When a web user searches for a specific service, they often want it in the very near future. If you’re the restaurant they discover in the search results, you have a significant chance of winning your business. This, of course, applies to all local businesses; Local SEO allows you to reach local customers who are likely to need your products or services right away.
And you can even apply these ideas in your multi-location SEO if you focus on more than one area. So make the most of it to improve your online visibility into local searches and grow your business. GMB or Google My Business is essentially the most critical part of your local SEO strategy.
Many local listing guides allow consumers to list reviews of their experience with a local business or their thoughts on a specific product or service. This gives potential customers the confirmation they need to proceed with their purchase from you. Whitespark’s local search ranking factors place GMB signals as the most crucial element for any online brand looking to appear in local package results. Google is also the first place that 63% of consumers will visit for reviews before visiting the company. It’s a way to build backlinks from different websites with a similar audience so you can achieve a high ranking and get as many local visitors as possible.
The listing appears on the right side of the search results pages and is primarily displayed for brand searches. Listings contain basic business information, such as company name, website URL, address, Local SEO phone number, and products or services. The listing also allows the owner to upload photos, update hours of operation, post upcoming promotions or news, and collect and respond to reviews.
When performing Google searches, most of us will likely consider the companies that are ranked higher in search results. Even if we end up looking at the companies below or on the third or fourth page, we may not trust those brands as much. The point is that they do nothing wrong or less noticeable, in terms of products or services, compared to brands with higher rankings in search engines. However, just because their ranking is low, customers are hesitant to make a purchase. Local SEO can lead to higher rankings, allowing your brand to become more visible and trustworthy in the eyes of potential buyers. If you’re asking, “What is local SEO?”, you’re probably wondering what a local search looks like on a search engine like Google.
76 percent of people looking for a nearby business on their smartphone visit them within a day, and 28 percent of these searches end in a purchase. That’s why the ability to target local keywords is crucial if you want to reach a local audience. Local search data shows that 57% of all local searches are performed on smartphones or tablets. When someone goes to your website on a mobile device, your website and its content need to be optimized on today’s portable devices.
Using strategies to improve local SEO can lead to an increase in your web traffic. If your content isn’t optimized locally, it will compete with top companies and websites from different fields, reducing your chances of ranking high in your relevant field. However, with local SEO services, your website is more likely to rank higher, leading to a higher clickthrough rate, which would ultimately bring more traffic to your site. An example of a long-tail keyword is “pizzeria in Harrisburg, PA.” These keywords are specific, so they help attract the most interested potential customers to your page. When users perform local searches, they use long-tail keywords to find the right business. If you integrate the right local long-tail keywords, you’ll attract more foot traffic to your store.
Google has responded to the shift in search behavior from desktop to mobile by ranking companies based on mobile versions of their websites. (Instead of desktop versions.) This is great news for regional businesses that can use local SEO to their advantage by optimizing their online presence. Google continues to focus on the mobile experience and location-based search results. As a result, companies that use targeted marketing strategies and personalized content will reach the largest number of relevant consumers. Before trying a new product or service, many people search online for reviews. If your business doesn’t have reviews, potential consumers may be hesitant to give you their money.
Local appointments are cases where your business’s name, address, and phone number are listed online, such as a list of local businesses. No matter where you add local quotes on the internet, make sure your information is correct and used in a consistent format every time. The local search ecosystem describes the existence of multiple websites, directories, platforms, and applications that list, distribute, and share information about local businesses. Learn how data aggregators, directories, and search engines affect the local search ecosystem.
In fact, 92% of consumers used customer reviews to guide their purchasing decisions. Maintaining your GMB listing is also important on a local scale, as it allows you to compare different aspects of your digital presence, such as the number of reviews and the overall anti-competitive rating.