Among the different digital marketing strategies available right now, local SEO is the best fit for a local business that seeks to gain traction with more customers. Today, people tend to use search engines before taking the time to visit a store. For businesses to aspire for growth, they need to find the best tool to generate more revenue. With the encouraging numbers below, the possibilities promised by a successful local SEO campaign can be limitless:
- 97% of search engine users try to find a local business (BIA/Kelsey)
- 46% of searches on Google are looking for local information (Google)
- 86% of customers use the internet to look for local businesses (Google)
- 84% of shoppers prefer a local business over a non-local one (Accenture)
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is optimizing your web pages to rank them higher on relevant searches on Google or other widely-used search engines.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy where SEO is specifically designed for businesses to rank on local searches. With the numbers previously mentioned, local SEO is a way for small businesses to tap into the limitless potential of searches for local businesses. One key characteristic that distinguishes local SEO from other SEO campaigns is aiming for local keywords and long-tailed keywords specific to the products and services your local target audience will probably look for.
These may involve optimizing your Google Business Profile, including your business in local listings, aligning your social media marketing campaigns, posting Google Ads, and other local SEO tools to enhance the performance of your website on search engines. However, the last three items are optional and may depend if these strategies are appropriate for your products and services. Local SEO may not be limited to ranking your website higher on relevant local searches.
Reasons Why Local SEO for Small Business Are Important for Growth
Local Businesses may see competition from industry giants as a threat to their growth. With their seemingly limitless resources for marketing, industry giants can render local businesses invisible to their target audience. With an effective local SEO strategy, small businesses can have the opportunity to gain parity against the more considerable competition by staying relevant on local searches. With many people preferring to purchase from local businesses than non-local ones, local search engine optimization strategies can provide small businesses a substantial piece of the pie.
Local SEO For Small Businesses Provides A Competitive Advantage
The greatest advantage local businesses can derive from an effective local SEO strategy is gaining a competitive advantage. Being visible to more local customers who tend to look for local businesses to get something they need is crucial to being ranked highly on local search results. Moreover, other local businesses may be engaging in their respective local SEO strategies. Now, it is not a matter of engaging in local SEO. Local businesses should have an effective SEO strategy to be visible to more people making “near me” searches who are more likely to drive in-store visits or online purchases within the day.
Attract New Customers
As a local business, the primary source of revenue are sales made by local customers. With almost 1 in every two searches on Google looking for a local business or service, ranking highly on search engine result pages of your local market is the priority of your local SEO campaign. People passing through your local area and who have just moved in will also look for local businesses. Aside from using search engines, some potential new customers might use Google maps to look for your business. With an evident business online, you can tap into a growing pool of potential customers that will fuel the growth of your business further.
Local SEO Results Have Serious Longevity
One serious advantage local SEO brings to the table for small businesses is how long the impact of local SEO efforts is. Google ads last only as long as you spend money on them. The same goes for social media posts. For local SEO, once you attain a high rank on local SEO searches, you don’t need to spend much to maintain your position.
Your Company’s Reputation Within Your Community Will Improve
One of the primary advantages big companies have over small local businesses is reputation. By adopting good local SEO practices, you can attain the same level of reputation against more considerable competition, at least in the eyes of your local market. There are several ways to do this:
a. Include your local business in business listings and business directories.
b. Post positive reviews on your home page.
c. Having high-quality content that visitors will find value from.
d. Having an engaging website that allows you to communicate with your audience.
You Can Learn About Your Customer’s Intent
Another way of conducting a successful local SEO campaign, or any digital marketing campaign, is retargeting. By learning about your customer’s intent, that is, finding the exact terms that your customers are searching for when looking for your business, you can make minor corrections to ensure that you will rank highly for the right keywords. Your Google Business Profile (which was Google My Business before) has features to get insights and check for queries to find your business. This is one of the most valuable tools astute local SEO services use when fine-tuning your local SEO strategy for you.
Local SEO Can Help Business Growth By Helping You Address Gaps in Your Business
Another benefit of local SEO is the opportunity to study your competition. When making a local SEO audit, your SEO service provider also studies your competitor’s website to look for opportunities that your business can capitalize on. Tools such as semrush.com provide features where you can find key terms that drive organic traffic to your competitor’s websites. If you are looking to introduce a new product, you can use this vital information to decide what you can offer your target market.
Local SEO is Affordable
Like any other digital marketing campaign, you must invest money in your local SEO. Reaping the benefits of a successful local SEO campaign also takes time. However, once your local SEO gains traction and drives your website high on local rankings, the effects are longer lasting than paid ads, social media campaigns, and traditional marketing strategies. As a small business owner, you may look at a marketing strategy that isn’t as labor-intensive as other marketing campaigns. Among all digital marketing campaigns, an SEO strategy is the least labor-intensive on the business owner’s part. With help from local SEO services, you can learn local SEO tips and tricks to help you sustain your local SEO campaigns in the long run.
Conclusion: Local SEO Is The Best Digital Marketing Strategy For Small Businesses
With a growing number of people relying on Google or other search engines to look for a local business, the possibility of tapping into a larger market is huge. Now that you know at least seven key reasons why SEO for small businesses can drive growth, it is easy to see how this digital marketing strategy is a perfect fit for your business. Anytime is the right time to seek help for your local SEO campaign.
Our SEO company in the Philippines has years of experience and a long track record of success in helping businesses like yours reach their business goals. From including your company in an appropriate business listing, well-conducted keyword research from experienced digital marketers, optimizing your Google Business Profile, local link building, publishing relevant content, optimizing your website, and more, our local SEO optimization will boost your online visibility to help fuel your business’s growth. If you are looking for the best help from a digital marketing agency for local SEO, you can contact FaithSEO to know more.
