Types of Businesses That Reap the Benefits of Local SEO

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Introduction

Many small businesses are unaware of how powerful Local SEO can be for their business.

Local SEO, in simple terms, is optimizing your website to rank higher in searches for keywords that are relevant to the area your business is located in. This makes it easier for people looking for services in your area to find your business.

Keyword research is the first step in optimizing a website effectively. This article will point out nine businesses that deserve Local SEO to soar high.

9 Types of Businesses That Benefit the Most from Local SEO

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1) Medical Services

Your practice might be getting fewer phone calls than it used to. It might be because you're lacking a supplement known as "Local Search Engine Optimization."

Did you know that almost 46% of Google searches are local?

Modern medical entities who don't use SEO find themselves tough today. Patients are more aware of their power in choosing where to make their healthcare decisions.

Today's patients are often using online resources to help them do so. If your practice isn't on the map, you're missing out on potential patients.

Also, Google's ranking algorithms prioritize pages with more solid and authoritative local backlinks, so your site may not rank well in local search if it has no locally-oriented content and backlinks.

Take a look at how Sierra Smiles of Nevada produces locally-relevant content to grab some attention among the locals.

Here’s an example of a dentist clinic using blogs to rank up locally:

2) Real Estate

Every year, families relocate for various reasons, and real estate offices are responsible for helping them find new homes. Taking the time to optimize your website with Local SEO will help connect these families with the home they want in the city they need.

Local SEO provides prospective customers with information about an area to purchase/rent/lease a home.

This way, the buyers can get more information on prospective areas of interest and let the real estate agent know what they're looking for. Meanwhile, the agent can help them find listings of homes that meet their needs.

When a prospective client types keywords such as "condos for rent" or "mortgaged houses for sale" into a search engine, they will see the nearest properties/realtors listed first. But for your real estate office to show up in the list, you need to optimize it locally .

Check out how Estate DC ranks high for the search query "Apartments for rent in Washington DC."

Here’s an example of three real estate agencies ranking at the top because of the number of and quality of their backlinks:

3) Law Offices

Many lawyers are not aware of the importance of Local SEO. It is a very understandable oversight, given the complexity and time-consuming nature of this type. It takes a lot of research to figure out which keywords are being used by your competitors to rank higher than you on local search results, and so on.

Thankfully, you have Local SEO at your disposal. It can be performed to rank a law firm in the top positions in the city, county, or area-level result pages.

You can do these using keywords that are relevant to what your potential clients are searching for, such as "auto accident lawyers in Detroit, Michigan" or "best attorneys near me."

The keyword list for law offices usually consists of words like "brain injury lawyer," "compensation attorney," "legal help," and more.

You can use keywordtool.io to find legal keywords:

Read: Local SEO Tips for Lawyers & Legal Firms

4) Home Repairs & Renovations

Homeowners who need to complete a home repair or renovation project often turn to the internet to find a trusted company. Many different tasks require professional expertise, from installing a new roof to redoing kitchen cabinets.

The best way for homeowners to find the right company is through a search engine. If you are in the home improvement business, then it may seem like you are up against long odds when it comes to getting found by the homeowners who are looking for the "right company."

A home repair and renovation business may use Local SEO to attract leads from a targeted geographical area.

As an example, a contractor in Lakeville, Minnesota, might build their Local SEO strategy around targeting potential customers with the following keywords:

• Home remodeling Minnesota
• Home improvement Dakota
• Lakeville handyman

Here’s an example of WordStream displaying local keywords:

Read: Local SEO Tips for Home Service Companies

5) Restaurants

It is not enough for restaurants to have great food or excellent service to fly high. In a highly competitive market, they have to have a good marketing strategy.

Restaurants can use Local SEO to increase customer walk-ins and online orders by optimizing the proximity of their restaurant's location on Google Maps. By optimizing their listing, restaurants can also promote various deals or promotions that they are running at the time.

Local SEO can increase restaurant customer foot traffic by getting them seen and ranked higher in SERPs. You can achieve this through on-page optimization, including title tags, meta descriptions, and content marketing.

Tip:Use a platform like Yelp and GrubHub to get natural reviews from customers as it helps you reach more potential customers in an area.

Here’s an example of a restaurant with reviews on Yelp:

6) Pet Services

The rise of the internet has made it possible for pet owners to find each other and share information in an area.

One of the most significant benefits of the development is that pet owners can instantly find veterinarians , boarding facilities, groomers, and vets who offer discounted rates, best services, etc.

Previously, they would have to rely on word-of-mouth or newspaper advertisements, which are now considered outdated. Today, finding information about local pet services online is not difficult.

People use the internet more than any other resource to find a business, from dog walking companies to pet sitting. Being able to show up on relevant searches such as "dog walker near me" will give you an edge over others. A robust SEO strategy will help you achieve that.

Check out how Mixy Paws of New York uses Yelp to garner great reviews. They have claimed their business, uploaded great photos (160+), filled out the attributes, added operating hours, etc.

Here’s a screenshot of the top businesses ranking for ‘dog walkers in California’:

7) Retail Stores

Today, many retailers find it challenging to stay afloat in this quickly changing digital landscape. The internet has created a level-playing field where your competitors are vying for the same customers you are targeting.

Though many brick-and-mortar retailers are transitioning to ecommerce models, you can still promote your physical locations in online marketing channels.

You can do so by getting your business listed on Google Maps and Bing Maps and using location-specific content to reach users within a short distance of the store's location.

Local SEO will ensure your business fulfills the ranking criteria laid down by Google, Bing, and Yahoo, so your store comes up when people search for retail stores in their area.

Check out how Granel Spice Market can compete with a nationwide retailer like Penzeys in Google My Business. Note that Granel does not even have a functioning website. Since they have optimized their GMB profile well, they rank high in local searches such as "spice stores in Texas."

Here’s a screenshot of the GMB console:

8) Salons

Small-time hair salons may often feel like they're on the sidelines of an online game. This leaves them at a disadvantage against competitors who are more visible on the web.

Today, even many hyperlocal salons and beauty parlors adopt local SEO to improve their online presence and grow clientele. With the help of digital marketing, salons can increase visibility with Google Maps and other search engines. This makes it easier for potential customers to find them.

The first thing S.E. optimizers do is create a Google My Business listing so that your salon will appear on Google Maps for search queries in your area. The next step is claiming your business on Yelp and other review sites, including Facebook and other local directories.

Below Are A Few Local SEO Tips For Your Salon Business:

• Make sure your Name, Address, and Phone number is the same across platforms
• Channel your efforts towards long-tail keywords
• Optimize your site for voice search
• Uploads photos and videos of different real-life haircuts

Here’s an example of a salon that has filled in its NAP on GMB:

9) Auto Service/repair

Using mobile devices, customers can look for auto repair shops based on their zip code and read reviews before they even leave their house. For this reason, auto repair shops need to invest in SEO to stand out from the competition and show up higher in search results.

An auto service provider with a Local SEO strategy in place will have their website show up in searches on Google Maps or other search engines for keywords "auto repair near me," for example, which many people may use to find a mechanic.

One can also improve their ranking locally by establishing themselves as an authority on the topic, so they are recommended to friends and family members of the customer. You can do this by producing high-quality content relevant to your audience.

For example, if you are a car restoration specialist in Atlanta, you could write an article about "10 Best Atlanta Retro Cars Restored to Their Former Glory."

Use The Following Tools To Find Great Content Ideas

• Portent - Input a subject to get content ideas
• UseTopic - Get unlimited blog ideas that are optimized for search
• StoryLab - An A.I. generator that gives you ideas on blog posts, social media posts, etc.

Here’s a screenshot of Portent:

Read: Local SEO Tips for Auto Repair Shops

Key Takeaways

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• Claim and optimize your Google My Business profile
• Always respond to online reviews
• Acquire backlinks from complementary businesses
• Have a content marketing strategy in place
• Focus on long-tail keywords
• Produce region-specific content to attract a local audience
• Include words such as "nearby" and "near me" along with primary keywords
• Claim your online listings