Did you know that 97% of online users search for local services, products, and businesses on a search engine? As a small business owner, acing the Local SEO game should be your top priority. Because if you want to grow exponentially, you need to outrank your local competition, and that’s where Local SEO comes in.
Local search engine optimization is important for small businesses because it ensures that the traffic and leads you receive are from your service area. If your company offers services in one area and someone from across the country is contacting you, it is not helpful to your business.
Some people think SEO is like a white elephant that is expensive and useless, but this is far from the truth. You need Local SEO to become visible to your audience. If no one can find you, how would they buy from you? But with better rankings and visibility, your business gets more queries and traffic, ultimately resulting in conversions.
Why is Local SEO Crucial for Small Businesses?
Type “best AC services” in your mobile browser. You will see the list of local AC service providers, and the interesting thing is, these service providers are not from big companies. They are small businesses that are nearby to your location. That’s the magic of Local SEO.
Local Search Optimization boosts the visibility of small businesses. With the help of Local SEO, you can target your audience and capitalize on the opportunities the local searches had to offer.
If you are still hesitant about the impact of Local Seo, here are some stats:
- In the United States, 60% of adults contacted local businesses after running a local search on their smartphones and tablets.
- Did you know 78% of Local searches convert into offline purchases? And 90% of these purchases are made in physical stores. Even As a brick-and-mortar store, it is imperative to have your business listing.
- “Near me” searches sky-rocketed by 900% from 2017-2019 alone.
- According to research, 46% of all searches have local intent. Google receives 3.5 billion searches every day, and 1.6 billion of these include local intent. Imagine missing out on nearly half of
- Google searches, all because you didn’t pay attention to Local SEO.
- According to a survey, 71% of people said they searched for a local business address first before visiting them in the store.
- Getting your business listing ranked through Local SEO brings a wealth of opportunities as, according to SEO stats, 24.4% of people click the first business listing. This means you are already ahead of your competition just by doing top-notch Local SEO.
- Another shocking statistic reveals that 62% of customers will discredit a business if there is no online information. This emphasizes the fact that In 2021, to keep your business afloat, Local SEO is inevitable.
How can Local SEO help a business?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, small businesses’ failure rate is 20% in the first year. In their fifth year, 50% of those businesses will fail. Scaling a small business is a challenging task indeed, and ignoring Local SEO is being counterintuitive.
Here are 5 ways Local SEO can help small businesses.
Cheap and Effective Marketing Plan
Most small businesses do not have big marketing budgets, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on it. Local SEO is an excellent solution to your problem. By setting up your GMB listing across different Platforms like Google and Facebook for free, your chances of being discovered by local clients grow tremendously. It is a cost-efficient and easy way to get your newborn business to stand on its feet.
Conversion Rate Goes Up
The whole point of any business is to make sales. When your business is showing up in local search categories, your conversion automatically goes up. According to this study, 80% of local searches performed on mobile lead to sales. This makes sense as your business provides the customers with the exact solution and at the precise time. Because customers are willing to buy, the Conversion rate inevitably goes up.
Makes you Visible
As a small business, building brand reputation is of paramount importance. By investing in Local SEO, you can rank your business website or listing on the first page. By appearing on the first page for your Key related term, you are gaining consumers’ trust. They are more likely to hand over their money to a business with a strong online reputation rather than a business with no presence at all.
Targeted and Refined Search
By targeting a specific community and neighborhood, you are weeding out time-wasters. Instead, you are only getting inquiries from targeted customers who are interested in your business.
Beats the Competition
By optimizing your business listing and website, you are a step ahead of your competition. While other competition is busy spending money on general terms, you can rank your business for local terms. For example, there are two businesses with the same prices, identical products, and similar business models. The only difference is, one has an optimized website and a ranked listing while the other does not. Who do you think will get more traffic and leads among the two? Of course, the one with an optimized website.
How to get started with Local SEO?
Get started by focusing on local business listings where your business’s name, address, and contact number are listed.
Setting up GMB (google my business) is a major step in Local SEO strategy. Make sure to provide authentic detail to win the trust of search engines. List your business on platforms like Yelp, Bing places, Facebook, etc., to up your SEO game.
By creating your GMB profile, you can use the same data for Maps and Google Search. From the GMB dashboard, you can also edit your business hours, reply to reviews, and communicate with customers through this feature.
Incorporating relevant keywords in your listing and Business content can make a huge difference. If you are in the plumbing business, using keywords such as “best plumbing in Vermont” can positively affect rankings as search engines know your occupation and location.
Who is Local SEO for?
Local SEO isn’t for every business. Here is a type of businesses Local SEO is most suitable for:
- Services-based businesses such as AC repair companies, Plumbers, electricians and cleaning services, etc., can benefit most from Local SEO. Most people will prefer going to nearby businesses for these services. The best thing is that people need these services all year round. By doing Local SEO, you can attract tons of leads and inquiries.
- Lawyers and Attorneys can also utilize Local SEO to boost their businesses. If your law firm has high rankings, people are more likely to hire you.
- Medical professionals and service providers such as Doctors, Dentists, and Therapists with optimized listings can expect more patients.
- Hotels and Restaurants that have a Local SEO strategy in place can sky-rocket their revenue. Most people like dining in Local diners, and if a local search yields your name, it’s highly likely consumers will visit you.
- Real Estate agents can target Homebuyers through Local SEO. If you are renting properties, Local SEO can increase the apartment’s visibility, ultimately resulting in more leads.
Apart from that, local retailers like boutiques, furniture shops, retail stores, breweries, etc., can create GMB listings and target their ideal clients. Suppose your business falls into one of the above-mentioned categories. In that case, you need a Local SEO strategy to take your business to new heights without spending a huge chunk of your budget on marketing campaigns.
The Final Word
As a small business owner, you need all the help you can get. Unlike big brands, your marketing budget is not huge, and you don’t want to waste your resources on getting unrelated leads. Local SEO can help you generate qualified leads, bring more traffic to your website, establish brand authority and ultimately boost your sales.
In a world where more and more people prefer online services, Local SEO is a must for small business owners. By having an SEO strategy in place, your business is bound to grow and flourish.