Why You Should Invest In Local SEO

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Whether you’re an established company or a budding startup, you’ve probably heard every online marketing expert or SEO specialist talk about Local SEO. But, what’s all the hype? 

Why should you invest in local SEO when you’ve already got an SEO plan in action? 

Well, we’re going to answer all these questions and more in this blog.

9 Reasons Why Should You Invest in Local SEO

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1. Local Customers Use The Internet To Find Businesses

According to Think Like Google, “near me” searches have increased by 200% since 2018. This statistic indicates that increasingly, people are going online to search for brands, products, services, etc. That’s why businesses need to implement local SEO tactics into their marketing strategy. 

Say you’re a pet store in Kansas City. Customers in your neighborhood will first look online to search for stores near them before deciding to visit/call or make a purchase. One of the easiest ways to cash in on these relevant “near me” searches is to invest in local SEO. 

Here are a few ways your business can start to rank in local searches:

1. Do local keyword research, and implement them into your content. 
2. Add location to your meta tags and URLs.
3. Claim your listing on reputed directories and platforms, etc. 

Here’s a screenshot of the button to click for claiming your listing on Yelp:

2. Grab Interested Mobile Users

It’s become highly convenient to conduct searches on your smartphone while walking around your neighborhood or on your commute to work. That’s probably why 54.4% of the world’s searches are conducted on mobile devices (Statista).

Even more interesting is that 88% of local searches are conducted on mobile devices (Think With Google). Plus, the same study reports that these searches were conducted at home, offices, restaurants, on-the-go, etc. 

Meaning people are using their smartphones to find local businesses everywhere. So, take advantage of these key statistics by implementing local SEO into your marketing strategy. 

Additionally, people who conduct searches on their phones get results based on proximity. Sometimes, Google will even display the distance to the store/company in the results. So, grab mobile users by:

• Optimizing your website for mobile,
• Hire an agency to do local SEO.
• Ensure NAP consistency. 

You can check if your website is mobile-friendly using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool:

3. Comparatively Inexpensive 

Advertising your brand comes with a price tag, and if your company doesn’t have huge ad spending, it can hamper its growth and brand awareness. However, local SEO tactics are cheaper when compared to costly traditional marketing methods like billboards or magazine ads. 

Sure, there are initial costs to build a website and create a local SEO strategy. However, these costs come with the benefit of long-term results. That’s because once you optimize for local searches, your website and listings will keep working for you even years later. 

So, whether you have a big marketing budget or not, it’s possible to reap the benefits of local SEO. 

Here are some budget-friendly/free local SEO tactics: 

• Claiming listings on Google My Business, Bing Places, Yext, etc.
• Managing reviews by responding to clients,
• Running a PPC ad campaign, etc. 

Here’s an example of response to a review on Google Maps:

Read: What are the Benefits of a Google My Business Listing?

4. Get More Walk-In Customers

Doctors, dentists, beauty salons, grocery stores, etc., all depend on the local community for customers. Having an online presence will help them get more leads, including walk-ins. That’s because local SEO targets users within a 10-mile radius who are already looking for their business/service. 

Let’s say you’re a psychiatrist in Baltimore who has a Google My Business profile. Your business will appear to a potential patient searching for a psychiatrist in your area. 

By ranking in the local 3-pack, they will be enticed to call/visit your clinic due to the proximity to their current location. 

Still not convinced you’ll get more walk-ins? Here are two statistics by Think with Google that will change your mind:

• 50% of people who searched for a business online visited the store within 24 hours. 
• 18% of those searches lead to a sale within 24 hours. 

Here’s an example of what a local 3-pack looks like on Google:

5. Has a Competitive Advantage

Here’s an experiment, type in your niche + your location on Google. For example, ‘wedding planner Austin.’ If your company isn’t ranking on the first page, but your competitors are, then you guessed it. They’re implementing local SEO techniques into their marketing strategy.

Why is it important to rank on the first page and local 3-pack? As reported by Search Engine Journal, 28.5% of people click on the first organic result in Google search. This statistic falls to 15.7% for the second result and decreases as the rank lowers. 

So, cut through the competition, and get those conversion and quality leads by investing in local SEO. 

To understand why your competitors, conduct competitor analysis using these tools: 

• SpyFu - Easy to use tool to do competitor keyword analysis and more.
• SEMrush - Get local search rankings, analyze backlinks, and more competitor info with this tool. 

Here’s a screenshot of SEMrush performing a competitor analysis:

6 Take Advantage of the Buy Local Trend

Over the last few years, buying local or ‘Vocal for Local’ campaigns have taken the world by storm. People care about sustainability and their carbon footprint. Meaning they’re more motivated to support and buy local. 

Additionally, pandemic restrictions have caused users to depend on local businesses to support their needs and requirements. This shift in behavior means small and big businesses have equal opportunities to attract customers to their location.

Thanks to local SEO, your business can reap the benefits of this user behavior. So, establish your company as being part of your local community by:

• Creating hyper-localized content on your website. 
• Reaching out to influencers in your location to gain backlinks to their online features/blogs. 
• Claiming listing in online directories 
• Adding local keywords to URLs. 

You can use KWFinder to find local keywords for a specific location:

7. Doesn’t Require a Website

We will preface this section by saying having a website is a must for any business to rank on search engines; however, if you're a startup with no/small marketing budget. Then one of the most significant factors about local SEO is that you don't require a website to promote your company online. 

Say you're a newly opened coffee shop in Regent Square, Pittsburgh, and you want to get more exposure and local customers. By implementing the techniques below, a customer in the neighborhood will start to see your cafe in their maps and relevant local searches.

So, get more visibility, brand awareness, and new customers through practical local SEO techniques without a website. Techniques such as:

• Claiming your Google My Business profile,
• Adding consistent NAP information on all listings,
• Creating Local content on social media,
• Managing Online review, etc. 

Here’s an example of a GMB profile with all NAP information filled in:

8. More Access to Local Reviews

When it comes to local searches, users want to see reviews from people in the area. So the more you have, the better. This is especially the case for doctors, car dealerships, plumbers, and other professionals/industries that depend on the local community for their business. 

Investing in local SEO will help your brand appear in more local searches and get more local reviews. Therefore, increasing your company's reputation and local ranking. It also establishes your authority in your niche. 

Why is getting reviews so vital, you ask? According to BrightLocal, 79% of people say they trust reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. Additionally, a survey by Trustpilot shows that nine out of ten consumers globally read reviews before purchasing a product.

So, to get more local reviews:

• Send existing clients your Google My Business review link.
• Feature reviews with local keywords on your website. 

Clicking on ‘Share review form’ in your GMB profile allows you to share your GMB review link with clients:

Read: 10 Tips to Get Local Reviews for Your Business

9. Get Trackable Long-Term Results

Just like general SEO, local SEO yields long-term results. Whether your goal is to get more quality leads or bring more foot traffic to a new business location - Local SEO is the most practical way to achieve those goals. 

Brick-and-mortar businesses, lawyers, electricians, plumbers, doctors, etc., will benefit the most from local SEO. That's because it garners more visibility, quality leads, conversions, and foot traffic than traditional marketing. 

Claiming a Google My Business profile, managing reviews, and all the tactics mentioned in this article are relatively easy to set up. Plus, you will see results as soon as you start your local SEO efforts. 

Measure and track results using:

• SEMrush - Use its listing management feature to keep NAP info consistent.
• Growthbar - A Chrome extension to track top local keywords of websites. 
• Georanker - Track the search rankings of websites by multiple locations globally. 

Here’s a screenshot of SEMrush’s listing management module:

Investing In Local SEO - FAQs

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Q1: Is Local Or General SEO Better For My Small Business?

SEO is beneficial for any size business, as it's important to have an online presence and rank high on search engines. However, local SEO is extremely beneficial for small businesses with stores/offices dependent on local clients to grow the company. 

Here are some businesses and professionals that should invest in local SEO:

• Doctors
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Veterinarians
• Real Estate, etc. 

Q2: Is Link Building Important For Local SEO? 

Yes, link building is an important part of local SEO practices. However, your focus should be on acquiring quality local backlinks that help search engines establish your company as being from an area. You can do this by reaching out to local online publications, influencers, news agencies, etc., to write articles/features on your company. 

Q3: How Can I Rank In The Local 3-Pack Spot?

Getting the coveted local 3-pack spot is dependent on the user's proximity. Therefore, to establish precisely where your business is located, it's essential to have a Google My Business profile. Google uses NAP info from this profile to rank on SERPs and mark businesses on their maps. Therefore, get into the local 3-pack spot by:

1. Claiming your GMB listing
2. Ensuring consistent NAP info on all platforms
3. Claiming listings on online directories. 

Q4: What Are The Top Three Benefits Of Local SEO?

While there are many benefits of local SEO, the main ones are:

• Better/Higher search rank - 93% of local searches go to Google's 3-pack (RsMedia).
• More organic online and foot traffic - 50% of people who searched for a business online visited the store within 24 hours (Think By Google).
• Increased sales - 28% of local searches results in sales within 24 hours (Expand Digital).

Key Takeaways

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Reasons to invest in local SEO:

• Get more local clients through local SEO tactics.
• Improve your online visibility.
• Stay competitive and outrank your direct competition by implementing best practices. 
• Increase sales by showing up in more local searches.
• Get more foot traffic to your stores/offices.
• Attain more local reviews and, therefore, more authority and trust in your niche. 
• Get long-term results that can be tracked.
• Build a community by creating local content and responding to reviews.