Local SEO: How important is it ?

Unless your business is entirely online, the location plays a very important role in your business’s successes. The people located closest to your business are the most likely to turn into customers.

One of the ways that these people can find you online is through SEO. Local SEO needs to be a part of your marketing strategy, period.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL SEO

When we talk about “Local SEO” we refer to the optimization that shows your business when someone searches for a certain term in a specific area.

Let’s say, you own a restaurant and you would like it to appear for searches such as “places to eat in Sliema” or “best restaurant near me”. An effective local SEO system can see an increase in your revenue as your business will start showing to the people looking for you.

OPTIMIZING LOCAL SEO

When it comes to optimizing Local SEO, there are several steps one should take. If you follow the guidelines we’re going to walk you through below you will be on your way to start ranking your business.

TOOLS

There are lots of business-related tools where you need to list down your company in order for it to pop up at the right places. Google my Business remains one of the most effective one. Listing your business in Apple Maps or Bing Places could also be effective.

KEYWORD OPTIMIZATION

In order to be able to optimize your keywords you need to know which exact keywords people are using when looking for a business or service similar to yours.

Let’s say your business sells flowers. Your potential customer may search “florists near me”. They might be also looking for your company directly. Maybe they need the opening hours, or a contact number to ask a question. There are plenty of tools you can use to identify which keywords similar businesses use to rank such as the Google Keyword Planner.

SEO MAINTENANCE

Like a lot of other aspects of Digital Marketing, local SEO isn’t a set and forget kind of thing. Regular activity is much needed if you intend on keeping your ranking. You have to be consistent in doing the following

- Update your website’s content with related information.

- Use Google Posts to add updates and promotions to your listings.

- Read the reviews you receive and courteously answer them.

By staying on top of your SEO game, you are ensuring that your business will maintain a strong position and continue to pop up when people are looking for similar businesses or services.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, if your business has a physical location, there’s no reason in the world why you shouldn’t focus on Local SEO. It’s affordable, easy and can provide an enormous help when it comes to reaching your audience.