What is ’local SEO’?
Local SEO represents the process of website optimization whose goal is to rank a site better on local search results page (search that contains location keyword). The following keywords exemplify typical local search: “wedding dress rental London” or “web design studio Novi Sad”, because they contain the name of a city.
More than a third of all searches in 2015 were local – more precisely, that number is as high as 36% (source: Search Engine Land), which constitutes a great percentage. Even the searches that did not include local parameters (keywords such as Perth, Queensland, etc.), Google can now show local search results based on the user/searcher data.
Why optimize site for local search?
- 36% of all searches are local
- 98% of consumers search for local products or services. By improving local search in relation to your competition, you can get a long-term advantage which can result in higher visits and sales.
- 80% of consumers find a local product or service via a mobile phone (source: Search Engine Land). This number has been influenced by the rising popularity in usage of mobile devices. While traveling, people now, more than ever, search for things such as: financial services and insurance, automotive, retail, travel, food, business, etc. Better local optimization enables finding information more quickly.
- A site ranked high for a certain place/location will get more visits via Google. The percentage of visitors coming from Google My Business is much higher than via local search.
- Entrepreneurs who verify their companies on Google can write descriptions of products and services, images, videos, give out coupons, discounts and special offers – all in order to attract shoppers – give information about working hours, parking lots, link to their website, and many more.
What companies should optimize for local search?
Every company which offers their products and services in a certain location should optimize site for local search. So, if your business goal is getting better results and maximizing profit – then, this is the right thing for you! No matter if you have a restaurant in New York, dentist’s office in Montreal, pet shop in Melbourne, or any other business situated elsewhere – you can only benefit from local SEO.
How to optimize site for local search?
There are 9 golden rules for local optimization:
- Buy local domains (e.g. .au for Australia, .de for Germany, .uk for United Kingdom)
- Hire a hosting company from your country
- Add your site to local web directories, business phonebooks, etc.
- Include physical address of your company on the site (preferably, in footer)
- Adjust geotargeting in Google Webmaster Search Console
- Register your website on Google My Business – the new platform which incorporates search, maps, and Google+)
- Ask your clients to write a review about your company (on Google+ and Google My Business)
- Socialize: be active on social networks
- Run a blog which includes writing about current local events
Improve your business additionally
If you aim for better business results, we suggest reading the following texts that can help every business owner become successful online:
