Local SEO is important for all businesses , more so, it is important to understand why localizing your SEO to cater to a certain section or an area in the country is so important. Although SEO prioritizes on ranking in searches in the country, local SEO focuses on appearing on SERPs (Search Engine Results Page)  in a particular region. This strategy depends on marketing a brand, products, or services to local customers.

What does Local SEO mean?

Local Search Engine Optimization (Local SEO) is the process of optimizing the web presence of a business so that it will show up when nearby customers carry out a search related to that business.
Optimizing your local SEO entails more than website traffic and conversions since the strategy is more important to a base of local customers. This strategy can be seen as a means of helping business owners effectively compete against larger national brands that have unlimited resources to spend, and optimize their business marketing strategies.
By focusing on particular local SEOs methods, you can neutralize the advantage of bigger companies that regularly optimize for wider keywords and depend on brand recognition, rather than value propositions, to generate traffic.
Local search for small businesses is increasing – four out of five consumers use search engines to find local information, which means if your website is not optimized for local search, you could be missing out on 80 percent of your potential customers. In short, local SEO is important if you want your business to remain relevant.
Also, according to an estimate in 2007, 35 percent of all search traffic is local. Without local SEO, a business could be losing out on an important amount of traffic.

Why is Local SEO Important in your area or Stroudsburg, PA?

  • Local search intent is specific. Local customers are looking for businesses close by that can offer them something specific. Local SEO assists business owners to connect with these customers by using targeting in their marketing campaigns.
  • It can lead to more visitors. Customers who search for a local business are often ready to visit. Google research shows that 76 percent of people who conduct a local mobile search visit a business within a day.
  • They have a high purchase intent. When people look for a specific local business, they are often near the bottom of the sales funnel and ready to spend. According to Search Engine Land, 78 percent of local mobile searches lead to a purchase, either in-store or online.

Local SEO assists business owners to promote their goods and services to local prospects and clients. To get information for local search, search engines depend on signals such as local content, social profile pages, links, and citations to provide the most important local results to users.
To help you optimize your business for local SEO and business marketing, we have come up with a detailed guide, which will cover local SEO tips, techniques, and tools. Here are the best ways you can make your local SEO success.

How to improve local SEO

  1. Optimize your Website for Google My Business
  2. Get positive reviews from customers
  3. Include location pages on your site
  4. Create local content for your website
  5. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Optimize your Website for Google My Business

To begin, you need to have your business on Google My Business. This gives you a presence, for free, in search engines, and it means your business will also be seen on Google Maps. Not only will your business show up in search results on all devices, but, if Google authenticates your business as legitimate, it could also surface in the important sidebar space of a Google search. To optimize Google My Business, make sure that you:

  • Verify your listing
  • Provide real and up-to-date information
  • Have a business logo, hours of operation, acceptable payment methods, the products or services you’re offering, and a lot of quality images
  • Encourage your clients to leave a review on your website
  • Sincerely respond to the reviews of customers
  • Use Google Posts to write content within your account

Get positive reviews from customers

Having customers write enthusiastic reviews for your business doesn’t only optimize your Google My Business presence; it also encourages more local customers to patronize you. Studies reveal that 85 percent of customers believe online reviews just as they believe personal recommendations. Some tips to encourage customers to leave reviews include:

  • Personally ask for a review after the close of a sale
  • Send an email or a text after a purchase asking customers to write a review (but only after you’re certain they are satisfied by what they’ve paid for)
  • Professionally respond to existing reviews, appreciating reviewers and solving issues or complaints

Include location pages on your site

If you have more than one location, make more location pages. These pages give visitors your name, address, phone number, store business hours, unique store descriptions, parking/transit information, promotions, and testimonials from satisfied customers.

It is also necessary that you avoid duplicating content across many location pages. For businesses with a single location, make a locally descriptive ‘About Us’ page. You will get huge bonus points if you add a Google Map to your website on your location page(s).

Create local content for your website

Google continues to grow smarter, which means that content creators will now need to write for customers, not search engines. But even though writing about general topics will attract a wider audience, it’s more profitable to focus and write about local or industry updates to attract a local audience.

Be the local authority for your industry by promoting local industry news, employees, gatherings, and other educational articles on your blog. Think of a content that goes beyond what your business sells, and focuses on what the clients want to know.

There’s nothing better than creating content that directly communicates or relates to a local problem to grab the attention of your local customers. Some strategies are:

  • Writing contents around local news activities, stories, or events
  • Make videos about local charities that your business supports
  • Set up location-specific pages on your website with high-quality local content if you serve different parts of a location

Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Local and mobile searches go hand in hand (nine out of ten smartphone users carry out local searches on their mobile devices!).

Some of the common methods visitors will use your site in a mobile device is to look up reviews, find directions to your business, and search for your contact information. Make it easier for your prospects by making your website mobile-friendly. Some tips to achieve this include:

  • Make sure your website loads quickly (in less than three seconds)
  • Use large fonts that are easy to read
  • Use pictures and copy sparingly, conveying only the information you need

In Conclusion

Local SEO is important for small and multi-location businesses, as it helps them get the most out of search marketing by connecting them with the audience who matter most – local customers and shoppers who are looking for nearby businesses.

SEO changes very rapidly; you can never tell when Google will introduce new features on its SERPs for local searches, that’s why it is necessary to always stay on top of local SEO for business marketing. By implementing these actionable items, you will ensure that your business doesn’t just take advantage of lucrative local searches but also has a good foundation when new SEO features are implemented by Google. Carry out a local SEO audit on your site and follow the local SEO tips in this post to have a local search plan that assists your business rank in your location.