Local SEO vs. Organic SEO: What's the Difference and Why You Need Both

Local SEO and organic SEO - two completely different aspects of search engine optimisation.

Local SEO optimises a site's content and structure to rank higher in local search results. Organic SEO naturally improves a site's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Businesses need to use both to attract more customers.

Local and organic SEO can help increase visibility in online search results. They can also help you gain an edge over competitors outside the targeted area.

In this "Local SEO vs. Organic SEO" guide, we'll discuss the differences between these two aspects of SEO. We'll also tell you why your business might need both.

💬 Understanding Local SEO

Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy. It stands for local search engine optimisation.

Local SEO can improve the online visibility of local businesses. These are businesses with physical storefronts that serve customers in specific areas.

It's a key strategy for businesses aiming to optimise their online presence. It does so by focusing on targeted geographical areas.

This process involves optimising website structure and content. The ultimate goal is to rank higher in local search results.

To begin, you need to develop an effective local SEO strategy. Your business will be able to attract customers looking for products or services you offer. 

This may include:

• Optimising your Google My Business listing
• Gathering local citations 
• Local keyword optimisation
• Writing localised content for your blog
• Building positive online reviews

Let's say you want to make a local SEO campaign for a bakery in Sydney. 

You can use keywords such as "bakery Sydney," "best bakery Sydney," and "bakery near me." 

The trick is to use these keywords naturally. You can add them to your:

1. Website content
2. Product descriptions
3. Blog posts
4. Landing pages
5. URLs 
6. Image alt text
7. Contact page

That way, your bakery can increase its chances of appearing in organic search results.

Local SEO especially matters for brick-and-mortar businesses. These types of businesses need foot traffic for their success. 

But we'll talk more about that later.

🚦 What Is Organic Traffic?

Before we explain what organic SEO is, you need to understand the concept of organic traffic.

Organic traffic comes from people who click on a website of their own free will. In other words, it's a result of unpaid search results.

So, it's the direct opposite of paid advertisements.

Organic traffic depends on a few factors. The most important ones include the relevance and quality of a site's content. 

Search engines also take into account how the content relates to a user's search query.

Search engines use complex algorithms that analyse these factors. This process affects the website's ranking on search results pages.

The most important ranking factors include:

1. Keyword relevance
2. Site authority
3. User experience
4. The number and quality of backlinks
5. Quality content
6. Website loading speed
7. Mobile-friendliness

Unlike paid advertisements or local search results, you can't directly influence organic traffic. You also can't control it financially. 

It's based on the merit of a website's content and its ability to meet users' needs.

That's why it's important for websites to have relevant, quality content. It will give them a better chance of attracting organic traffic. 

This traffic comes from people genuinely interested in what the website has to offer.

Organic traffic is more sustainable over time compared to other sources of traffic. It relies on natural rankings rather than temporary advertising campaigns.

🔁 How Are Local SEO and Organic SEO Connected?

Organic and local SEO are closely connected. 

Local SEO aims to increase local online visibility. By doing so, it ultimately drives relevant traffic to your site.

A good local SEO strategy can result in a continuous surge of organic traffic.

By targeting specific locations, businesses can optimise their websites with location-specific keywords. 

The same goes for content tailored to the target local audience.

This helps search engines understand the relevance of the website to local searches. In turn, it increases its chances of appearing in top search results.

Businesses can also create location-specific landing pages and directories. 

These spaces provide key information about products or services within a particular area.

These pages do not only attract organic traffic. They also improve user experience. 

They do this by catering to the needs and preferences of potential customers.

A local business can leverage online reviews and ratings on platforms. For example, Google My Business or Yelp. 

This will help them further boost their visibility in local searches. 

Positive reviews serve as social proof. They encourage more users to visit the website through organic results.

💼 What Businesses Need Local SEO?

The three main types of businesses that need Local SEO include:

• Brick-and-mortar businesses
• Service-based businesses
• Online businesses

Local SEO is especially beneficial for businesses with physical locations. Brick-and-mortar businesses need local SEO because they depend on foot traffic.

Businesses that provide services in specific areas also need local SEO.

This includes:

• Local restaurants
• Retail stores
• Medical clinics
• Lawyers or accountants
• Home service providers

Potential customers might find out about your business online. But they will come to your location to buy something in person.

Even businesses that offer their services online can use local SEO. It can help them get more organic traffic through Google's search results.

Local SEO allows businesses to compete against larger national or international companies.

This is especially helpful for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Local SEO helps them establish a strong online presence within their local market.

🌟 Best Practices for Attracting Organic Traffic

Effectively driving targeted traffic to your site is harder than you might think. 

To do this, you need to use solid practices that improve visibility and attract visitors.

Here are some ways you can drive organic traffic to your website:

• Optimise your website's content with relevant keywords
• Write engaging, quality content
• Optimise your on-page SEO elements
• Improve your technical SEO
• Make your website mobile-friendly
• Use backlinking strategies

You can start by optimising your website's content with relevant keywords. 

The next step is to do thorough keyword research. This allows businesses to understand what terms and phrases potential visitors are using. 

When searching for products or services online, users Google specific keywords. These keywords are very important for your SEO strategy.

The trick is to use them in a strategic way. This means adding them all throughout your site naturally. 

That way, you can improve your shot of ranking better on search engine results pages (SERPs). In turn, you will get more organic traffic.

Another practice for attracting organic traffic is creating high-quality and engaging content. 

Search engines prioritise websites that provide informative content. 

Optimising on-page elements further improves your website's organic search rankings. This includes title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and URLs. 

It's important to make sure your website has a clean and efficient technical setup. 

This includes:

1. Optimising page loading speed
2. Using clean URLs
3. Setting up proper redirects

More and more people are using mobile devices. So, a responsive and mobile-friendly website design is crucial. 

Finally, you need a strategy to get high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. This is equally important for every industry. 

Guest posting, outreach, and creating shareable content can help attract natural backlinks.

 📈 How to Improve Your Local SEO

These are the best strategies for improving your website's local SEO:

1. Claiming and optimising your Google My Business Listing
2. Providing up-to-date information about your local business
3. Doing keyword research and optimise your website with relevant keywords
4. Generating positive online reviews
5. Optimising your website for mobile searches

To improve local SEO, you should begin by optimising your Google My Business listing. It's also called your Google Business Profile.

This will also make your business appear on Google Maps. 

This includes providing accurate and up-to-date information about the business. The most important are the name, address, phone number, and operating hours.

Businesses should also make sure their website is optimised for local keywords. 

They can do this by including location-specific terms in content. Title tags and meta descriptions are also good options.

Another important strategy to improve local SEO is getting positive reviews. 

Online reviews don't only help boost a business's reputation. They also play a significant role in local search engine rankings.

You should encourage customers to write reviews on Google My Business or Yelp. Doing this can improve a business's visibility on Google and other search engines.

It's also important to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. More and more people are using smartphones to perform local searches. 

A mobile-friendly website improves user experience. 

It also increases its chances of appearing in relevant organic search results.

🏆 Organic SEO vs. Local SEO - What's the Difference

Local SEO plays a key role in driving organic traffic. It aligns a business's online presence with its target market's geographical location. 

Businesses can use local SEO to increase their visibility in relevant search queries. 

That way, they can attract highly targeted organic traffic. You are more likely to convert this type of traffic into paying customers.

If you're struggling to find local customers, RankRise can help.

We can help increase your organic results on Google and other search engines. Our SEO team knows how local search works and how to get the best results from your SEO strategy.

Reach out to us if you want to know more.