Why Local SEO and not just plain old SEO? We’ll get to that in a moment but first, in case you are wondering or don’t really know what the heck SEO stands for and why you should care, let me explain.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, in other words making your website optimized for Google ranking and to a lesser extent Bing search also. Unless your company has offices across the USA or other countries you need to be focusing on getting more traffic to your business from your local service area.

There are three main objectives of excelling in local SEO Marketing and those are:

1. Getting More Local Visits
2. Owning Your Local Search Results
3. Maximizing Your Local Marketing ROI

Getting more local visits to your website means getting “seen” by local people who are actively searching for the solution to their problem or problems offered by the product or service you offer. Were you aware, approximately 78% of searches done locally, result in a purchase of a product or an appointment for a service offline? Don’t let people go to your competitor.

Owning your local search results is achieved by having a website that is optimized and continually updated with local listings and happenings. I bet you didn’t know, a recent survey found 61% of those that market consistently online say that growing their organic traffic and reach is a top priority and online marketing goal. Around 50% of people who searched locally on their phones went to a brick-and-mortar business within 24 hours. Of those same people, 34% who searched on their computer or tablet did exactly the same thing,

Maximizing your local marketing ROI by optimizing and improving your website presence can have a huge impact on your search results, both organically and paid. You see, organic and paid search results, also known as Pay Per Click (PPC) both work hand in hand when it comes to SEO both Locally and Nationally. When both organic and paid search work together businesses can see approximately 89% more clicks when the search result lands on page 1 of Google search. Think of it this way, PPC gets instant reaction while organic takes time but is more cost-effective in the long run.

When people search locally [such as “Near Me” especially on mobile] they use search terms like:

   Electricians near me or Electricians in [your city name]
   Roofers near me or Roofers in [your city name]
   Plumbers near me or Plumbers in [your city name]
   Painters near me or Painters in [your city name]
   Coffee shops near me or Coffee shops in [your city name]
   Air Conditioner Repair near me or Air Conditioner Repair in [your city name]

Content is King on the internet and webpage optimization coupled with link-building strategies must all have a local touch and be focused on consistent efforts of getting more people to visit your website. Did you know that nationally about 60% of adults search locally on their phones? 50% of the phone searches are looking for things like a local business’s address or phone number. Why is that? Google maps (to take them there) and the phone (to find out what are your hours of operation).

One of the largest benefits of Local SEO is achieving rank recognition when a local search is done from a phone and Google shows a “call” button right there in the search result. When Local SEO is done successfully, it can push your business to the top of those local search results. If your business offers a free consultation or if your business responds to emergencies involving plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning this can be a big deal when it comes to getting your phone to ring.

The keys to being successful with the three objectives listed above are focusing on your particular keyword research, creating local content and local SEO links that follow Google’s guidelines. And one last thing to remember is Google is constantly changing its algorithm at least every 18 months. Sometimes sooner, sometimes longer. Only Google knows when but they always make changes so be prepared.

So, do you want some help? Contact us to see how we can set this up for you.