Why Is Local SEO Important for SEO?

Within the realm of SEO, there are different types. SEO is a large umbrella term; within its scope are subcategories such as technical SEO, which involves–you guessed–highly technical tasks like URL structures and website loading speeds. Local SEO is a subcategory of SEO that’s relevant for any business that has a brick-and-mortar location or wishes to target a specific location. Put simply, local SEO involves measures that improve a business’s visibility and rankings in local search results.

Optimizing a website for a specific geographical area involves measures that help local customers find local businesses that can meet their needs. When an online searcher Goggles “auto parts near me” or “plumbing services near me” and your business offers those products or services, you want to come up early in the search results. Local SEO helps ensure that local customers are finding your business when they search online.

Why Local SEO Is Important for Contractors

Local contractors typically offer their services to a specific geographic area. To market online effectively, the business must demonstrate to search engines that it’s linked to the area in question. Otherwise, the business website might not appear in search engine results. That means that when customers search their smartphone for a “carpenter” or “electrician” near them, they’ll find your competitors rather than your business. Don’t let that happen. Instead, learn why the following local SEO measures are crucial for effectively promoting your products and services online:

Google My Business: Prioritize It

Are you listed with Google My Business? And, equally importantly, is your listing accurate? If your listing in Google My Business (GMB) contains any errors, it could be a big problem for your local online visibility. Listing your business in GMB is free, but listing mistakes can cost you. When you contract with an SEO agency for local SEO, they’ll help you ensure that your business listing in GMB and hours are accurate.

A complete GMB business will help you improve your business’s rank. In fact, the listing is the first thing customers will see when they search for your business. Because GMB is integrated with Google maps, customers will be able to easily find your location using their device. Be sure that you prioritize your GMB listing as the first step in your local SEO process.

Local Ranking

If your business isn’t listed on page one of Google’s search results, it’s invariably losing business to companies that are listed on page one of search engine results. To improve your local rank, your SEO specialist will perform keyword research that prioritizes local terms. There are also other ways to boost your ranking. Your SEO firm will likely encourage you to publish testimonials and source links that will help you demonstrate that your site is trustworthy and authoritative.

Mobile Friendly

Mobile SEO helps searchers navigate online from their mobile devices like their smartphones or tablet. Not only should your website be mobile-friendly; it should be mobile-friendly for your local audience. Half of all global website traffic involves a cell phone. If your website is not optimized for mobile and local searches, it won’t rank well with Google. Consequently, when potential customers search for services or products you offer when they’re using their smartphones, they won’t find your business because it won’t be featured early in the search results.

Manage Your Online Reputation

Google will take note of businesses with poor reputations. If your business is associated with a preponderance of negative customer reviews, Google and other search engines will not feature it early in their search results. To avoid this scenario, it’s crucial to monitor your online reputation as part of your ongoing local SEO strategy. All businesses garner negative reviews at some point; the key is to professionally respond to negative reviews and then encourage your satisfied customers to post positive online reviews. The more good press you can solicit, the better your online reputation.

Retain Your Local Customers

Your geographic location is a finite area. Once you gain a customer, you don’t want to lose them. Local return customers provide your business with a strong customer base. It costs far more marketing dollars to attract new customers than to retain the ones you have. Use local SEO measures to boost customer loyalty. Use social media to help you keep your local audience engaged. Create a seamless customer experience with personalized features that ‘remember’ customer preferences.

Increase Conversion Rates

Local SEO helps local businesses make more sales of their products and services–it’s that simple. But how? Optimizing your business for local searches means that more people will see your business listing when they search for related products or services. More eyes on your link translate to more clicks and increased traffic to your website. The more traffic and leads you can pull, the more you can expect an increase in sales of your products or services.

Local SEO Is Long Lasting

While SEO requires ongoing monitoring and maintenance, your local SEO, once achieved, will not typically require much changing. So long as you monitor to ensure that your listings, links, and other measures remain accurate, your local keywords and location mapping aren’t likely to change unless your business moves. That means that you can expect a terrific return on your investment when you optimize for local searches. Once achieved, your local SEO keeps working to drive traffic to your website.

Bypass the Competition

Many local businesses aren’t leveraging local SEO. Simply by getting optimized for local searches, you can increase your online visibility with local customers and bypass those businesses that are slow to embrace SEO solutions. Local SEO can give your business a powerful competitive edge because, today, customers search online when they’re looking for local businesses. Make sure they find you before they locate your competitors.

Noble Webworks specializes in SEO services, including a full range of local SEO solutions. You can rely on our team to guide your business to local SEO success. Contact us to learn more about our customized digital marketing services.