“I don’t have a high marketing budget to compete with large enterprises for the top Google spot.” “We already have an SEO strategy, why invest in local SEO.” These are some common dilemmas faced by small businesses. SMBs, indeed, don’t have a huge marketing budget but that doesn’t mean they don’t stand a chance to grab the top position in the search engine results. Struggling to achieve visibility and high ranking doesn’t mean SEO is not for you. It only means your strategy isn’t working. And this happens because SEO for small businesses is different from strategies used for enterprises and multinational companies. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a broad term. When creating an SEO strategy, you need to focus on your specific business needs to choose the right path- local SEO, enterprise SEO, or national SEO. Now you may wonder what these are and how to choose the right one. So, let’s make this super easy for you!
In this post, we are focusing on small and medium businesses (SMBs). And the perfect choice for SMBs is LOCAL SEO! Now, let’s find out what local SEO is and how it can benefit your small business.
Local SEO
To understand what local SEO is and how it is different from traditional organic SEO, let’s take an example. On your smartphone, type “best Chinese restaurant” in the Google search box. Now, take a look at the Google results. Do you see the best Chinese restaurants in China? The answer is No. Most of the time, the top results are local. It means that Google will show you the best restaurants near your current location. Instead of showing the five-star hotels or popular chain joints, Google focuses on local results and will show locally-owned restaurants in your city that are close to your location. This explains the power and importance of Local SEO for your business.
In simple words, Local SEO involves using specific techniques to improve the search engine visibility and ranking of local businesses. The main difference between local SEO and traditional SEO is the audience. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on a national audience, local SEO optimizes the website for local search and targets a certain geographic region or multiple areas. It is for local businesses that have a physical location or operate in a specific geographic location such as clothing stores, grocery shops, salons, clinics, electricians, contractors, plumbing services, and more. Local SEO helps in increasing the search visibility of these businesses that serve communities in specific geographic locations.
Why My Business Needs Local SEO?
When you search for something on Google, you get different types of results in the SERPs including organic results, paid ads, and pack results. Investing in local SEO can help you rank in the ‘Local Pack’, also known as “3 pack” or ‘Snack Pack’ which appears at the top of Google’s search results. Ranking in the ‘Local Pack’ has many advantages. First, it appears above the organic results. Secondly, unlike organic results that don’t contain much information, ‘Local Pack’ provides more details about the business such as business hours, rating, and contact details. Getting featured in the 3-pack section increases your chances of getting more visibility and leads.
How SMBs Benefit From Local SEO?
The Google Snack Pack or maps pack shows local business listings that are most relevant to the search query. This result appears for search queries that include “near me” or something “in [City]” such as “Dentist near me” or “best restaurant in Toronto”. Optimizing your site for local SEO involves various tactics such as:
- Creating a Contact Page
- Optimizing Google My Business Profile
- Local Citations: Updating NAP- Name, address, and phone number of your business.
- Adding Clickable Phone Numbers
- Adding Map To The Website
- Using Schema
- Link-building through your GMB profile
- Getting More Customer Reviews
- Keyword Research
Local SEO has gained more prominence because more than 45% of all searches on Google are local. Without Local SEO, you will miss out on the opportunity to reach visitors searching for local products or services in a specific geographical area. As you might know, Google keeps updating its algorithm. The purpose is to provide the best possible results to the searchers and improve the user’s experience. And to achieve this, Google prioritizes results for geographically-related searches. It focuses on three main factors:
- Proximity
- Relevance
- Prominence
Competing with large enterprises to climb the top of the SERPs can be challenging for SMBs. Startups and small businesses with limited resources struggle to gain online visibility with traditional SEO methods. However, diverting their focus to local SEO strategy can be instrumental for their success. Instead of competing for highly competitive short-tail keywords, these businesses should capitalize on long-tail keywords to rank for local searches. Local SEO optimizes your site for these factors to make sure that you rank for location-specific searches. Creating local content, adding a map, acquiring citations, and earning reviews are cost-effective marketing solutions for SMBs. Local SEO puts your business in front of the customer actively searching for your product or service. This target audience is more likely to purchase or at least make an inquiry. The major benefits of Local SEO for small and medium businesses include:
- Improve Local Visibility
- Drive more relevant traffic to your website
- Increase your conversion rate
- Attract Target Visitor to your site
- Build your trust and authority with search engines and your target audience
