Local SEO marketing is any online promotion used to promote a business that interacts only in physical locations. It applies to independent stores and large chains alike, and some companies use it as part of a broader internet marketing strategy. That approach delivers a strong return on marketing spend and adds extra benefits for the company.
What is local SEO marketing?
Local SEO marketing covers any online promotion aimed at a business that serves customers only at physical locations. Independent stores, large chains, and small businesses can all run local SEO campaigns, either on their own or as part of a wider internet marketing strategy.
Why does local SEO deliver a higher ROI?
Many companies focus on local SEO because it generally produces a higher ROI. Selling a product or service to someone halfway across the country is hard, and even a closed sale leaves the prospect unsure where to find you. Through social media optimization (SMO), a local SEO company can lift your site’s visibility among people already searching for what you sell. SMO targets prospects and turns website traffic into leads, and it gives online marketers a way to seed viral campaigns by encouraging friends and family to share information about your business.
How does local SEO attract new customers?
Beyond higher website traffic and lead generation, local SEO marketing helps draw in new customers. Most businesses would not send prospects to a sales page with no links back to the main site. The same logic applies when trying to win new customers through local search optimization: the website needs to be there to catch them.
Why is local SEO important for small businesses?
Local businesses reach only a portion of the population that is actively searching for products and services online. On top of that, most local businesses have websites that are not even optimized for the search engines. Less than 25% of all web pages are optimized for the major search engines, and only a small portion of the pages on the first page of the SERP are visited by local customers.
What can local SEO help a local business promote?
First, a company does not need to hire a professional search engine optimizer. It needs an effective marketing campaign that targets keywords relevant to the business’s location. Once high-quality keywords are in hand, the company can submit articles to directories and generate traffic with PPC ads and social media marketing campaigns.
Second, local SEO helps businesses promote within their own industry. A site focused on dog grooming in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a customer base in Kansas City can make those keyword searches local by placing the keyword in the anchor text of the site. Searches for dog grooming in Fort Collins redirect to the page with that keyword in the anchor text, and the same happens for searches for dog grooming in Kansas City.
Third, local SEO helps optimize content for a specific market. A person in Boston looking for information about running for mayor would not type “running for mayor” into Google; they would type “bruce city” or “new york city mayor.” A page optimized for the local market in the URL helps a company get found in those local searches. One example: a business in San Diego promoting its events in Orange County, California.
Fourth, a business can optimize for regional or country search results. Someone in Columbus, Ohio, looking for a travel business would not type “cruises” into Google; they would type “ships” or “cruises to california.” If the business listing on the left side of the Google search results is in San Diego, the website should be optimized for local search results. The same applies to any other websites listed on the site.
FAQ
What is local SEO marketing?
Local SEO marketing is online promotion used to promote a business that interacts only in physical locations. It can be used by independent stores, large chain stores, and any business that wants to reach customers searching for products or services in a specific area.
Why is local SEO important for small businesses?
Local businesses only have a portion of the population actively searching for products and services online, and most have websites that are not even optimized for the search engines. Less than 25% of all web pages are optimized for the major search engines, and only a small portion of the pages on the first page of the SERP are visited by local customers.
What tactics can local businesses use with local SEO?
Local businesses can target keywords relevant to their location, submit articles to directories, run PPC ads, and run social media marketing campaigns. They can also place keywords in anchor text, optimize URLs for local market searches, and target regional or country search results.