requires you to register your business on local directory sites. These citations are referenced by Search Engines and can lead business directly to you while also increasing the ranking of your website via the link. You also need to always make sure that your business name, addresses, phone number and additional contact information listed on each directory site is correct and up to date, and matches the data provided on your website.

Bottom Line…

The benefits that local SEO provides for local-based businesses are clear. Using this strategy can attract new customers, build your reputation and promote your visibility in your local community. If you want to discuss how a local search engine optimization campaign can be effectively implemented for your Silicon Valley business, contact us at WSI Smart Web Marketing today!

Did you know…

    • It is an absolute MUST to review Google’s guidelines for listing your business on Google My Business to avoid being delisted by surprise!
    • Google will delist your business’ Google My Business account if you provide a UPS store address as your business address.
    • Google may also delist your business listing if you don’t provide a photo showing your business office entrance!

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