Not sure if investing in local SEO services is worth it? Just look at this fact: almost half of Google’s two trillion annual searches are local queries. Simply put, as more and more people turn to the internet to find products and services near them, your business must appear at the top of search engine results pages.

Having a strong online presence is crucial for any business looking to succeed in the local market, and local SEO services from a reputable marketing agency can effectively optimize your online presence so that your business ranks higher in search engine results, making it more visible to potential customers in your area.

With the right approach, local SEO can help increase website traffic, drive more foot traffic to your physical location, and ultimately, increase revenue. But what exactly is local SEO, and how can it benefit your business? This guide will explore the ins and outs of local SEO and how it can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your business.

From optimizing your Google My Business listing to targeting local keywords, we’ll cover it all.

Local SEO vs. Regular SEO: What’s the Difference?

Before diving into local SEO, it’s important to clear up one confusion many clients often have. What’s the difference between SEO and local SEO? As the name states, the latter is designed to attract local clients.

While “regular” SEO focuses on ranking higher in the SERPs for a broader audience, local SEO focuses on ranking higher for a specific location. That means local SEO benefits small businesses with a physical location or a specific service area. For example, if you offer carpet cleaning services in Dallas or run a small pizza store in Denver, local SEO would work great for you.

Local SEO makes more sense for local businesses because it targets customers who are most likely to visit the business in person or use their services. With local SEO, you can optimize your website, Google My Business listing, and other online directories to include location-based information, like your address, phone number, and business hours.

Is this that important? You bet! This helps search engines understand the relevance of your business to a specific location, increasing the chances of appearing in local search results.

Benefits of a Local SEO Service

Overall, local SEO services help your website appear higher in search results for local searches, such as “coffee shops near me” or “plumbers in my area.” However, it’s not just about improving your rankings. Well-done SEO services will help you boost your bottom line and stand out among the competition in your local area.

Aside from (and including) that, here are a few of the biggest benefits of local SEO.

Consistent Traffic

One of the major benefits of a local SEO service is the consistent traffic it brings to your website. When your website appears at the top of search results, people are more likely to click on your website and visit it. This can lead to a steady stream of visitors to your website, which can help increase sales and revenue for your business.

Qualified Leads

Local SEO services can also help bring in qualified leads. These people are actively searching for your products or services in your area. By appearing at the top of search results, you’re more likely to attract these potential customers and convert them into paying customers.

Continuous Business Growth

By attracting more visitors to your website and converting them into customers, a local SEO service can help your business experience continuous growth. As your business grows, you may attract new customers through word-of-mouth and social media, increasing your revenue.

Outrank the Competition

Another benefit of a local SEO service is that it can help your business outrank the competition. By appearing at the top of search results, you’re more likely to attract customers away from your competitors (hey, all is fair in love and…SEO). This can give your business a competitive edge and help you grow your customer base.

More Local Reviews

Local SEO services can also help your business get more local reviews. SEO agencies should be helping you optimize your business profiles, and these new reviews can help increase your authority and credibility in the eyes of potential customers. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely people are to trust your business and choose you over your competitors. It’s a win-win all around!

Reduced Advertising Costs

Using local SEO services can also help you reduce your advertising costs. By improving your visibility in search results, you’ll attract more visitors to your website without spending money on ads. This means you can allocate your advertising budget elsewhere, such as to other marketing channels that complement your local SEO efforts.

Increased Authority

Finally, using local SEO services can help you increase your authority in your industry and in your area. By creating high-quality local content and optimizing your website for local keywords, you’ll establish yourself as an expert in your field and a trusted local business. This, in turn, can help you attract even more customers and grow your business over time.

What’s Included in Local SEO Services?

As you can (hopefully) see, local SEO services are a powerful tool for many businesses looking to increase their visibility and attract more potential customers. As these services become more popular, it can be difficult to understand exactly what they entail. And that’s not your fault; SEO agencies offer different local SEO services depending on their client base and business needs.

However, knowing what’s included in local SEO packages can help you start to narrow down what you need and what’s really going to move the needle regarding your marketing and business efforts. To provide some reference, here’s a look at what’s included in most local SEO services and how they can help your business.

Google My Business Audit

One of the key components of local SEO services is a Google My Business (GMB) audit. This involves analyzing your business’s Google My Business profile to ensure it’s properly optimized and up-to-date.

This includes checking the accuracy and completeness of your business information, such as your:

It also includes ensuring that your business category and attributes are accurate and relevant. Moreover, Google My Business optimization involves updating your business profile with high-quality images and videos, relevant keywords, and customer reviews.

These factors improve your local SEO rankings, sure. But they also help potential customers find and choose your business over competitors. That’s what really matters.

Localized Keyword Research

When you opt for local SEO services, one of the key components of the strategy is localized keyword research. This involves identifying specific phrases and words that your potential customers are likely to use when seeking your products or services within your geographic area.

This process may also involve researching the particular slang or colloquialisms used by residents of your region. By targeting these specific keywords, your business can more effectively show up on local SERPs, increasing your visibility and attracting more relevant traffic to your website.

Why not just use regular keywords? This targeted approach can significantly improve your chances of connecting with qualified leads. This can drive more sales to your business.

Local Citation Opportunities

As a business owner, you know how important it is to appear in search results when people are looking for products or services like yours. But did you know that local citation opportunities can be a big boost to your SEO efforts?

In simple terms, local citations are instances where your business’s information (name, address, phone number, website) is mentioned on other websites. This can include:

The more consistent and accurate your business’s information is across these different sites, the better it looks to search engines like Google. So take advantage of every opportunity to get your business mentioned online!

Website & Blog Optimizations

Now that you have a list of local keywords to target, it’s time to use them. Where do you put them, though? The SEO agency you’re working with should use them to optimize your website and blog content.

However, these optimizations might also involve tweaking your website and blog to make them more search engine-friendly and increase their visibility to your target audience in your local area. This can be done through various techniques, including:

By optimizing your content and website, you can expect an increase in traffic to your website and more customers visiting your business. Can’t you just throw a few keywords into your blog, rearrange your home page, and call it a day? Hiring an SEO agency to help with these optimizations can ensure they are done effectively and according to best practices.

Ongoing SEO Reporting

Finally, when you invest in local SEO services, ongoing SEO reporting is usually included in the package. These reports track your website’s performance and help you identify areas for improvement to boost your rankings on search engines. Usually, the reports will have detailed data on the following:

These data points will help you understand your website’s visibility, engagement, and potential customer reach. Armed with these insights, you can tweak your website’s content, technical setup, and overall strategy to attract more relevant leads and conversion rates.

Do You Need Local SEO?

If you’re a local business owner, you could likely benefit from SEO. By targeting specific geographic regions, local SEO can help your business appear in relevant Google searches, improving your visibility to potential customers in your area.

But when is the right time to start focusing on local SEO? Here are a few scenarios where investing in local SEO services can impact your business.

Scenario 1: Your Business Has a Physical Location

If you have a brick-and-mortar store, office, or other physical location that customers can visit, you should prioritize local SEO. When people search for businesses in their area, Google’s search algorithm prioritizes businesses with a physical presence nearby. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can help more potential customers find your business to visit.

Scenario 2: You Serve a Specific Geographic Area

Maybe your business doesn’t have a physical location that customers can visit. However, you still serve a specific geographic area. If your business offers services to a specific region, you should consider investing in local SEO. This will help your business appear in the search results for people within your target area, increasing your chances of attracting new customers.

Scenario 3: You Want to Compete With Local Businesses

Are you in a highly competitive market? If so, local SEO can help you stand out from the crowd. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can improve your chances of appearing at the top of search results pages. This means potential customers are more likely to find your business first than your competitors.

Get Local SEO Services

The bottom line? Local SEO services are essential for small businesses to thrive in their communities. Unsure where to start? Still have questions about what’s included or how it can help your business?

We’re here to help you with our SEO services. We’re an all-American online marketing agency based in Pasadena, California. With years of experience under our belts, we offer comprehensive digital marketing solutions, including local SEO services, to help businesses connect with their target audiences.

Our services can help your business rank higher in local searches, leading to increased visibility, online credibility, and, ultimately, improved revenue. Interested in seeing how your business stacks up against the competition? See your SEO score now.

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How Local SEO Services Can Help Your Business