It’s 2024. If you don’t have an online presence, you are basically a nobody.
Like it or not, businesses need to invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) if they want to be seen as relevant to their customers. Now you may be thinking that you’ll never be able to compete with big box retailers, but that is where you are wrong!
Local SEO helps you appear in searches for a specific geographic area. When people search for services in the state, city, or even neighborhood that you are located in, there is a smaller pool of competition and a much higher likelihood they will do business with you.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not local SEO is right for you, this article will list some of the main benefits.
6 Benefits of Local SEO For Your Business
Local SEO is about more than helping you appear in online searches. It’s about helping your business grow by making it easy for new customers to find you and not the other way around.
Some of the main ways you can benefit from local SEO include:
- Customers can easily find you
- More foot traffic to your physical location
- More phone calls
- Build your reputation with online reviews
- Compete with bigger businesses
- Bring more traffic to your website
Are you ready to learn more? Let’s dig in!
1. Your Customers Find You
You don’t need to spend a ton of money on advertising or post on social media EVERY DAY to get customers. You can if you want to — I would even encourage you to do so. But my point is you don’t have to.
With local SEO, you can ease up a little bit if you want to and let your customers find YOU.
When somebody searches “restaurants near me” or “family dentist in Los Angeles,” your business will appear at the top of the page. You will also appear on Google Maps when people are looking for things to do within walking distance.
2. It Brings More Foot Traffic
Local SEO is about more than helping you rank on Google. It’s about bringing more customers through the door. In fact, Google found that 88% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a related store within a week.
By targeting the right local keywords and improving your online visibility, you can leverage this trend to bring real people into your business. Imagine being the top result “restaurants open now” and how much business that could bring in.
3. You Get More Phone Calls
Local SEO does more than boost your rankings. It also creates cross-channel engagements that are important to modern customers.
Sounds fancy, right? What I mean by that is Local SEO makes it easy for customers to get in touch with your business however they prefer. That includes phone calls and emails.
Your Google Business Profile lets you display your contact info front and center in the Google search results. Customers don’t have to click through to your website and find the contact page. Instead, they can simply tap the “call” button and be connected to your business.
60 percent of smartphone users are already doing this, so you might as well use it to your advantage.
4. Build Your Reputation With Positive Reviews
I don’t have to tell you that reputation matters. Especially for local businesses where word gets around fast.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that having a ton of positive reviews can give your business a boost. When people are searching for services in their local area and have multiple options, chances are they will pick whoever has the highest rating.
Your Google Business Profile lets customers read individual reviews to see what exactly people are saying about you. Whether it’s great customer service, amazing food, or short wait times, your Google Business Profile will help potential customers know what to expect when they visit.
5. Compete with Bigger Businesses
Local SEO can also help level the playing field so you can compete with bigger or more established businesses in your area.
For example, when people search for “women’s clothing store,” wouldn’t it be great if your boutique reseller came up ahead of Anthropologie or Free People? Local SEO helps you be more targeted in your advertising so you don’t have to compete with big national brands for attention.
6. Get More Traffic To Your Amazing Website
You spent a lot of money on that website, didn’t you? It looks great and everybody loves it, but is it actually getting any traffic?
The most obvious benefit of local SEO is that it helps to bring more traffic to that amazing website of yours. And if you have an ecommerce store or online ordering system attached to it, that traffic can have a direct impact on your revenue.
The Best Time To Start Local SEO Is Now
Local SEO has a ton of benefits for your business, but it takes time to get going. Don’t wait until you’re “ready” to start SEO. Get started now and start seeing results within the next 2 – 3 months.
Get in touch today and I’ll start you off with a free SEO audit and we can talk strategy from there.
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