Organic SEO and local SEO are both about optimizing your website and online presence for search engines. The main difference between the two is that local SEO has a geographical component. Organic search results are created by Google's algorithm, which evaluates all websites and creates a list of organic search results - also known as Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). These organic search results are augmented by Google's suggestion to find results on specific directories, such as Tripadvisor or Facebook.
In addition to organic search, there is paid search that places Google and other paid ads even more prominently than organic search results. Creating internal links between the different pages of a website makes it easier for Google to crawl web pages and their content. Software known as web crawlers or spiders automatically searches for websites across the Internet and creates an index. The search results are listed from this index.
This means that trust and relevance are not only critical to users' online experience, but are also key ranking factors for organic search engine optimization. The better Google understands your website's content, the more experience, authority, and trust the search engine attributes to your website and the more likely it is to appear prominently in search results and, in turn, reach more consumers. Local search results (local 3-pack) for "Liverpool coffee" suggest relevant places that are close to users. They appear when search queries include local references such as "supermarket open now", "restaurants near me", or "electronics shop Liverpool centre".
Even simple Google searches for "coffee shops" or "post offices" will immediately show three nearby locations: Google's local 3-pack. As with organic search results, the search engine prioritizes locations with the most relevant business information that matches the search query. Organic SEO is employed by websites that may or may not have a geographic location. It may be influenced by location, but is definitely not tied to a brick-and-mortar business; pure organic results are a mix of businesses, articles, blogs, news, social media profiles, etc. Search and organic results are totally independent of locations.
On the other hand, local SEO is essentially tied to and associated with a physical business and necessarily has a geographic component. For example, if someone searches for a "car service in Pasadena", the search engines would get that the user wants a local business in Pasadena that can service their cars. So, here the search engines are looking for trusted and relevant businesses that do car service around the user's location. Organic SEO is the marketing practice employed by websites to make them more search engine friendly and secure a rank in Google's top results. In this case, the website is not linked to any offline shop for its services, but may have a possible location. Organic SEO: What Is the Difference and Are Both Needed? This post will delve into both SEO strategies to look at the differences and benefits of each and determine which strategy your business should prioritize. The main difference between organic and local search is that local search has a geographic component. For example, if a user searches for "pizza near me" or "vintage clothes in Paris", the search engine knows that the search has a local intent. Before we get into the difference, let's do a quick overview (for more details, see the RankWatch learning section) of organic and local SEO.
It's important that your business appears in relevant local searches because 50 percent of searchers visit businesses within 24 hours of a local search. Both organic and local SEO are equally important for any business looking to drive more traffic to their shop. To state the obvious for local SEO, you must ensure that your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent in local directories and on your website. A local search is very similar to an organic search, except that a local search has a geographic component. On the other hand, local SEO allows you to target people who are actively looking for a product or service from a business in their vicinity. Some examples that could be used in a local SEO campaign are "florists in Pasadena", "divorce lawyers in California", "dog walkers in Los Angeles", etc. The following steps show you how to optimize each of your business locations for local searches and claim your place in the local 3-pack. If you have a single location and simply want foot traffic, focusing on local SEO may be all you need.
On the other hand, if you have a business that sells its products or provides its services only in a specific geographic area, then local SEO is what you need. Local SEO is simply the practice of creating reliable and relevant signals around specific locations. By now, you should understand that both traditional and local SEO are focused on improving your ranking in online search results so that more people can find and buy from your business. Local SEO is the process by which businesses try to optimize the online visibility of each of their locations by specifically targeting users searching online for products or services near them.
