What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the process of using SEO tactics to zero in on customers in your area who are most likely to buy your product or use your service - and get your business in front of them by getting it to the top of Google Search results.

Who needs Local SEO?

Businesses with a traditional brick and mortar location (like a retail store) need local SEO to build up a reputation and brand recognition in the local community. This means more local visitors and more opportunities for partnership and support from small business owners in your area. This could be a new brewery hoping to attract regulars from the local area, or it could be a physician who has opened a practice and wants to attract patients for their specialty. If you could use more local business, and want to be recognizable in your local community, local SEO is for you. Let’s get into the 5 biggest benefits of local SEO services.

1. Get More Local Reviews

You want more reviews because customer success stories sell products. There is a reason companies have been caught buying or paying for good customer reviews - because they are valuable! Make sure you keep up with all the reviews on your site - be interactive with your customers! But how does local SEO do this? Local SEO takes on the task of reaching out to your customers after they visit your location or interact with your business. If you’ve made a good impression, and see your business come up again in search, customers are more likely to review your business. You want to stay front of mind while the good experience is fresh. The longer your customer goes between interacting with your business, the less likely they are to return and review.

2. Increased Local Sales & Conversion Rates

There is no need to explain why increased sales and higher conversion rates are valuable - but how does local SEO do this? By focusing on local SEO, you are putting all your marketing energy into your local community, creating word of mouth, and building loyal customers. The more visible your business is on local networks, platforms and with local tags and trending topics, the more your business will grow.

3. Higher Search Rankings on Google

It’s important for national, international and local SEO that you rank higher on Google or other search engines. What does ranking higher mean? Ranking higher on Google means you appear higher on the list of search results than your competition. This can be especially important for local businesses like restaurants, bars and breweries, tourist attractions, or local areas of interest. It’s also especially important to use local SEO to let your local community know about events, holidays, changes of note or even charity events.

4. Lower Marketing or Advertising Costs

Small business owners have long been presented with few opportunities for marketing and advertising. Now, with the internet, there is no excuse for not getting your name out there in your local community! The problem is, while the internet is a great resource, how much does it cost to hire a good copywriter or photographer for online ads or for your website? It’s expensive! We know! Local SEO is a great alternative to traditional and pricy modes of advertising, as it works behind the scenes targeting the customers who are already looking for a business just like yours. Zeroing in on targeted customers with local SEO means less need to spread yourself and your marketing budget thin.

5. Creation of a Customer Network & Regular Business

Return business is the goal of every good business, and local SEO is helpful in creating that repeat business, by getting your name in front of customers more often. If they’ve had a good experience, they are very likely to take you up on a return visit if local SEO can reach out and remind them! A customer network is the lifeblood of business success, and means your customers have reached the point of brand or product loyalty with your business. At this point they become ambassadors of your product. Just this weekend my partner's uncle recommended some herbal remedies for back pain that he swears by. We are going to buy them and check them out. That's a sale - and you didn’t need to do anything.

What to Expect from your Local SEO Consultant

Your SEO consultant will look into what is trending in your area, and what platform your community prefers to use. Then comes some careful keyword research, and a refresh of your site using the keywords, and a well thought out strategy. You might want to build links between your website and other local websites. Your local SEO consultant will also look at your Google Business Profile and make sure it's up to date. Finally, your SEO should look at the back end of your website and refresh your titles and tags. It can be a lot of work, but it’s well worth it when you watch your business creep up higher in the Google Search Results.

To learn more about local SEO and how a StoryTime SEO consultant can help you grow your small or medium sized business locally, email us today!