If you’re a local business owner looking to attract more customers and elevate the presence of your business within the local community, showing up when people go through the internet is a must, and this is where local SEO comes into play.
As a digital marketing agency, we’ve seen firsthand how adopting tried and tested local SEO strategies has transformed how businesses engage with their local communities. In this blog, we’ll break down what local SEO means, why it matters, and how you may call on a trusted digital marketing agency to implement these strategies and stay ahead of the competition.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimising a website to increase its visibility in search engines when it comes to location-based searches. Unlike standard SEO that focuses on ranking a website high on search engine result pages and targets a much larger audience, local SEO constrains itself to a select region.
To understand the difference between standard and local SEO, consider the search term “chicken parm.” The search results will include a mix of recipes and restaurants that serve this dish from all over the world. However, if your search term was “chicken parm near me” or “the best chicken parm in Melbourne,” the results would be much more relevant to your current location—that is local SEO.
Why is local SEO important?
To understand why local SEO is important for the continuous and sustainable long-term growth of a business, let’s take a look at a few important statistics. According to credible market research:
- 1.5 billion searches each month indicate the phrase “near me”
- 96% of internet users learn about local businesses online.
- 70% of consumers rely on Google Maps to look for nearby businesses.
- 76% of smartphone users visit local business websites daily.
Individually and collectively, these stats show how important local SEO is when it comes to being visible in a crowded digital space, attracting customers, and boosting sales. Regardless of your business type or location, if you adopt SEO practices, you are likely to become a well-known name in the local community.
How can you improve local SEO?
Optimise your Google Business Profile.
Google Business Profile is a powerful, free online tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence. By optimising your profile and including key details, it will allow Google to display your profile among a local pack when users type in keywords relevant to the local area.
Target local keywords.
Make use of any number of SEO tools and engage in keyword research. Make a list of high-value keywords that people use when searching for local products and services of a particular industry.
Furthermore, take the time to research relevant yet niche keywords for which content is sparse. You can generate content to fill the gaps and position yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source.
(Pro tip—check with Google autocomplete to find the most valuable and relevant keywords.)
Research your local competition.
Go through the result pages and look at the businesses that rank at the top. See what sets them apart and possibly adopt a similar strategy. At the same time, note down any areas in which they are weak and capitalise on them to climb up the rankings. It will allow you to concentrate your efforts rather than having a wider approach.
Leverage local directories and citations.
When you register your business with local directories, it is more likely to appear as a trustworthy source and rank higher in search engine pages.
Get customer reviews and respond to them.
Since Google prefers trustworthy and active sources, asking for and responding to customer reviews is an integral part of local SEO. More reviews and higher ratings will help your rankings, making you visible to more and more users.
On-page optimisation
The design, functionality, and content included in your website are vital elements when it comes to improving your local SEO and increasing your chances of obtaining a higher ranking. Things that can be done to refine on-page content include conducting an SEO audit, creating location-specific landing pages, and publishing locally relevant content.
Optimise your website for mobile.
A large part of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Plus, considering that Google uses mobile-first indexing, it is imperative that your website be optimised for mobile searches. This optimisation can entail using fonts that are easy to read on mobile, using shorter paragraphs, having an intuitive navigation menu, and including links and buttons that are easy to interact with.
Conclusion
If you’re a business that is not actively investing in local SEO, sorry to say, you’re missing out on both customers and business growth. But it’s never too late to start. As a reputable Sydney digital marketing agency, we at AT Digital have had the pleasure of running a number of local SEO campaigns that have generated real results for our clients. If you are ready to make your business shine like never before, contact us and let’s get started.
