Marketing is a crucial part of your small business’ success. And while there are a number of elements involved in a lucrative marketing strategy, one that is often overlooked by small business owners is local search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine marketing is a continually evolving process and one that is driven by the complex algorithms used by companies like Google and Bing. In recent years, search engines have updated their processes to provide better results for local queries. These updates have made it more important than ever that you take advantage of local SEO in order to maximize your online exposure.
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What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a highly targeted approach to marketing that allows you to put your small business right in front of those customers who are searching the internet for local products or services like yours. If you’ve properly optimized your website for local search, your business will show at the top of the search results page even above the organic listings. This prominent position in the search results will make it easier for potential customers to find you and for you to grow your business.
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Local Search is Huge and It’s Not Going Away
Phrases like “nearby” and “near me” are increasingly present in search queries now more than ever before. You’ve probably noticed the autocomplete option for “near me” when looking for businesses in your own area. This is because about half of all Google searches are local searches. What’s more is that a whopping 86% of people use Google Maps to find the location of a business. And it’s quite apparent that those individuals who search for a local business do so for a reason as almost 90% of them will call or visit that business within a day.
Incredible Conversion Rate
Another wonderful benefit that comes with a solid local SEO strategy is its amazing conversion rate. About 80% of local searches performed on mobile devices result in purchases, and 73% of these purchases are made in the store. This means that whether a customer is searching for your specific business or for the types of products or services you offer, there’s a good chance to make a sale when you have a strong presence in local search results. As we mentioned, local search engine optimization is highly targeted, so your company will be front and center to those potential customers who are legitimately interested in your products or services.
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Affordable and Cost-Effective
While it will take some time to get all of your local listings and search strategies up and running, the good news is that this strategy will be very easy on your wallet. In a lot of instances, getting your business listed on local directories is free of charge. So even if you don’t have a lot of disposable income, as long as you have the time to dedicate yourself to the process, you’ll still have the opportunity to increase your company’s exposure and reach the customers you want.
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Convenient for the Customer
Local search provides customers with individualized results, which makes their search experience that much more convenient. On-the-go searches are increasing with almost 60% of searches being conducted on mobile devices. Your local search engine optimization efforts will make it that much more helpful for your potential customers as they’ll easily be able to find you whether they’re searching at home or while they’re out and about.
Overall, Local SEO is a Worthwhile Investment
Small businesses need all the help they can get. Local search engine optimization gives you the opportunity to stand out online and amongst your competitors. You’ll enjoy a huge return on investment as you get more customers at little to no cost to you. With the proper efforts, you’ll be able to grow and improve your business. So if you haven’t started your local SEO efforts, now is definitely the time to start.
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Wondering How to Get Started?
First things first, you’ll want to make sure your business’ NAP (name, address, and phone) is on your website. Then, if you haven’t already, you’ll want to claim and complete your Google My Business listing. This listing will increase the chances that your business will show up in local search results. With local search engine optimization, it’s very important that your NAP is consistent across the internet. So if you’ve already listed your business information somewhere, make sure it’s all the same.
There are a number of services online that make it easy to check all of your local listings. We recommend using Moz Local as it’s a straightforward and easy to use tool that gives you a lot of useful information. With it, you can see if there are listings with incorrect information or if there are directories where your business isn’t listed (but maybe should be). These few steps will give you a good start to getting your local SEO efforts off the ground.
If you have any questions or would like help getting the process started, give us a call at (720) 389-0564 for a free consultation
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