What is Local SEO and How Can it Benefit Your Business?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. But just as there are two sides to every coin, there is also traditional SEO and local SEO. Traditional SEO looks to optimize your website for worldwide ranking on search engines, while local SEO specifically targets visibility for geographically relevant searches that can help your business increase its local footprint.

If you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits of local SEO, this comprehensive guide can help you get started. Keep reading to find out what local SEO is, how it can benefit your business, and what steps you can take to succeed with it.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your website content so that it is visible to search engine users who are searching for businesses in your area. Your business’s local pages will be ranked in local search engine results pages (SERPs) based on proximity and relevance to the search term.

For example, if someone looks up “grocery stores near me” they will likely see a map listing of all the nearby shops as well as a few other pieces of content that have been optimized for their location. Local SEO can help your business stand out in this list.

Local SEO is different from traditional SEO because it focuses on targeting a specific area or location. This could be the city, state, or neighborhood of your business. Traditional SEO typically focuses on keywords and optimizing web page content for visibility in global search engine ranks.

How Can Local SEO Benefit My Business?

Local SEO can have a range of benefits, including:

• Increase visibility: Local SEO can help your business show up more often when potential customers in your area are looking for solutions to their problems. This can help you increase visibility, and possibly your market share.
• Create more opportunities: As you improve your local visibility, you’re likely to capture more leads. This, in turn, can open doors to new opportunities and increase your overall sales.
• Establish trust: Local SEO can help you build trust with local customers. As your business ranks higher for local searches, customers can become more familiar with your brand and services and start to trust you more.

Action Steps to Help Your Business Succeed with Local SEO

If you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits of local SEO, there are several actionable steps you can take to get started:

• Claim your local listings: The first step is to claim and create accurate local listings on Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, and other relevant platforms. These local listings will ensure your business can be found across multiple online channels.
• Optimize your website: Next, you will need to make sure your website is optimized for local SEO. This involves strategically using relevant keywords, optimizing page titles, and ensuring all images and videos are properly tagged.
• Keep your content fresh: Local SEO requires you to keep your content fresh and up to date. This includes adding new blog posts regularly, updating images and videos, responding to customer reviews, and staying active on social media.
• Include local keywords: When creating content for your website, make sure to include local keywords. This includes keywords that are specific to the geographical area you’re targeting, such as “Chelsea NYC” or “San Francisco Bay Area.”
• Make use of location extensions: Google Adwords offers the ability to create location extensions for your ads. These extensions can help you target customers in specific regions and even incorporate the user’s location in the ad.
• Encourage user reviews: Finally, it’s important to encourage customers to leave reviews on Google My Business and other local review sites. This will help you build credibility and trust with local customers.

These are just a few of the actionable steps you can take to get started with local SEO and help your business stand out in local search engine rankings. If you’re looking to benefit from local SEO, the best place to start is by setting up local business listings and optimizing your website for local search.