On a busy working day, one of the clients calls me to ask, “Is local SEO so important? There is so much demand for local SEO services“.
We had almost 20 minutes of conversation about the essential strategies of local SEO for a business. He immediately gave a green signal to implement all those strategies for their business.
After implementing all this, I have realized fewer businesses are aware that local SEO is one of the most important strategies when it comes to SEO.
So, I have penned out all the necessary information for local SEO.
Assume that you have a physical menswear clothing store in one of the places in Bangalore.
If a person searches for the nearest menswear shops, they will see the multiple options closer to him from where he can directly call or navigate through it. The physical store has to optimize for search, which can be done through local SEO for that to happen.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a strategy used by a local business to optimize their visibility in local search results on Google or any other search engine. Any store, shop, or interaction with a physical location or serving a particular geographic area can use local SEO for their benefit.
Ex: My business gives local SEO services. So, I have optimized the result of my business to appear when a person searches for local SEO services in India.
Local SEO is also one of the most critical parameters of the SEO strategy.
Why is local SEO important?
As per Ahrefs Local SEO statistics:
1. 30% of all mobile searches are related to location.
2. 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day.
3. 28% of local searches result in purchases.
4. 54% of smartphone users search for business hours.
5. 53% search for directions to the local store.
6. “Where to buy” + “near me” mobile queries have grown over 200% from 2017 to 2019.
7. Mobile searches “store open near me.” (e.g., “menswear store open near me” has grown by over 250% from 2017 to 2019.
8. Mobile searches for “on-sale” + “near me” 9 (e.g., tires on sale near me”) have grown by over 250% YOY from 2017-2019.
How do you know if you need local SEO? or Who needs local SEO?
The easiest and simple answer can be any business with a physical brick & mortar location or serves their customer or client in particular geographic areas.
Ex: Grocery shop, car service garage, apparel stores, laundry stores, plumbing service, etc.
In 2021, post-Covid-19, most businesses are looking to include online as part of their business strategy, which focuses on increasing the company’s visibility in the online channel.
For Ex: Company or business website, Social Media Pages, Business location on Google map.
The mobile search of local search has gradually increased and it continues to increase in future, which gives a tremendous boost to local businesses.
So, it’s essential to implement local SEO strategies in every local business.
Local SEO services generally include
Local optimization
Local optimizations drive clients and customers to your store online through your keyword research. It is a strategy that targets your audience in your location.
Content Creation
Content creation that resonates with the local audience can drive massive traffic to your store. To create content that resonates with the local community or audience, one must research and develop the content. Such content tends to go viral within communities. Generally, experienced copywriters create the content.
Website or Landing pages
Businesses have to create a solid local presence. Generally, websites add a lot of value to their local company. The website has to be neatly designed and optimized for SEO for local searches. Google My Business: Google my business is a local search-based tool that helps local businesses maximize their location to drive customers through map direction or call. It adds considerable value to local SEO.
Reputation Management
Knowing what customer thinks about your business helps you in improvisation. Nowadays, every purchase depends on the existing customer’s reviews maps social media channels. So a business needs to maintain and monitor the thoughts that might help you serve your customer better, which might avoid negative thoughts.
Local Citations
Local directory listings play a major role in local SEO. Sometimes it’s hard to maintain all the directories with consistent information.
Paid advertising
Paid advertising adds a lot of value to growing your business to a different level, adding local campaigns and events.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is an important part of SEO which helps the search engines to understand the signals better and help the local searches. It plays a major role in telling the search engine what your web content is about
How long does local SEO take?
The strategy of local SEO started back in 2003-2005, since then there is a huge number of people who are leveraging Local SEO for their business and it has become so competitive yet it has high ROI.
Generally, local SEO takes around 4-6 months to start giving good results, when it is done correctly.
How much does local SEO cost?
Especially in India, the local SEO package ranges from 6000-25000 per month based on the client requirement and results committed by the person offering the service.
Generally business consults a local SEO consultant or local SEO agency for the services.
Local SEO consultant
A Local SEO consultant who is also specialized in local SEO, generally business can take the consultation and implement the strategies on their own or consultant also offers services after the consultation if a company needs it.
Local SEO agency
A local SEO agency or local SEO Company is an organization that has a dedicated team of people to serve the exact purpose of the client concerning Local SEO.
Conclusion
There is a huge demand for local SEO as there are so many people are searching for their needs, it important for a business to appear in front of them for relevant searches which increases your chance of converting into sales.
Local has built good trust and authority in front of your customers. It gives a high return on investment (ROI).
Since local has seen a huge growth in the last decade, which also helps their audience find better options and results, leveraging and optimizing for local SEO can be a game-changer for any business.
So why are you waiting to go local, to grow global?
Always take care of your local audience to grow better as a local brand.
Cheers
Keerthi. P
Recommended reads:
1) The Ultimate Local SEO Checklist
2) Top 10 Amazing Ways to Find Best SEO Expert in India
3) What is SEO: A Complete Guide to Search Engine Optimization
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