Local SEO is an important tool for businesses of all sizes, allowing them to put important information about their site online, such as their business address and phone number. It also allows them to highlight and promote the type of products or services they offer on their website using SEO techniques. Local search engine optimisation is a branch of SEO that focuses on optimising a website to be found in local search results. Implementing local SEO strategies means that searches become very specific to a business. Local searches look for a particular business or location, which means that if implemented correctly, a business could be in a better position to promote the products or services they offer.
A solid local SEO strategy is key to attracting more people to a shop, whether it has one storefront or five hundred. Here are 16 facts about local SEO and why using SEO could help an organisation. Search engine optimisation allows businesses to be found by potential customers. Potential customers use search engines to find businesses like theirs in their locality. Searches with local intent are on the rise: 4 out of 5 consumers now use search engines to find local information, and information from search results sends 70 percent of consumers to a physical shop.
When researching how to learn local SEO, one of the first phrases you will hear from an SEO consultant or see in online research is "online business citation".Local citations are instances where a business name, address and phone number are mentioned online, for example, in a local business listing. This means that businesses don't necessarily have to worry about competing with large companies to get their local business in front of local consumers. With an effective local SEO strategy, businesses can get noticed, which translates into more visitors to their location. However, when optimising for local search, these parts have a more local focus that focuses on the searches people perform in the immediate area surrounding the business (e.g.
in the city area).Let's look at each of these 3 important aspects of a local SEO strategy and why it is important for businesses. By establishing themselves as a local business and driving more online traffic to them, they will discover how many local customers are interested in picking them up. Building these local directories will help increase their website's link authority for local searches. The roll-out of Google's mobile-first index had serious implications for local SEO and drastically changed the optimisation landscape. Links are the second most important ranking factor for local businesses looking to rank in the local pack, according to Moz's ranking factors study (just behind Google My Business).
These industry-related local sites often help increase the value of a local link profile significantly, and often help add the authority and uniqueness that Google rewards. Businesses can positively influence these two factors, and unlock other important local SEO benefits by doing content marketing and link building. Improving rankings in the local pack is increasingly important for local businesses, especially those that can't compete with their larger rivals in the main search results. Displaying that information as part of their local SEO will attract customers looking for just that.