As a small business, there are a number of places you can go to source new customers, but there’s no place more powerful than your own backyard. By utilising local SEO for small business, you can grow your business by targeting your own community.
Read on to learn more about local SEO and how to get it to work in your favour.
What is Local SEO?
Before diving into the best practices for local SEO for small business, it’s important to know what local SEO really is. Local SEO(or Search engine Optimization) is utilising a number of strategies to improve your search ranking and appeal to local customers.
This means using keyword phrases that target a specific area. This is better than using broader keywords that have higher competition rates and may not attract the right clientele.
How Local SEO for Small Business Improves Visibility
If you’ve ever Googled a type of business in your area and found a map with suggested businesses, then you are already familiar with a Google SERP. This is a listing that appears at the very top of the results page and usually gives just enough information to drive traffic.
These results dramatically increase visibility and hold a higher ranking that pages that have not been optimised to a specific location.
SEO and Targeted Audiences
When it comes to SEO it’s better to find a smaller number of stronger leads than a larger number of people that will never stop by your business, which is why it’s important that you utilise local SEO in order to get a more targeted conversion rate.
By targeting a specific region you will be finding potential clients that are searching for a more detailed service, thus increasing the likelihood that they will hire your business.
Local SEO and Mobile Traffic
Mobile traffic often uses the location of the individual through various apps and reports this information to pages like Google and Facebook. For this reason, local SEO and mobile users go hand in hand.
Mobile users are more likely to have geolocation switched on, making it even easier to show the businesses in their area and increasing the likelihood that they’ll stop by. In fact, since mobile users can call a business or pull up directions in a single click, they are one of the strongest types of leads for your business.
Local SEO and Credibility
Even when an individual is recommended a business by a friend or colleague, the first place they’ll turn to confirm the recommendation is Google. Local SEO helps build confidence and credibility by allowing a potential customer to easily find your website.
In many cases, potential customers can even find reviews that correspond with your listing, helping you earn their trust.
Getting the Most Out of Local SEO
Using local SEO for small business can be a powerful tool if you know how to utilise it. The more research you do, the better results will come from your efforts.
Remember, search engines are like a living animal that changes all the time. The more you can stay on top of algorithm patterns and trends the more leads you’ll be able to pull. Contact us today to get your SEO ranking off to the right start.
