If you are a business owner, then chances are you have heard the term search engine optimization (SEO) and understand that it can be challenging to grow your business without it. SEO works hand in hand with your overall brand strategy, any social media efforts and all other channels of marketing. It amplifies any marketing because it focuses on improving online visibility and attracting organic traffic.
But did you know that without local SEO your business could lose out on a ton of potential customers? Unlike SEO that covers a very broad range of elements and topics, local SEO focuses on competing within your local market. When you are able to make it into Google’s Map Pack or when you rank for localized keywords such as “roofer in Scottsdale” nearby customers have more trust that you service their area and are credible within their community.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is optimization done to grow online presence within your local service area. This could be optimizing your web pages to include mentions of your specific location(s), updates and optimization to your Google Business Listings, or adding your business to offsite local directories for better local presence. Local SEO helps to build relevance by helping the search engines to easily identify the connection between your business and where it is located and the people that it services. Through content, backlinks, citations and user engagement, local SEO works to reinforce that connection and provide the right signals to Google to generate traffic and rankings for your business.
Why Does Local SEO Matter?
Local SEO is so important because it helps your customers to find your business! Unlike traditional SEO where the goal is to drive any and all traffic to your website, local SEO focuses on driving traffic and relevance to your website from your service area and from high intent consumers. People who search for a specific service or product within a set area typically are ready to take action, whether they are making a purchase, filling out a form, or calling to schedule a service.
Additionally, local businesses may struggle to compete with larger national brands that have endless resources. By focusing on the search within their community, not only can local SEO help small businesses to strengthen their connection to their local audience but they can also capture leads from consumers that may want to invest in businesses owned by their friends and neighbors.
What Are The Key Benefits of Local SEO Services?
SEO can be an investment, especially for small business owners that are just starting out. You may have a lot of competition within your market and feel like it may be challenging to win business against some of the more established brands if you do not have endless funds to push into your organization. However local SEO has many benefits because it allows you to connect with those in your town or city. Since over 80% of people use Google to evaluate a local business, starting your marketing efforts with local SEO is a valuable first step.
- – Increased Visibility online in local search results and Maps search
- – Attracting customers from your local area with high intent to purchase
- – Builds trust and credibility through local reviews and consistent NAP
- – Cost-Effective and can generate a higher ROI than traditional advertising
Implement Local SEO Strategies
On-page Efforts
If you are a local business, your website should speak to your local consumers. Your on-page SEO efforts should include tailoring your content to the specific areas you service to allow your customer to easily identify that you provide service in their hometown. It also provides the opportunity for increasing your organic keyword rankings for valuable geo-specific keywords that are getting relevant search.
Google Business Profile Optimization
Your Google Business Profile is probably one of the most valuable local assets you can have, as many people search in Maps, monitor reviews for business credibility and look at directions to see how close a business is to their location. Optimizing your Google Business Profile to maximize your business description, services, updates and more is a critical part of local SEO. Ongoing efforts show you are engaging in your “virtual” storefront and with your company’s consumer experience.
Local Citations
Local citations are your online “shout-outs”. The more citations you have, the more Google and search engines see that you are in fact a real and credible business. Submitting your business location to directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Next Door and more can increase your SEO. In addition, this is an opportunity to show consistency in NAP (name, address, phone number) across your online profile, which is important for SEO.
Review Generation and Engagement
It is not a secret that reviews can influence rankings. Many people do their due diligence and look to a brand’s reviews before they make an informed decision to hire a company or purchase a product. All reviews (both positive and negative) matter because they paint the picture of your company’s customer experience process. Continuous generation of new reviews as well as your company responding to your customers and showing a high level of engagement matter for local SEO.
Mobile Optimization
60% to 65% of search comes from people using their mobile devices. Especially when it comes to local search, as people may feel more comfortable hiring someone local or want to support the businesses within their own communities. Therefore it is important that your website is optimized for mobile performance.
Measure Success in Your Local Markets
There are a lot of tools out there to help track local performance. Google Analytics, for example, allows you to see your organic users as well as where they are coming from. As you monitor the number of people coming to your website from specific cities, this will directly correlate to your pages viewed and local SEO efforts.
Your Google Business Profile also has insights that display how many people are visiting your profile and interacting with it, meaning going directly to your website, requesting directions or taking some sort of action. There is also the ability to see what people are searching to bring them to your profile, which can directly correlate to the content on your website and how it is attracting local consumers.
Contact HardPart Media Today for Help With Scottsdale Local SEO Services
If you want to grow in your local market, SEO services are a must. Your competitors are doing it and without it, you will be buried in search results. Our team understands local search engine optimization and the strategies that can help increase your organic rankings and boost traffic. Contact the HardPart team to consult with our local SEO specialists and get started improving your presence today!