When you are a business that serves a specific area, the competition is fierce. It would help if you could separate yourself from other local businesses. Local SEO marketing can have a tremendous impact on your phone call and walk-in traffic.
You've probably tried traditional marketing methods such as print and radio advertising or roadside signs, but are you getting the return you need? When people want information on businesses, they don't listen to the radio; they look it up online.
Your ranking on Google is crucial to getting the most traffic possible to your website. Is your business the first one they see, or is it your competitor? Appearing on the first page of Google is vital, especially getting in the local 3-pack through Google Maps.
Let's look at the five most significant benefits of Local SEO and how it impacts your business.
Reach More Customers with Local SEO
The key to success for a brick and mortar store or a business that serves an area like heating and cooling repair is reaching the right people. Traditional marketing sends out a wide net. Only a small fraction of the people who see your advertising are interested in your service. That's a waste of money.
When you optimize your website for search engines, you attract traffic specifically looking for your goods and services. That creates the best opportunity to convert site visitors into customers.
Focusing on Local SEO improves your chances of being in the local 3-pack at the top of the search results and in the top search results themselves. This is valuable online real estate and the first thing people see when looking up information.
Google 3-Pack
The Google 3-pack lists businesses that Google feels best represents a location. The top listing in the 3-pack for a local search receives 44 percent of clicks, according to Moz.
This slight nudge from Google, telling searchers that these are the three most relevant businesses in the area, plays a major role in influencing searchers click.
Take a look at my Guide to Google Business Profile to learn how to optimize your listing and have the best chance of winning those 3-pack results.
SEO Marketing Improves Brand Awareness
There's likely a lot of competition out there in your business niche. How can you get the word out about your business with all the competition out there? The best way is through brand awareness. If people know and trust who you are, they are more likely to choose your business.
If you offer a service or product that people have never heard of, you will have a hard time competing with the businesses that have been around for 25 years.
Local SEO helps create brand awareness by putting your site on the first page of Google for related keywords. By climbing the search engine rankings, you start to bring more credibility to your business while bringing more awareness through increased website traffic. Your customers have a better chance of finding you when you appear on the first page of search results.
SEO through Social Proof
A great way to improve your brand awareness is through reviews from customers. Many review websites such as Yelp allow customers to discuss their experiences with your business, both good and bad.
These reviews give people a better understanding of the quality of your business. The more positive reviews you get, the more comfortable customers become with your business.
Positive reviews on these third-party sites help build trust and improve consumer confidence in your brand. This can lead to increased sales for your business, all thanks to the social proof.
Unfortunately for us, small business owners, these review sites rank highly on Google. Usually, higher than most small businesses for certain keywords. So, we need to use this to our advantage by garnering great reviews to act as testimonials for our businesses.
I talk a lot about the impact of social proof on your website in another article, but social proof also applies to reviews and testimonials across the web.
Reduce Your Marketing Costs
Promoting your business through paid advertisements can be expensive, especially if using an agency to manage your ads. Local SEO marketing offers a great way to reduce your marketing costs.
You control everything, the keywords you want to rank for, what information appears on your website and in which order, etc. This gives you the ability to spend less money for better results.
Digital advertisements also cast a wide net. You may be targeting Facebook Ads to your specific niche, but you can't be sure that the individuals seeing those ads are interested in buying at the moment.
With local SEO, you know that the searchers are in the market to buy your product or service. Again, this increases conversions and saves you money in the long run.
Local SEO Tools
Google provides all the resources you need to rank highly in search results. Focus on your primary and secondary keywords on your website. Google will give you the insights you need to track and monitor how you are performing.
If you want to take your local SEO to the next level, below are some tools for your to check out today!
Receive More Targeted Traffic
Finally, local SEO helps you receive more targeted traffic to your website.
Local SEO only brings in traffic from a specific area. Local SEO customers not only want your service but are located within your service area. This is done through careful keyword research and content creation. Targeted traffic leads to more conversions and a better return on investment.
Think of it like this, are you more likely to buy from a stranger who pops up in a paid advertisement or the local business down the street who pops up for the exact thing you are looking for? That's the benefit of local SEO, the user's intent is to buy or learn more about that particular product or service, and if your business can appear at the top of those results, your website traffic and conversions will start to increase!
Start Marketing Your Business with Local SEO Today
Local SEO marketing is a must for today's small businesses. It is the only advantage small businesses have against Amazon and the other major retailers if they do it right.
If you serve a specific area and need new customers, this is the best way to make it happen. While you don't have to abandon traditional marketing, you need to realize that local SEO is how small businesses are winning in today's society.
If you want more information about local SEO and how I can help, then please contact me today.
