A recent survey revealed that 82% of consumers read online reviews of businesses during a local search and spend close to 14 minutes before making a buying decision. This is the same for all digital companies, whether they specialize in tutoring in Markham or dental care services in Vaughan and other cities in Canada.
In the digital world, staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends is critical to help get your business ranked high on Google. This is especially true for companies like yours that rely on local customers for revenue.
Do you frequently consider “how I can promote my website” to attract more visitors and keep your current clients when your competitors outrank you in local search results? Do you need help attracting new customers? If so, consider implementing a local SEO strategy.
But what is local SEO, and why is it vital for a business that has a physical location or serves a geographical area? This article will explore how local SEO can transform your business and help you stand out in a crowded and highly competitive online marketplace.
What Is Local SEO?
Google must index your website on the first page of search results so you can attract many visitors. If not, you’ll miss out on being found by prospective customers. Remember that around 75% of users don’t click beyond the first page of search engines. This is where you can leverage the power of local SEO.
Local SEO is an SEO strategy focused on high “local” search results. It encompasses a series of techniques to help increase your firm’s online visibility and generate a high rank in search results from your targeted area.
Simply put, an effective local SEO strategy helps a business optimize its online presence and steer prospects to visit its website. So, creating a local SEO strategy is necessary if you want your business to stay relevant.
How Can Local SEO Impact Your Business?
Competing with larger corporations online can be challenging for a small business owner. Fortunately, local SEO offers a solution to level the playing field and draw more relevant traffic to your website, pair it with a web development company in Toronto for additional leads. Here are ways that a successful local SEO strategy can benefit your business:
- It helps attract local traffic
Consumers no longer search for local businesses in the yellow pages or maps, as they did a few decades ago. Today, they use search engines to find information about a company, like its location, operating hours, and other relevant details.
With an effective local SEO strategy, you can improve your search engine rankings for local search queries, making it easy for potential customers to find your business.
- It helps give individualized results
As long as you’re logged into a Google account, your search history and geographical location will play a role in the local results you see. Google loves giving individualized results to those who search for local business information. Although its predictive and customized search features are limited (at least for the time being), the search engine can still generate specific results based on the person searching.
To take advantage of this, it’s vital to list your company on Google My Business and ensure that all your information is updated and accurate. You should also include your business’s address, phone number, and other relevant information on your website. This will help Google understand that your business is relevant for searches in your area.
- It helps to increase customer retention
A significant reason local SEO continues to become a vital part of the marketing strategies for every online business is customer retention. With your accurate contact information, customers can contact you quickly if they have enquiries or want to purchase. When they have a positive experience, they will likely become repeat customers.
Customer reviews can also be a powerful way to attract new customers and retain existing ones. You can build trust and credibility with potential customers by encouraging them to leave reviews on your website and local directories.
- It helps you overtake your rivals
When your business appears at the top of the search results for keywords related to your products or services, it can attract more customers. It might provide you with an edge over your rivals.
Offering unique products or services can differentiate you from your competition and attract customers looking for something different.
- It helps build links with local businesses
Competition is an integral part of the equation, and how beneficial it is to form alliances or friendly ties with neighbouring businesses. With local SEO, you can partner with local firms, share links, and promote each other’s products or services. This can be a mutually beneficial relationship that helps both businesses attract more customers. You can also raise awareness of your business and earn links from local news websites or organizations that cover the event.
- It helps drive more sales for your business
If you get into the mindset of an active shopper, you naturally look for businesses close to you that offer what you want. As soon as you find a company that can meet your needs, you either go to their store or call them to book an appointment for their service.
By targeting your online advertising to specific geographical locations, you can reach potential customers who are more likely to visit your physical store or purchase from your website.
- It helps your business cut down on advertising costs
Statistics show that 82% of online shoppers input “near me” into their searches. If you can place your business in relevant search results, you’re already targeting the local population. You can cut advertising costs by improving your organic search rankings and driving more traffic to your website.
With local SEO, you don’t need to send out flyers, pay for newspaper ads or conduct local social media campaigns. In addition to paid advertising, there are many free marketing channels that you can use to promote your business locally. For example, you can list your business in online directories and review sites. You can also interact with customers on social media and create content that will likely be shared on local blogs or online communities.
- It puts your business front and centre
Optimizing your website for local search and improving the user experience can increase the chances that visitors will take the desired action (such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form). This can help you get more value from your budget by converting more visitors into paying customers.
When you can beat your competition and rank your business at the top of relevant local search results, you attract more people to see your business first and foremost. This will impact your business in terms of how much it gets from local searches.
Potential customers who conduct local searches will click on 1 of the first 3 locations. In contrast, only a small percentage of users will click to load more local results. This highlights the urgency of having your business at the top, or at least among the top. Most people will also pick the top result with the most reviews or the highest score.
When implementing a local SEO strategy, claim and optimize your online profiles, use relevant geo-targeted keywords, encourage customer reviews, monitor your online presence, and stay updated with local SEO best practices. When done right, your business’s local SEO strategy will help improve your organic search rankings, target your advertising more effectively, and increase your website’s conversion rate.
