Do you run a small business? Are most of your customers local to you? If so, you should make use of local SEO.
Wondering how local SEO can benefit you? Then you’re in the right place. Without further ado, here are 6 smart benefits of small business local SEO.
1. Higher Search Engine Ranking
The whole point of local SEO for small businesses is to rank your website higher in search engines. The point of this is to attract more attention to your website, thereby providing it with more traffic. The more traffic you get, the more sales you’ll turn.
Unlike global SEO, local SEO targets specific localities. So, if you’re a plumber in the Kitchener area, for instance, ranking for the keyword of “Kitchener plumber” will expose your business to many Kitchener area residents.
The end goal is to rank at the #1 spot for your designated keywords. However, ranking anywhere on the first page can be beneficial.
Note, you can luck out into getting your website ranked on the first page but it’s unlikely. Because of the level of competition involved in local SEO these days, strategy and professional implementation are usually needed.
2. Brand Exposure
One of the keys to creating a successful business is to make that business’ brand noticeable. The more recognizable the brand is, the more that consumers will trust the brand and the more business they’ll provide it over time.
Think about it: given a choice between a $60 pair of Nike shoes and a $60 pair of generic knockoffs, which would you choose? In all likelihood, you’re going to go with the Nike shoes, even if the level of quality seems to be the same.
This is because you recognize the Nike brand and see it as reputable. The knockoffs, on the other hand, come from an unrecognizable brand and therefore do nothing to make you want to buy them.
Now, how does all of this tie into local SEO? Put simply, local SEO creates exposure for your brand. When your website is consistently ranking at the tops of search engine inquiries, customers are seeing it on a regular basis and subconsciously associating it with being the best in its area in its given industry.
3. Greater Communication With Customers
The internet is great for consumers, as it enables them to find relevant information about businesses they’re hoping to patronize. Being able to find this relevant information can be the difference between a customer choosing your business over another. So, in essence, you have to get it out there as much as possible.
Local SEO facilitates this. See, a big part of local SEO is getting local citations. These are instances of a company’s contact information, in particular, its name, address, and phone.
And where are the vast majority of these local citations created? On business listing sites like Yelp, YellowPages, and Google My Business.
These sites are used by countless consumers as a means of finding new businesses. So, not only can they help to put your business in contact with new consumers but they can also help to convey useful information to those consumers.
This information runs the gamut from business hours, services, service area, customer reviews and more. Having this information readily available to consumers could very well inspire them to do business with your company, specifically.
4. The Public Perception of Authority
Google isn’t the arbiter of which companies are the best. However, many users believe that it is. As such, if Google is putting your website at the top of a search for say “heating services in Kitchener”, a good many users are, indeed, going to see your business as being the best heating service in Kitchener, or at least one of the best.
This perception is huge, as consumers generally want to do business with the best. As such, by ranking toward the top of the search engine rankings, your sales should increase, and your business should start to take off in a way that it hasn’t before.
5. Long-term Results
Unlike SEM or PPC, SEO is a long-term form of digital marketing that provides long-term results. You won’t rank at the top of the page the second you start engaging in local SEO but you will eventually. And once you do, you should be there for a long while, provided that you continue to utilize good SEO practices on a regular basis.
There is no other form of digital marketing that works in this way. Yes, it requires a lot of hard work (and a bit of luck as well) but if you can make it happen, you could be setting your business up to be successful for years to come.
6. Targeted Traffic
The key to local SEO isn’t just ranking for random keywords. It’s about ranking for the right keywords, the keywords that are most related to your business endeavors.
That way, when someone searches those keywords and comes across your business, they find your business to be a resource that can help them with their current problem. This helps the person searching, of course, but it helps your business as well, as you’ve essentially been delivered an interested customer.
The search engine effectively does all of the work for you. Sure, you’ll have to have a few conversations before the deal is closed. But since the search engine user is your ideal customer, you won’t have to do much convincing at all.
Need Small Business Local SEO Services?
Are you interested in pursuing local SEO? Need small business local SEO services in your market? If so, we here at Evergreen are the people to see.
We’ve helped a bevy of small businesses with local SEO and look forward to doing the same for yours.
Contact us now to get the process started!
