What is ’local SEO’?
Local SEO represents the process of website optimization whose goal is to rank a site better on local search results page (search that contains location keyword). The following keywords exemplify typical local search: “wedding dress rental London” or “web design studio Novi Sad”, because they contain the name of a city.
More than a third of all searches in 2015 were local – more precisely, that number is as high as 36% (source: Search Engine Land), which constitutes a great percentage. Even the searches that did not include local parameters (keywords such as Perth, Queensland, etc.), Google can now show local search results based on the user/searcher data.
Why optimize site for local search?
- 36% of all searches are local
- 98% of consumers search for local products or services. By improving local search in relation to your competition, you can get a long-term advantage which can result in higher visits and sales.
- 80% of consumers find a local product or service via a mobile phone (source: Search Engine Land). This number has been influenced by the rising popularity in usage of mobile devices. While traveling, people now, more than ever, search for things such as: financial services and insurance, automotive, retail, travel, food, business, etc. Better local optimization enables finding information more quickly.
- A site ranked high for a certain place/location will get more visits via Google. The percentage of visitors coming from Google My Business is much higher than via local search.
- Entrepreneurs who verify their companies on Google can write descriptions of products and services, images, videos, give out coupons, discounts and special offers – all in order to attract shoppers – give information about working hours, parking lots, link to their website, and many more.
What companies should optimize for local search?
Every company which offers their products and services in a certain location should optimize site for local search. So, if your business goal is getting better results and maximizing profit – then, this is the right thing for you! No matter if you have a restaurant in New York, dentist’s office in Montreal, pet shop in Melbourne, or any other business situated elsewhere – you can only benefit from local SEO.
How to optimize site for local search?
There are 9 golden rules for local optimization:
- Buy local domains (e.g. .au for Australia, .de for Germany, .uk for United Kingdom)
- Hire a hosting company from your country
- Add your site to local web directories, business phonebooks, etc.
- Include physical address of your company on the site (preferably, in footer)
- Adjust geotargeting in Google Webmaster Search Console
- Register your website on Google My Business – the new platform which incorporates search, maps, and Google+)
- Ask your clients to write a review about your company (on Google+ and Google My Business)
- Socialize: be active on social networks
- Run a blog which includes writing about current local events
![local seo illustration](images/marketing/wiki/lokalni-seo-ilustracija.png)
Improve your business additionally
If you aim for better business results, we suggest reading the following texts that can help every business owner become successful online: