Why Local SEO is Important (Critical) for Your Business
We provide a better understanding of why search engine optimisation is critical for companies and the importance of local SEO to brick-and-mortar businesses providing goods or services in a specific geographic region.
Search engine optimisation, better known by millions as SEO, is the method in which people attain free, natural and organic traffic for their website or blog via internet search engines. SEO is known as the process that boosts the visibility of websites through a search engine results page (SERP).
Well-known search engines – Google, Yahoo and Bing – have what’s called primary search results. These are web pages and content like local listings and videos that are ranked on what the engine feels is relevant to the searcher. There is no money exchanged for this because it’s all organic, unlike paid search ads.
SEO: Why Is It So Important?
Due to the competitive nature of the market, SEO is vitally important for individuals and companies to stay relevant. Bear in mind that search engines take care of millions of people’s needs on a daily basis. They may look for solutions to problems they have or they want answers to questions.
According to statistics, nine in 10 people will turn to a search engine to find a service.
The keyword here is search. No longer are the times of customer loyalty or bookmarks. Consumers have the power, and they know it. They know what they’re searching for and they’ll use the Internet to find what they need.
So, if your website isn’t seen on the first page of search engine results, you may never be found. After all, approximately 85 per cent of people never look past the first page.
If you want your website to be found – for your business to grow and meet its goals – you need to employ search engine optimisation techniques.
Remember, just because you have a beautiful, well-informed website doesn’t mean a thing if the search engines are not displaying it. You may as well as not have a website in this case.
There is a multitude of reasons SEO is important.
- 93 percent of people use a search engine first online.
- 81 percent of people will do some online research before they make a big purchase
- 61 percent of people do research on products before buying them.
- 47 percent of people will look at up to five pieces of material a company created before the talk to a company salesman.
- Organic search provides 20 percent more conversion than direct approaches
- 57 percent of B2B marketers claim SEO produces more leads than other marketing techniques.
- 80 percent of all people will ignore the paid search results, opting for the organic ones.
- SEO is lucrative, as long as it’s done If you optimize your content right, you can see long-term results. Small businesses with a powerful SEO campaign can compete with the bigger companies. It levels the field so that small businesses can more effectively reach out to prospective customers with higher.
- People trust internet search engines to show them exactly what they’re looking for. Therefore, if your business is on the first page of the search results, people are more likely to trust your company. It’s even better if your website is in the first five slots of the results page because more people are liable to
- SEO helps with social promotion of your company’s website. If a person finds the site through Google, Bing or Yahoo, they are likely to make mention of it through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Simply put, SEO can help you outdo your competition even if you’re selling the same exact product. If you optimize your website, it’s going to have more traffic and visitors, which equates to more sales. However, since your competition is likely doing the same thing, you don’t want to ignore your SEO campaign at any time.
Constantly working on creating a powerful SEO campaign to push your website to the top five slots of the results page where you’ll see the most benefits and advantages.
What Should Your Successful SEO Strategy Entail?
Most people think that keywords are the only thing that goes into an SEO marketing strategy – that’s just one aspect of a successful SEO strategy (also called “SEO campaign”). It’s much more than that! What should your SEO strategy consist of?
- It needs to consider the workings of the search engines
- It should encompass what customers are looking for
The idea is to better your website’s relevancy so search engines index and position your website well.
SEO is ensuring you have a well-structured website. It’s making sure that you have the right content on that website. It’s not just about how much content you have, but the quality of it. Search engines will use this information of your website to determine where it should appear in the search results when a person is looking for your subject.
SEO marketing is a one-time thing, and you leave it. SEO constantly changes, which means you need to change with it to stay relevant. A search engine is only going to show results that are the most relevant. SEO is all about good marketing whether it’s a small company doing it or a large one.
How Important Is SEO To Local Businesses?
What most companies fail to take into consideration is that 90 percent of online users will use a search engine to find a local business.
In the past, people used the Yellow Pages to find a local company. Now, the Internet is their best friend. Thus, every company needs to have a website, which means every owner needs to have a basic idea of how search engines work and create a marketing plan.
It is critical to understand the importance of local SEO and the benefits it can provide!
A Look at Local Search Optimization
Local search engine optimisation focuses on offering results pertinent to a person’s search using their location and boosting the visibility of local businesses in their area. For example, you may have used a search term such as SEO Brisbane company to find a Brisbane-based best search engine optimisation company or “dentist new farm” to find a local dentist in the suburb of New Farm.
Essentially, local search optimisation relates to brick-and-mortar companies that offer specific services, such as dental services, optometry services, grocery stores, gyms, etc, to a geographic area.
Local SEO is important because it uses a targeted Internet marketing approach. It’s not paying for local newspaper ads that customers may or may not see. Local SEO lets you position the business on the various digital marketing platforms, so your prospective customers can find you. It allows you to promote your products and services to local customers at the time they want them.
There are millions of people using local search to find companies that can meet their needs. Take advantage of this by using a local SEO company to raise your chances of being found by them.
7 Ways Local SEO Services Can Help Companies Attain Potential Customers
1) Local Customers Are Using Both Desktop and Mobile to Find Local Companies
Thousands of people still use the Yellow Pages to find companies they need. However, millions of others have opted for the Internet to learn about their local businesses. What should you bear in mind when considering Local SEO for your company?
- 96 percent of computer owners carry out a local search
- 46 percent of Google searches are for local companies
- 64 percent of local customers will use a search engine or directory to find a local company
- 50 percent of the mobile searchers are doing it for the business information
- 86 percent are trying to find the company on Google Maps
- 78 percent people who do a local search will make an offline purchase
- 18 percent of mobile searchers make a purchase within a day
2) Local Search Marketing Is Considered Targeted and Well-Timed
The biggest reason people look locally on search engines is to find a certain business. However, the second biggest reason is to find a particular service or product. Many of the local searches are done to find out the name of a particular company. When you use local search methods, you can position your business in a better position so that local customers can find you when they need your service/product. This would be the time to reach out to your possible customer.
3) Mobile Internet Continues to Grow
More people are using their tablets or smartphones to find local businesses while they’re away from home. U.S. digital time use is higher than desktop use – 51 percent to 42 percent. Local SEO entails both mobile and PC internet access, which means you don’t miss out on prospective customers.
4) Significant Return on Investment
Traditional advertising can lead to wasted exposure. Local SEO allows you to reach out to people when they’re looking for you, making the tactic both cost-effective and proficient.
5) Just 20 Percent of People Attain Their Information from Print
Unfortunately, traditional advertising media is on the decline. Translation? Fewer people are actually reading the local newspaper. That’s because more people are using the Internet to get their news.
6) Local Customers Use the Internet to Learn About Business Information
This is the era in which people use the Internet to learn about the various products and services businesses have to offer. If your company isn’t seen on those local search results, how are prospective customers going to find you? With some well-thought-out Local SEO techniques in place, you can be found on the Internet.
7) Use Local SEO To Expand Your Business
Local SEO plays an integral role in all companies and brands that are looking for long-term success. The Local Search trends are powerful, and will only become more powerful in the future. This is the moment for you to use local SEO services to increase your business before your competitors get the chance. All businesses – regardless of what it is – will make money via local SEO.
The better your search engine optimisation strategy, or local seo strategy, the sooner your customers are going to find you on google.
What Strategy Should You Be Using for Your Company
Organic search engine optimisation looks to rank as high as possible for specific keywords with the main goal to be listed in the packs. Local SEO is all about being listed with relevant citations in any place that your targeted customers can find you.
Should you be doing organic SEO or local SEO? That depends on three things:
- Business type
- Business nature
- Their worth
If you’re not focused on a certain location for your customers, organic SEO. This will help you boost visibility on SERPs as well as boost the visibility of NAP and your website. This allows you to find as many prospective customers as possible.
If your company is focused on selling products or offering a service within a geographical area, the importance of local SEO should not be underestimated, and this is where you should focus.
If you’re going to begin a small business, it can cost a lot of money to invest your time and resources in both organic and local SEO. Therefore, you need to focus on either local SEO or organic SEO, but this depends on two things:
- Prospective customers
- Kind of business
Companies that use organic search are looking to rank for certain keywords and content. Companies that use a local search marketing campaign look to rank for location.
This is a competitive world, especially for businesses. Therefore, if you’re going to rise above your competition, you need to make use of search engine optimisation to convey to your prospective customers how unique and important your company is. All businesses – no matter how small or big – can benefit from using SEO.