{"id":1236,"date":"2020-07-16T17:21:08","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T21:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jarodthornton.com\/?p=1236"},"modified":"2024-04-10T12:29:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T16:29:02","slug":"what-is-local-seo-and-why-is-it-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jarodthornton.com\/2020\/07\/what-is-local-seo-and-why-is-it-important\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Local SEO and Why Is It Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Has the global pull of the internet got you thinking local SEO isn\u2019t important? I sure hope not. If you are, you definitely need a basic guide to SEO for beginners<\/a> to get more up to speed on things. Everyone in business needs to understand and appreciate local SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local SEO involves taking deliberate steps to optimize your content so that search engine web-crawlers generating local search results relevant to your products include your content as noticeably as possible. It goes above basic SEO practices to include GBP compliance, localized content, NAP consistency on local directories, etc. Your business needs to be more than just online; it must be present and accessible in the local community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s discuss local SEO for small businesses and how to do it. I’ll use some of my professional experiences in the discussions so you understand why local SEO is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Exactly Is Local SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve come across many definitions, and most of them read something like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Local SEO is a process of tweaking your website, social media, and all online publications to increase the odds of dominating local search results.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It aims to dominate local search results for products and services in a particular city or town. It increases the odds of showing up in a potential customer’s search results, making it easier for them to find and contact you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do local SEO right, you won’t attract just attention. Given the local nature of things, that attention enjoys the benefit of trust. This trustworthiness is crucial for small businesses trying to carve out a chunk of the competitive local market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Local SEO Differs from Traditional SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Traditional SEO optimizes a website for broader, more general search terms. For example, cosmetics suppliers’ keywords would likely be “best skincare” or “genuine beauty products.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local SEO still considers all these broad factors but adds a location-based element. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s about optimizing for local search intent, not just general online searches. It’s about targeting customers in a specific geographic area and making your business more visible to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, local SEO demands extra attention to certain elements, which we shall discuss later. But first, let\u2019s get rid of any SEO doubts you might have by reading this post – is SEO really necessary for a websites success?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Local SEO Is Important<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s use some imagination to make this message as vivid as possible. Since you’re presumably in business, imagine yourself in an office, store, or workshop. Dozens of customers come to purchase from you daily because they know and trust you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, imagine you had to move your business to a different location. Suddenly, you’re in an unfamiliar area and have to start from scratch. Your existing clients won’t likely follow you, and the new people around you likely don’t know your business exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will you continue using the same marketing strategies you used in your old location? Of course not! Instead, you’ll focus on attracting customers closer to your new location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the SEO you had done earlier may continue bringing in traffic, but the bulk of this traffic won’t turn into customers because it’s not targeted at your new location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter: Local SEO! Local SEO is critical for brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses that serve a specific area. Optimizing their local online presence helps them attract customers from their specific geographic area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With local SEO, you can reach many potential customers in your area. Furthermore, mobile search is rising, so local SEO is becoming more critical than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarize, local SEO for small businesses is important because it helps with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n