Why Local SEO Matters and Why You Should Use It for Your Business

With the rapid development of digital marketing, local businesses struggle to stay ahead of their competition. Instead of wracking their brains and resorting to outdated marketing strategies, business owners should take advantage of local SEO - a powerful marketing tool that can help improve online visibility in local search results and bring in new customers.

If you're wondering why local SEO matters, this article will give you all the details on the importance of local SEO to a local business.

What Is Local SEO?

At its core, local search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising websites for local searches. In other words, by implementing various local SEO efforts into your marketing strategy, you will be able to improve your website's ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). As a result, you can enhance your online presence, which opens new doors to potential customers.

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For example, let's say you run a cupcake shop in Melbourne. You can optimise your website and content around the keywords "cupcakes in Melbourne" or "cupcakes near me" for higher local search rankings. If someone wants to order cupcakes in that area, your local business's name will appear in the search results. The more effort you put into your SEO strategy, the higher your website will rank in relevant search results.

It isn't only online businesses that benefit from local SEO. Brick-and-mortar companies, which always need new local customers, can also thrive thanks to local SEO. In fact, brick-and-mortar businesses can benefit from local SEO more than online businesses. 

Benefits of Local SEO

Local SEO can make a huge difference for small businesses looking to attract more clients in their local community. No matter how well-developed your local business may be, you won't be able to drive sales if no one knows you exist. If local customers run an online search for certain products and services, a good local SEO campaign will direct them to your website.

These are some of the most important local SEO benefits:

• Improved online presence and brand awareness through organic search results
• Higher conversion rate and more traffic
• Greater credibility for potential customers
• Enhanced user experience and customer engagement
• Competitive advantage over other businesses

What's also great about local SEO is that it won't only attract potential customers to your business online, but it will also increase foot traffic in your physical store.

Why Is Local SEO Important for Businesses?

Local SEO helps businesses increase visibility on search engine results by optimising content for location-specific searches. When someone types in "cleaning services near me," cleaning companies that appear at the top of search results use optimised content related to their region or city.

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In short, instead of reaching a wider audience, local SEO helps small businesses attract new customers so that they come to the company's physical location. By improving brand awareness, you will get noticed by more people, which will eventually lead to generating leads and driving sales.

Another reason why local SEO is important for local businesses is its competitive advantage. It's challenging to stay ahead of your competition, no matter what industry your business belongs in. One of the many benefits of local SEO is that it can help you stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive market.

Not to mention that local SEO connects businesses to potential customers actively searching for products or services. As opposed to paid advertising, which only generates results for a certain amount of time, local SEO has ongoing benefits, making it a long-term investment.

How to Create a Great Local SEO Strategy

The goal of an effective local SEO strategy is for your website to get noticed by people who search online within a specific geographic region. Every successful local SEO strategy includes the following:

1. Researching your target audience: The first step of every SEO strategy is understanding your target audience and their needs and interests.
2. Conducting keyword research: Through local keywords, you can allow potential clients to find your website quickly and easily.
3. Coming up with geo-targeted content: Geo-targeting is another vital SEO tool that helps Google figure out where you are. Creating geo-targeted content drives qualified traffic to your local business.
4. Optimising your website for local searches: Optimising your website and building local landing pages will help Google understand what services or products your business offers as well as its location.
5. Creating a Google My Business listing: Once you create a Google My Business page or a Google Business Profile, you can use Google posts within your account to appear on Google Maps and local search results.
6. Building local citations: Work towards gathering enough local citations from authority websites and links from popular websites related to your industry to earn credibility.
7. Tracking your results: It's imperative to keep track of your local SEO efforts to ensure they're performing well and whether some areas need improvement.
8. Following local SEO trends: To stay ahead of the competition, business owners must constantly keep up with new SEO trends and updates made by search engines.

Once you implement these local SEO tactics, you will be able to improve organic traffic via local search results. Keep in mind that even the best local SEO strategies take time to work, so don't expect to see the results overnight. They require ongoing effort and dedication.

The Importance of Local SEO Keyword Research

There are many local SEO tactics you can use to improve your local search presence, but one of the most important ones is keyword research, which is an integral part of every effective SEO campaign.

Local keyword research is the process of identifying and analysing relevant keywords people use in Google searches in a specific local area. It aims to target people who might already be interested in the products or services your small business has to offer.

Here's how you can conduct local keyword research to reach high local rankings:

1. Identify your audience and the specific geographical region you want to target.
2. Brainstorm industry-related local keywords and prioritise them by relevance, search volume, and competitiveness.
3. Include local keyword modifiers like "near me" and "service/product in [city name]."
4. Use keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest to find high-search volume keywords.
5. Make sure your keywords match the local intent of people searching for a product/service in a particular region.
6. SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help monitor competitor businesses by checking their backlinks, rankings, and keyword strategies.

Keyword research and implementation are also important if you want to appear in organic search results.

Optimising Your Website for Local SEO

Now that you have compiled a list of local keywords relevant to your small business, the next step is to optimise your website around them. As a result, you will start to see more organic traffic, higher conversion rates, and new customers.

Optimising your website for local SEO includes the following:

• Coming up with local content and locally-optimised landing pages relevant to your target audience.
• Inserting local keywords all over your website, including body content, headings, page URLs, meta descriptions, inbound links, landing pages, etc.
• Adding up-to-date business information so that search engines can understand your business better and optimise it for local searches.
• Building local links and gathering inbound links from other local businesses and high-authority websites for greater credibility.
• Setting up local listings on major online directories such as Yelp!, Yellow Pages, and Bing Places.
• Optimising your website for mobile searches for an improved user experience.
• Encouraging your customers to leave online reviews on your website, your Google My Business listing, or other review sites.

Hiring an SEO Agency for your Local Business

If you aren't familiar with search engine optimisation and don't have the time or resources to commit to crafting an SEO strategy, you can always hire an SEO agency like RankRise.

RankRise is a digital marketing company committed to generating leads for local businesses. Our team of experts will help your local company thrive by creating the perfect local SEO strategy using the latest techniques and tools. Our SEO team will come up with unique content so that your business appears high on SEO rankings.

You may think that hiring an SEO agency is an additional expense, but it can be more cost-effective in the long run. Keep in mind that an SEO agency will tailor a strategy to your needs and interests, helping you achieve better results in a shorter time span. You can sit back and relax while we do everything for you and bring your local audience to your doorstep.

Take Advantage of Local SEO

If you're wondering why local SEO is important, there are many ways it can help your business grow. Local SEO puts your name on the map and helps you attract new customers who might not have otherwise heard about your company in the first place.

If you optimise your website for local SEO, your business can be one Google search away from new customers. But if you would rather leave digital marketing to experts, RankRise is here to help! If you would like to know more about our SEO services, feel free to reach out to us.