Local SEO optimizes your Google Business Profile, citations, and review signals to increase your chances of showing up in the “map pack” on search engine results pages (SERPs). It also boosts your website’s organic rankings.
People who conduct local searches often have high-intent, meaning they want to take action. Optimizing your business for these queries will improve your conversion rates.
Increased Traffic
Unlike a generic “near me” search, local searches are typically made by potential customers who are in the market for your product or service. They are more likely to convert into paying customers than general searchers.
As a result, the more prominent your business is on local search engines, the more organic traffic you’ll get without overpaying for PPC ads. Plus, you’ll build credibility through citations and reviews from other local companies that will help you establish brand awareness and grow your network.
Concerted local SEO initiatives always focus on increasing website traffic while boosting search engine results. As a result, marketing and sales leads will increase, which creates a self-sustaining cycle of business growth.
Increased Sales
One of the top goals of any business is to increase sales, and local SEO can help with that. Optimizing your website for local keywords, building citations to show Google that you’re a legitimate business in the area (like adding your NAP information to directory listings and online review sites), and boosting your reputation through things like positive reviews can all boost your visibility and encourage more customers to contact or visit your company.
If you’re a local company, being shown in the first search results for queries such as “burgers near me,” “tree trimmers,” or “bookstores” can bring in highly qualified traffic that converts into phone calls, sign-ups, or sales. And since the revenue from these conversions can be reinvested into marketing efforts, your local SEO efforts can become self-sustaining as you continue to rank higher and bring in new customers. This can be a crucial growth strategy for small businesses.
Increased Credibility
When you perform local SEO downtown San Diego, you’re ensuring that your business is visible to search users who are looking for services or products like yours in your area. This helps weed out the time-wasting traffic that would otherwise make it to your website and instead directs it to the people who can actually buy what you’re selling.
Local SEO also focuses on getting your name, address and phone number (NAP) citations on a variety of reputable websites in order to establish prominence and relevance. Consistent NAP citations signal to Google that your business information is accurate and can be trusted, making you more likely to show up in the map pack.
With research showing that consumers are increasingly prioritizing smaller, independent businesses over big-name offerings and experiences, leveraging local SEO can be an effective strategy to grow your business. In addition, if you’re in the top organic results for a relevant query, you’re more likely to get clicked on and ultimately converted into a paying customer.
Increased Reputation
Local SEO is a great way to increase the prominence of your business online. Using the right keywords, you can target searches made by potential customers who are looking for products and services in your area. This leads to highly targeted traffic, and more sales.
Aside from keyword research, local SEO includes a number of other tactics like citation building, reputation management, and website optimization. Citation building involves adding your business name, physical address, phone number, and other information to directories and review platforms. This can help your business gain credibility and improve its rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Reputation management is an important aspect of local SEO, as it can help you build trust with potential customers. By encouraging happy customers to leave reviews, and responding to negative feedback promptly and professionally, you can create a positive online presence that can lead to more traffic, and ultimately, more sales.