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If you want to find a car repair shop or a nearby Chinese restaurant, what do you do? Your search for it online! When you have a medical concern and you need the phone number for the closest barbershop, what’s your plan of action? To Google it, of course. Since approximately 46% of searches on Google are of a local nature, businesses everywhere are investing in local search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.
Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO. If you search Google for any important keywords related to your business and a map with 3 listings appears underneath it (also known as a map pack), then local SEO can help you grow your business.
Local seo services for small business
Quite simply, local SEO marketing is needed by:
❖ Any business with a physical location that customers visit (for example bars, law offices, and grocery stores)
❖ Any business with a physical location that customers visit (for example bars, law offices, and grocery stores)
❖ Any business that travels to their customers (for example plumbers and locksmiths), which are known as ‘service area businesses’
If one of these describes your business, then your business will benefit from local SEO
Affordable local seo services for local businesses
If you’re already engaging in an organic search engine optimization strategy, you may wonder why you need to care about local SEO. In fact, depending on the keywords and tactics you’re using, you may be implementing a local SEO plan already without realizing it.
Simply put, local SEO increases your online visibility by interested searchers (aka, future customers!) Did you know 64% of local customers use search engines and directories as their main way to find a local business? And, 50% of searchers visit businesses within 24 hours of a local search.
Still not convinced? Take these local search statistics into consideration.
72% of consumers who did a local search visited a store within five miles. (WordStream)
30% of mobile searches are related to a location. (Google, 2016)
71% of people say they look up and confirm the location of a business before going to it for the first time. (Hubspot)
78% of local-mobile searches result in offline purchases. (Search Engine Land, 2014)
Using Local SEO Services to get new customers
On top of improving your overall online brand awareness, local search is a significant driver of leads, sales, and in-store traffic for local businesses. As a business owner, it is imperative that you adopt local SEO strategies to attract and engage customers in your area. First of all, you should list your business on GMB and other online directories. You also need to search for local keywords and include them in your blogs, videos, and web content. Furthermore, you need to encourage satisfied customers to write positive reviews and testimonials. Finally, by allocating a single page to each of your product and service offerings, you can quickly build your brand authority.
Benefits of local SEO strategy for small local businesses
Since it has been established that the main priority of your local SEO strategy is to make sure your business’s information is correct and consistent across the web, you’ll need to start with that info. Make a note of your business’s exact name, address, phone number, website URL, email address, business hours, etc.
Now, you’ll need to search. Google your business to see what kind of information is out there about you.
Once you have your results, you’ll likely need to claim listings and make sure the information in them is correct and complete.
Remember, this will need to be an ongoing strategy. You’ll need to keep an eye on it and make sure to keep correcting those changes. Looking to get started with Local SEO? Reach out to Flash First Media today.