The Power Of Local SEO

We talk about how technology and digital communications have literally put the whole world at our fingertips, but the reality is that we still love local.  And that’s why we have to love local when it comes to SEO. 

Why does local SEO matter? 

Local SEO is important because the days of relying on a Yellow Pages listing and an ad in the community newspaper to attract customers are gone.  It’s now all about digital visibility and for your target market to be able to find you quickly and easily, you need an effective local SEO strategy. 

The numbers don’t lie.  Consider this.  Brightlocal’s 2023 Customer Review Survey found that 98% of consumers used the internet to find information about local businesses in 2022.  Another survey from Backlinko found that for local queries, 42% of searchers clicked on results inside of the Google Maps Pack. Chatmeter reported a 900% increase in ‘near me’ searches in recent years. 

Don’t get me wrong.  Directory listings and print ads still have their place, but if you’re serious about connecting with consumers in your area of operation, you need local SEO. 

Who needs local SEO? 

Any business that serves customers in a defined region, city or neighbourhood needs local SEO.   

It’s vital if you have a bricks-and-mortar operation where customers, suppliers, service providers etc can visit you (eg a hairdresser, gym, physiotherapist, restaurant, fast-food outlet, medical facility) and it can also help to build your rankings even if you don’t have a physical presence (eg a mobile windscreen repair service, plumber, landscaper).  

>> Need help with Local SEO? Check out our latest course Local SEO Results to get your business the visibility on Google it deserves.
 

What is Local SEO? 

Local SEO is really just SEO with a local twist.   

You still need to do thorough keyword research, focus on quality up-to-date content that’s relevant and useful to your local audience, have a solid backlink strategy and have good on-page technical SEO.  Plus there’s some other important stuff too like social media engagement and community involvement.  

The rise and rise of smartphones and voice-activated searches using personalised assistants like Siri and Alexa have been significant enablers to the growth of local search.   

Mobile users are as the word implies – highly mobile – and they will often search for a business or product when they’re out and about and they use Google Maps to get directions.  This is huge in terms of the potential to convert, so if you’re one of the 58% of companies which don’t optimise for local search, you’re missing out.  Yes, you read that right.  Over half of all businesses don’t optimise for local search despite the fact that almost a third of all searches with local intent result in a purchase!  If you need any more persuasion, check out this article on five reasons why you need local SEO. 

Who are local searchers? 

Local searchers are looking online for information about a certain product, service or business.  But they behave in a slightly different way.  They’re not usually looking for general information about a business or product or service, they’re looking for actionable information about where to find it, otherwise known as a transactional search query.  In other words, they are highly motivated and are limiting their searches to specific geographical locations.  

Why you need local SEO 

Does this sound like you? 

• You operate in a specific geographical area  
• Your website is underperforming even though you have a great product or service 
• You know your product or service could be of benefit to local customers 
• Your leads are drying up 
• You feel like you’re invisible to your customers 

If this sounds familiar, it’s time to take charge of your local SEO.  And my new Local SEO Results Course is just the ticket.  It focuses specifically on teaching business owners the tools and techniques of SEO so that they can attract more website traffic and attract qualified, highly motivated leads.   

By learning the right processes for local SEO, how to find the right keywords and uncovering best practices, you can improve your organic traffic from searches performed by customers in nearby areas and drive conversions and revenues. 

Top tips for local SEO 

Much of local SEO is straightforward, but there are some more technical aspects.   

Your first priority is to establish your Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) and optimise it.  GBP is arguably your most powerful local SEO tool, so you need to work on adding information to this regularly which contains relevant information for your local audience. 

Other local SEO techniques include: 

• Getting your business onto other map listings eg Bing and Apple  
• Listing on local business directories such as Yellow Pages, Hot Frog and more. 
• Attracting genuine customer reviews 
• Establishing a link-building strategy ideally from websites that are relevant to your local area eg. Local business association or suburb/ city business directories 
• Optimising your URL, title tags, headers, meta description and your content 
• Adding location pages to your website and including a Google Map on your ‘Contact’ page 
• Having a content-creation strategy that focuses on quality local content 
• Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly 
• Establishing yourself as not only an expert in your field, but also as an active participant and contributor to your local community 

Discover the power of local SEO 

Let’s get you on track to building your rankings and establishing your business as the go-to place for locals.  Have a read of this article on what local SEO can do for your business and head to The SEO School to sign up for my new local SEO Course.  It’s time to get your business on the (Google) map! 

Karen Dauncey

Karen Dauncey has been working in SEO since 2003. She specialises in helping businesses get found online through Google using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) She is the founder and creator of The SEO School an online SEO Course to help teach business owners how to do their own SEO. She regularly delivers educational programs for both Local, State and Federal Government and is an advisor for the ASBAS Digital Solutions Program. Karen’s passion and commitment to help small business owners get found online is the driving force behind her online school, making SEO advice accessible to all with free resources and online courses.

Karen's wealth of SEO knowledge and practical digital marketing experience comes from running her own SEO and Google Ads agency, Blue Cherry Online Marketing since 2008. Karen has optimised over 1000 websites, managed millions of dollars' worth of spend on Google Ads and has a solid understanding of the constantly shifting industry of digital marketing and SEO. This gives her a unique advantage when it comes to being able to recommend the right online marketing strategies for your business. This gives her a unique advantage when it comes to being able to recommend the right online marketing strategies for your business. She was recently recognised as an SEO Expert for the popular course creation platform, Kajabi as well as appearing on ABC Radio
for her expert opinion on the ACCC's investigation into search engines.

Karen has attended search engine conferences in London, Stockholm, Adelaide and Sydney, and was also invited to attend a pilot Business Coaching Course at Google’s Head Office. She has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.

She is also the co-owner of the Digital Experts Directory, an online directory for female serviced-based businesses to promote their business (with a great backlink for SEO).

To keep up to date with the latest in SEO, join her Facebook group The SEO School Community or follow her on Facebook or LinkedIn.