What is Local SEO? How Does it Work? and why its important

What is Local SEO - Every small or multi-location company can grow their business and attract more customers using local SEO strategies. during this local SEO guide we explain what local seo is, and why employing a local SEO company can help improve your online visibility. 

What is Local SEO Marketing?

What is Local SEO (Local Search Engine Optimization), sometimes mentioned as local search marketing, is an incredibly effective thanks to market your local business online, because it helps businesses promote their products and services to local customers at the precise time they’re trying to find them online.

This is achieved through a spread of methods, a number of which differ greatly from what’s practiced in standard SEO, and a few of which are far easier to manage using local SEO tools and may require specific local SEO or local search marketing services.

What is ‘Local Search’?

First, let’s check out the differences between a typical informational search and what’s referred to as an area search.

DID YOU KNOW? Consistent with Google, 46% of searches have a ‘local intent’. 

Whereas anyone within the world with ok SEO and authority can rank for an enquiry query like ‘how to repair a blocked drain’, when the query has far more purchase intent behind it, it becomes ‘plumbers near me’ or ‘best plumber in [location]’.

For these sorts of local search query, which usually include a location or ‘near me’ (which aren’t even necessary if searching using Google Maps or if Google knows your location and assumes the search has local intent), search engines understand that what the searcher wants is business suggestions or lists supported location, then that’s precisely what they provide up within the local program results pages (SERPs). This difference in behavior and result's precisely what is local SEO is vital and price investing in alongside standard SEO.

What are Local SERPs?

What local businesses need most to enhance traffic to their websites or through their doors is visibility on what’s referred to as the ‘local pack’ or ‘3-pack’. this is often the block of three business listings that appear below the map within the results displayed after a Google search with local intent.

Below is that the local pack that results from the search ‘plumbers San Francisco’.

You’ll notice plenty here that’s different from standard organic results, like opening times, review ratings, and even photos. Although Google is getting clever enough to tug this information directly from your website, that’s not where these elements come from.

Everything that’s displayed within the local pack comes from the business’s Google My Business profile, a critical a part of local SEO marketing that’s becoming more important as Google tries to satisfy more search queries directly within the SERPs.

Our free tool, Local RankFlux, allows you to watch flux within the local SERPs, so you’ll be the primary to understand if your industry is being suffering from Google algorithm updates.

What is Google My Business?

Previously referred to as Google Local, and for a time, even Google+ Local, Google My Business (GMB) is, because the name suggests, your business profile on Google. you'll determine the way to add or claim your Google My Business listing here.

It feeds information to a spread of places, including the local pack and Google Maps search results, but the foremost familiar appearance will likely be when it’s within the top right (or top on mobile) of a branded look for your business, as below.

This is what’s referred to as the Knowledge Panel. Your GMB profile can include a number of data submitted by yourself, like services you offer, contact details, business description, category, and opening times but it’s important to notice that features like GMB attributes, GMB Q&As, and Google Reviews are almost entirely generated by consumers, ideally with experience of your business.

What is SEO?

A big a part of local SEO is making your GMB profile as up-to-date and accurate as possible, in order that it's a better chance of appearing within the local pack, and trustworthy, attractive and appealing enough to warrant a clickthrough. Although it’s incredibly powerful, Google My Business is simply one example of what’s referred to as a ‘citation’.

What are citations?

A citation is anywhere your business’ NAPW (Name, Address, telephone number, Website URL) information appears together online, typically in a web directory or business listings website.

These are particularly important to urge in situ for local SEO, as if you don’t appear within the places people are trying to find businesses like yours, you’re likely to urge overtaken by the competitors that do.

There are two sorts of citation: unstructured and structured. Structured citations typically appear in business listings and are available from form fields being filled in when the listing is claimed. Below we’ve highlighted in yellow the structured citation for a Yelp listing.

Screenshot of a plumber listing with structured citation data highlighted

Unstructured citations are more likely to be the results of press and social media, wherein your NAPW information is visible and connected on an internet page (perhaps throughout an area news piece about the business), but not during a structured format.

Getting citations for your local business isn’t just important, it’s widely referred to as ‘table stakes’ in local search optimization, as in ‘if you don’t get citations, you can’t play the game’. While it’s key to form this a foundational aspect of your local SEO strategy, by building citations within the most relevant websites, research shows that if they’re not regularly updated and cleaned up, there are often serious consequences.

DID YOU KNOW? 68% of consumers say they might stop employing a local business if they found misinformation in local directories.

How do I rank well in local search?

So now you recognize what is local SEO all about, you’ll probably be wondering the way to actually achieve success in it! First, we’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the three core elements of local search ranking:

Ø  Proximity: How close is your business to the searcher?

Ø  Relevance: How relevant to the search query are your products and services?

Ø  Prominence: What do other consumers say about your products and services?

Get the knowledge you would like to tackle local SEO confidently .

What is Search Engine?

What are the most local SEO services?

Thanks to evolving nature of search engines like Google, Local SEO are often tons to figure on. It’s always changing, and may take tons of your time and energy to urge right. this is often why numerous SEO agencies and consultants invest in learning the way to do local SEO instead of broader SEO. the principles are very different as you’re getting to achieve different goals, and in many cases clients don’t mind if the high visibility of their businesses in local search and business listings directories results in more direct contact and pedestrian traffic than website visits.

We’ve covered a number of the key things that help to realize success in local SEO; now here’s an summary of all what is local SEO services which will make a difference:

Website ‘localization’

‘Localizing’ your website means including your city, county or region name naturally throughout your site. For businesses with several locations, this might involve creating separate pages or Content Hubs for individual locations. Other tactics include getting involved area people events and featuring articles and knowledge about them on the location .

Citation Building

Ensure your site features on citation sites and online business directories. Not only will this help customers find your business, but featuring your company’s name, address, telephone number and website URL (NAPW) on citation sites and adding extra information to business directories will help improve your search rankings. 

Claiming your Google My Business listing

Claiming your Google My Business page may be a key step towards helping your business display on important Google services, like local search results and Google Maps. GMB (and its Microsoft equivalent, Bing Places for Business) should be the primary online directory you're taking ownership of.

Managing reviews and ratings

Genuine, honest reviews are critical both for showcasing the standard of your service and for sending signals to look engines that your site and repair are trusted and useful. the quantity of reviews you receive, the general quality of the reviews and therefore the authority of the review sites themselves are all important factors for local search rankings.

Getting quality, relevant backlinks

Naturally obtained backlinks from well-regarded websites help search engines recognize your site as a trusted source of data and boosts the ‘prominence’ aspect of the local search algorithm. Links from local newspapers, bloggers and business associations, also as citations, can all help improve your search visibility.

You can determine more on optimizing your website in our local business SEO best practice guide.