How Local SEO Services Can Change The Fortunes Of Your Business

Ranking high on local search results is a key objective of the marketing strategy for a local business. While the internet was supposed to sound the death knell for local business, it has in fact given these enterprises a new lease of life. Search remains the main driver of web traffic. If you own a local business, ranking on local search results should be a priority in your marketing strategy. While search engine optimization (SEO) is integral to the growth of your business, it is advisable to narrow down your target market. This is where local SEO services come in handy. With local competition heating up due to the entry of new players, it is important to optimize your SEO strategy to ensure that customers who are looking for a local business find you on local search engine result pages (SERPs). If you are not leveraging local search, you should know that someone from your competition will be doing so.

Local SEO is a new strategy within the broader SEO industry. The idea is to help you market your local business effectively to local customers at the exact time when they are looking for your products or services. To do this strategies that are different from ordinary SEO are used. These strategies focus on tapping your advantage as a local business. Investing in local SEO will give you a competitive edge because most small businesses are not yet harnessing the power of local search.

The Power of Local Search in Numbers

A recent survey shows that 50% of consumers who carry out a local search for a smartphone end up visiting a store within a day. Over 34% of users who do a similar search on other internet devices also visit a store within the same day. The Google 3–pack appears in the top spot in 93% of searches that are carried out with local intent. These numbers highlight the importance of local SEO services for your business strategy.

It gets better, 18% of local mobile searches will lead to a sale. If you are not convinced about the importance of local search yet, consider that 60% of American adults use their mobiles to carry out a local search about products or services. If you want to harness the power of the internet for your local business, it goes without saying that local SEO should have a prominent place in your marketing plans.

An established local SEO company offers a variety of services that are designed to boost your business on local search. These include:

• Appropriate link strategy
• Optimizing your website for local search.
• Local Maps Optimization
• Social media engagement
• Localized content marketing
• Reputable industry citations
• Google AdWords program
• Mobile responsive website design
• Authentic reviews
• Detailed ranking, link building and citation reporting and website analytic reports
• Reputable directory listing including Google My Business (GMB)
• Support and maintenance

Advantages of Local SEO

You can benefit from investing in local SEO in many ways. These include:

1. Higher Local Pack Ranking

While ranking on SERPs matters to every business, your local business should be more focused on Google’s Local Pack Rank. Google controls over 70% of the search engine market and most users use this powerful search engine to find information. Google's 3-pack includes top optimized local businesses. By working with a local SEO company, you are able to leverage the best techniques to guarantee your business ranks in the local pack. This pack accounts for over 44% of clicks by users and is enough to drive traffic to your website.

2. Targeted Marketing

Local SEO techniques are geared towards helping potential customers find local brands easily. Using Local SEO techniques makes it easier for you to target a particular audience at a specific time. For instance, if there is a local holiday, you can easily drive traffic by using specific targeted keywords.

3. Higher Conversion

When compared to all other traditional advertising channels, local SEO has a higher conversion rate. Strategies such as online directory listing including Foursquare, Yelp and City search rank high on local SERPs. These are just a few of the techniques that companies providing local SEO services used to boost conversion rates with ease.

4. Greater ROI

Investing in local newspaper adverts, direct mail and leaflets for your local business will not have the same effect as it used to have two decades ago. That fact that now most of your target customers are online makes local SEO a crucial strategy for your business.

There are many other advantages of integrating local SEO services in your marketing strategy. You gain a foot hold over the competition as many businesses are yet to claim Google My Business Listings and the use of mobile is growing. Local SEO serves as your online business extension, increases organic traffic, building trust in your brand through authentic reviews and directory listings. local SEO services are a must have in your marketing campaign.