What is local SEO? Why Are Local Listings Important For Your Business?
Google, Bing, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, LinkedIn, etc.
- Having your business listed on as many online local directories as possible is the best way to make sure your business is visible in as many searches as possible.
- Boost your local search ranking
- Build consistent contact information
- Secure your reputation (customer reviews)
- Get more web traffic (link to your website)
- Get more phone calls
Soko Digital Marketing provides local SEO (search engine optimization) marketing methods that help your local community find your business. We promote your business to your surrounding service areas to drive traffic to your website and gain new local customers. Local SEO search engine optimization is essential when building an online audience.
If you run a local business, you'll want Google to position it in front of potential customers in your area individually. For that, use local SEO, and it's well worth it. 97% of customers use search engines to find local information. They look for suggestions on vendors, and even specific business addresses. 12% of customers look for local business information every day. What's more, they act on this information: 75% of searchers visit a local store or company's premises within 24 hours of the search. But hold on, is local SEO different from what we’ve been talking about all along? Yes and no.
How Does Google Rankings Help My Local Business?
Search engines follow similar principles for both local and global rankings. But given that they position a site for specific, location-based results, they need to analyze some other ranking factors too. When analyzing local websites, Google looks at the proximity to a searcher’s location. With the rise of local searches containing the phrase, “near me,” it’s only fair that Google will try to present the closest businesses first. One additional element of on-page optimization is the presence of a company’s name, address, and phone number on a page. In local SEO, we refer to it as the NAP (name, address, and phone number). Again, it makes sense, as the search engine needs a way to assess the company’s location.
Local SEO is a key contributor in reaching local customers searching for you!
Google assesses authority in local search not just by links. Reviews and citations (references of a business’s address or a phone number online) highlight its authority too. Finally, the information a business includes in Google My Business, the search engine’s platform for managing local business listings, plays a huge part in its rankings. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg, but it is one of the things to get right first if you want your business to rank well in local search.
