Build Your Business With Local SEO

Best business practices in the 21st century are evolving quickly, but certain principles remain immutable. Consumers are human, exhibiting human behaviors. We respond favorably to simplicity and convenience. Local SEO provides that and more, benefitting buyers and sellers alike.

SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It and Local SEO both focus on upgrading your business’s rankings in online search results. The difference is Local SEO captures search territory close to your location.

Connecting with searchers in your area is crucial for commerce. 80% of local searches convert, making investing in local SEO the difference between success and failure. Some of this is due do to the nature of transactions.

If you’re shopping for a car and you live in Toronto, you have no incentive to peruse dealerships in Vancouver. There wouldn’t be a way to test drive it, and your vehicle would take longer to arrive than if it were available locally. And what arrives may have issues that would be more of a hassle to overcome than if the dealership were within driving distance.

There’s also regional pride, prompting shoppers to invest in nearby businesses. As well, Shop Local is an environmental slogan that persuades many consumers. Those human factors can draw customers in or drive them away.

So what can a Local SEO provider do for you? The basics to Local and SEO, for starters.

1. Keyword research will determine which keywords are most valuable to your company.
2. Content creation based on pertinent keywords will drive searchers to your business.
3. Website optimization will ensure your site is responsive and users can visit it using all devices.

Taking things further, your Local SEO provider will also:

1. Increase backlinks to your site in order to boost your website’s local authority.
2. Set up your Google My Business profile.
3. Analyze your site visits using Google Analytics to further optimize your business’s online presence.

Using Google Analytics helps bridge the gap where regional identity meets marketing technology. Local keywords are gold. Local keywords contain location-specific phrases, generating results specific to a geographic location. Google Analytics provides these to make your business more relatable.

But you also need your business to appear in front of your customer’s eyes as your service is being sought. 68% of all shopping clicks go to the first five positions in search results. This means you need to stay at the top of the rankings.

For that, you need a Local SEO 3-Pack. A Local SEO 3-Pack lists the first three businesses you find in your initial search results if you’re searching for a product or service online and using keywords like “near me” or “in GTA.”

When you do this, Google will post the local 3-pack listing, meaning the top three businesses with the product or service you seek. It will only post a business’s address. You must click to learn more. It may not be much, but it works best.

Sometimes, Google will pull results from Google Travel for these searches, generating more than three results. In any case, optimizing your business for Local SEO will make your brand more competitive.