This is a question I have been asked lately and it’s a good one to understand when running a business that uses the internet to drive new and repeat business. Let’s get started.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO helps promote your business to local searchers at the exact time they are looking for them. Millions of people use local search when they’re looking for the best businesses in the area. Local SEO is how you can increase your chances of being found by those local searchers.
Local SEO is a tool that assists in your SEO strategy, but it is primarily used to drive LOCAL AREA business. Here are some examples where Local SEO comes in valuable: Just think back to the days when you would wake up in the morning and see the local newspaper laying on the kitchen counter after being dropped off by the “local” paper boy. Those ads in that paper were a shotgun blast approach to marketing and a hope that the newspaper would get into the right person’s hand who might have an interest in using their service or buying their product.
The reason I use the above analogy is this — Local SEO is the digital version of the local newspaper but it’s specific to your business. No more guessing, no more hoping.
If someone inside your local area is searching for your business and you have your online presence built using Local SEO, then you will be promoted at the time that someone is searching for you.
Top 6 Reasons Customers Use Local Search:
- To find a specific business
- To find a product
- To find a service
- To read reviews
- To find a phone number
- Directions
Does Mobile Search Growth Affect Local SEO?
That’s a big YES! As mobile search grows so does local search. This is a trend that has followed a steady path for years. Why? It is super convenient for the user and delivers instant gratification. In 2017, 57% of online traffic was accounted for from a mobile device, and 2018 is on target to surpass the 60% mark with ease. To make a long article short, Local SEO is a great investment for any local business or online-based business that is looking for more exposure and wants to reach potential customers when they need your business most.
What is SEO?
SEO – Search Engine Optimization – is, in a nutshell, the ongoing work that is done on and off site for your domain — example: your brand.com. All major search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo have primary search results they display to a user. These search results are displayed after the major search engines crawl and authorize the rankings of over 1 billion websites online today.
SEO is a key performing tool that assists in whether or not your website receives quality traffic, little to no traffic or garbage traffic. For example, let’s use a cabin rental company website in the Smoky Mountains. Do they want to rank for “Best Cabin Rentals” or “Best Cabin Rentals in the Smoky Mountains”? You want to rank for keywords that are as close to your product as possible. Anyone could be searching for “Best Cabin Rentals” anywhere in the world, but the potential customer for a rental company in the Smoky Mountains would be searching for the “Best Cabin Rentals in the Smoky Mountains.” This is just one example of thousands that play a major role in businesses today. SEO is the key determining factor for any website that wants business tomorrow, the next day and the next day.
There are 2 core types of SEO. On-Site and Off-Site SEO. On-Site SEO is where the optimization of the website takes place, and in order to rank higher for more keywords, this is one of the core fundamentals scored by the major search engines. Whether it be content optimization or code optimization, on-site is here to stay and a must for any business looking to grow. Last, but not least, is Off-Site SEO. This is the action taken that affect the website’s relevance, trustworthiness and the big one: the AUTHORITY. This can be accomplished by building relationships with other reputable and relevant websites on the internet by the linking and promoting of your website on their websites. This is where your content gets graded ongoing by search engines after it scores your presence throughout the internet.
Top 6 Reasons to Invest in SEO:
- Establish your brand and business for the long term.
- Drive quality, high-converting traffic to your website.
- Yield a return on investment that has compounding interest.
- Stay ahead of your competitors A.K.A. capture market share.
- Become the AUTHORITY.
- Be found for many related searches and not just your brand.
Next Step In Your Business Dominating Google, Bing and Yahoo Search Engines?
Local SEO and SEO are directly correlated with each other. If one is not set up correctly, it can and will hinder the results of your marketing efforts to grow your business online. Learn more about how to improve your site’s SEO here.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read the article, and I hope you now have a understanding of what separates these 2 tools. Most importantly, I know these services can help you reach the next level in your business.
