Is Local SEO Still Important?

---

Is local SEO dead? Absolutely not!
Local SEO is as relevant today as it was yesterday. If you are thinking, what's the point of doing local SEO when the Google search results are full of Amazon and Walmart?
Then think again.
When people search for 'near me', they search for 'YOU.' People want to support local businesses. And when they do not see your business in search results, you are entirely missing out on a massive chunk of revenue that could easily be yours!
This guide will help you better understand local SEO and how to optimize your business for local SEO.

9 Reasons Why Local SEO Is So Important

---

1. Makes Your Business Visible!

Bringing in the right customers and attracting them to your store is a constant struggle for local businesses. The battle got worse when COVID hit, and people stopped shopping in person. Here's where local SEO becomes essential.
Moreover, 71% of consumers said they search for business locations to confirm their existence before visiting the business for the first time. This means you have more chances of gaining first-time customers through Google.
Here's how you can use Local SEO to be more visible:

• Create Google My Business listings.
• Ensure your website is optimized for local searches by using local keywords.
• Register your local business on online business directories such as Yelp, MapQuest, and YellowPages.

Have a look at the below images that show listings for a hair salon on Google My Business and Yelp

2. Increase Customer Visits

Over 73% of local searches materialize in act visits within a 5-mile radius. Accordingly, for every ten people who search for businesses nearby within a 5-mile radius, 7 will walk into a store to shop. That's the power of local SEO.
Local SEO helps you increase your business visibility in many ways through business listings, websites, third-party directories, and social media.
Hence, by simply optimizing your business for local SEO, you will set up years of organic traffic and customer visits. This only costs a minimal amount since local SEO is free.
Here's how to increase customer visits through local SEO:

• Conduct local keyword research and add them to your listings, websites, and social media.
• Respond to their queries and address issues as fast as you can.
• Add all the information about the business to remove doubts.

You can use tools like Ahrefs to conduct local keyword research as shown below to optimize your listings and web pages

3. Keep Your Local Customers Returning

It's said that it's easier to keep an existing customer than to win a new one, and that's true. Customer acquisition is difficult, especially for local businesses restricted by geography.
According to a study, repeat customers are 53% more likely to convert than first-timers. Once customers start trusting you, they will keep coming back!
The majority of your customers will come from your local area. However, you may also receive customers from far away. Hence, local SEO will be the only way for them to find your local business.
Having a positive customer experience the first time will likely encourage them to return for more. This will help build a long-term relationship.
Here's how you can keep local customers coming back for more:

• Provide The Best Customer Experience: This also includes optimizing your website for mobile since most local shoppers use mobile to search for businesses.
• Positive Reviews On All Your Listings are major green signals for outsiders who don't know your area. Having positive reviews from local shoppers can improve people's trust in your business.
• Add Directions: Help people find your store easily by adding directions to your listings and website.

Here’s an image showing the top reviews for a hair salon on their Google My Business listing

4. Build Trusts

These days, customers have too many choices to choose from. What to trust? What not to trust? Each business claims to be the best in the market. As a result, customers are in a dilemma.
That's where local SEO is of prime importance. You can build trust with your local audience by optimizing for local SEO.
Every time they search for a business near them, Google will recommend you. Since Google is trusted by most users online, they are happy to follow the recommendation of Google.
This trust will, over time, convert into brand loyalty. This will provide you to retain customers for a long time over years to come.
Here's how you can use local SEO to build trust:

• Verify your business listing. According to Google, customers are more likely to trust businesses with verified GMB listings.
• Post relevant local content on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc. Social media is one of the best channels to prove your business is authentic and genuine. When optimized properly, they appear in Google search.

Here’s how Google recommends the top local businesses matching a local search query

5. Take Over Your Competition

Competition is part of every business. But, when you optimize your business for local SEO, you can easily take over your competitors who still rely on traditional marketing to market their local business.
Moreover, even if your competitors do local SEO, you can beat them with simple local SEO strategies.

• Add Schema Markup: Schema is a code added to your website to help search engines understand your content. Adding schema markup can dramatically improve your search engine ranking.
• Create Regular Local Content: Local communities are often interested in knowing what's happening in their areas. The best way to beat your competition is to create relevant, regular local content.
• Take advantage of Google Ads to promote your business locally.

Take a look at these local ads on the top of the search results for a local search query

6. Reduces Your Advertising Costs Drastically!

Advertising, especially for local businesses, is no joke! Many times, you will find yourself cash-strapped because of high advertising costs.
But, local SEO can help you reduce them drastically. According to a report, 82% of mobile users opt for 'near me' terms to visit local businesses. This means direct customers without any advertising! That's insane, right?
Here's how you get a long term stream of visitors through local SEO:

• Optimize your Google My Business Listings: Complete the profile 100%, add essential information such as operating hours, local keywords, etc.
• Optimize your website for local SEO: Research local keywords and add them to title tags, service pages, URLs, etc.
• Make Your Social Media post-Geo-targeted: Whenever you post on social media channels like YouTube and Instagram, add your location to help attract local customers.

You can optimize your Google My Business listing by adding relevant details such as services, timings, and contact details, as shown in the image below

7. Build Alliance With Local Businesses

Competition is a part of every business. But so is collaboration. History is proof that many brands have collaborated to create outstanding local marketing campaigns.
So why not you?
Local SEO gives you the chance to cross-promote your products with other brands. For example, if you sell summer clothing and your local business partner sells sunglasses, you can help promote them, and they can help promote your summer clothing. It is a win-win situation for both parties.
Here are some ways to strengthen relationships with other local businesses:

• Identify Potential Partners: Not all local businesses will agree to cross-promote with you. But, it would be better if you could find a partner who offers complementary products or services. For example, if you are a restaurant, you can search for kitchen utility products.
• Pitch The Concept: After identifying potential partners, pitch how you can help them through cross-promotion.
• Run The Campaign: After they have agreed, it's time to run the campaign. The results will impress you.

8. Build A Loyal Community

You know their power is huge if you have seen a local community. Local communities endure crises and happiness together. Nevertheless, if your goal is to build a strong local brand, it's not enough to remember their names and addresses.
To fully utilize the power of the local community, you need to do something more. This is where local optimization comes in.
Here's how you can leverage the local community through local SEO:

• Attend Local Events Or Sponsor Them: Sponsoring local events can give you authority and gain respect in your local community. It will also allow you to gain links from local media. This is a win-win situation.
• When You Can, Support The Locals: It's a win-win relationship. The more you give, the more you get. When you support your local communities, they will return the favor 10X times stronger.

You can visit websites like Eventbrite to find local events pertaining to your business to attend or sponsor them

9. Gain More Local Reviews

Local SEO relies heavily on local reviews. Customers today read reviews to determine your company's online reputation.
According to BrightLocal, almost 85% of customers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. Additionally, half of the customers expect a local business to have a minimum of four-star reviews before they spend any money.
As a result, reviews are quickly becoming a make-or-break metric for those looking to shop locally.
Here's how you can manage your reviews to boost your local SEO:

• Encourage happy customers to leave a review on your store when they visit or send a review request email with a link to your GMB page.
• Visit third-party sites such as Yelp & MapQuest to look for negative reviews. There might be a problem if more bad reviews are found on those sites. Fix the issue before it explodes.
• Be on the lookout for spam or fake reviews on your listing, as this can negatively impact your business. Report spammy reviews to Google so that they will be removed.

Here’s how you can use Yelp to encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews

Read: 10 Tips to Get Local Reviews for Your Business

Key Takeaways

---

• Bring quality traffic and help your business become more visible with the help of local SEO.
• Gain customer reviews with the help of Local SEO to increase trust in your local business.
• Win more repeat customers by using local SEO.
• Helps with building a loyal community.
• Aids in building alliances with other local businesses.
• Beat your competition who are still following traditional marketing methods.
• Helps reduce advertising costs and gains more organic traffic over time.