Local
SEO

Local SEO is important because it ensures your business comes up as a result when potential customers in your area search for the products and services you offer. It is therefore a critical consideration for businesses with a physical location or which service a geographic area. A key component of local SEO is capturing online reviews so that you can be seen credible both by the quantity and the quality of the services or products that you offer and the experience you provide.

Local SEO encompasses a wide range of strategies and techniques. Some of the most important include creating and optimising your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), optimising your website for local keywords, and ensuring your business details are consistent across your online presence. Some of this may seem simple and straightforward, however, having slight discrepancies in your address details across different platforms can actually hurt your ranking.

Local search engine optimisation (SEO) is a specialised version of SEO. Like normal SEO, the aim is to increase online visibility by pushing your website up the results page for relevant searches. But unlike normal SEO, local SEO is focused exclusively on search queries with local intent and searches on mapping tools like Google maps.

Citations are when your business name, address and phone number are listed on a third-party site. Google uses citations to check that your business is legitimate and to rank it for relevance on a given query. You can build citations by creating social media profiles and listing your business in online business directories.

Local search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of making your website and brand more visible online, by pushing it up the rankings on the search engine results page, on Google maps and specifically for search queries that have local intent, e.g. those that include a specific location or “near me”.

When a user types a relevant search into Google with local intent, quality local SEO will ensure you’re displayed high on the results page, as well as in rich results, such as on Google Maps. It makes your business incredibly easy to discover. In some markets there is little competition as not every SEO expert is trained in this rapidly evolving area, so if you get this right, your impressions could go from thousands to millions overnight.

Local SEO presents the opportunity to be seen by locals who are looking for exactly what you offer, right now. Once someone has discovered you, they may well visit, because you may only be a short walk or drive away. Foot traffic can skyrocket with the help of local SEO. However, it does depend on your business. If you are a restaurant, hair salon or a shop for example, it is going to drive people into your store, to book a table or appointment online or to give you a call. If you are a B2B organisation, it will increase your visibility and will more likely drive people to your website and start building credibility about your business.

Your Google Business Profile forms the foundation of your local SEO efforts, as it establishes and verifies your location. It also grants you the opportunity to manage and enhance your online reputation, as you can ask customers to post reviews.