The Importance of Local SEO

What is Local SEO?

First, SEO means Search Engine Optimization. The purpose of SEO is to bring your site’s pages high up in the search engine’s search results, hopefully, #1 on page 1.
When we’re talking about the “Local” version of SEO, that the search results come up with your listing (ahead of the competition) for the people searching in your area, instead of on the other side of the world. This takes special measures to ensure that this happens.

If you have one or more brick-and-mortar locations, you can no longer thrive without local SEO, and that means at least some local-specific keywords to be integrated for each of your locations.  Local SEO helps mobile existing and potential customers find your company when they need it – NOW. Local SEO dramatically increases the chance that you will receive the business and, if your site is attractive to the searcher, win the sale.

Today, the highest percentage of searches are made via Google, and a majority of those searches are made from a mobile device. The majority of those searches have a local scope. Therefore, it’s absolutely key that your website shows up prominently in that customer’s local search results.

Why Mobile SEO is so Important

With the ascent of smartphones, along with all the capabilities they have, they are able to have a fast connection to the Internet. When people are away from their home or office, they always have their phones with them. With our instant gratification life style, it’s only natural to search for what you want right away with your smartphone and make purchasing decisions based on your search results, really quickly.

Local SEO is Special

There are many things that make SEO for local businesses special: several steps are performed for local optimization that isn’t necessary for global optimization.

Local SEO requires special source tags (the stuff that happens behind the scenes) as well as the correct use of Titles/Headers (also behind the scenes) on each page. It also requires research on what your local competitors are doing with their websites. This means you need to provide your choice of SEOs with a list of your competitors from which to research.

If you have a physical presence with your business, I hope it is clear why you need to care about Local SEO.

If you have any questions, ask away!