Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information? If you own a small or medium local business, your business website and Google profile must be optimised for local search, or you will miss a huge amount of opportunities. SEO, website, backlinks, digital PR, Google algorithms, Google my profile, AHHHRRR! Too much techy stuff to understand! I know, it can seem discouraging! So… in simple words… how does that work? What is the secret sauce? In this article, we explain how to use SEO principles to build a successful business: Local SEO | A Smart way to build a successful business.
In this blog, we will give you the formula to generate 500+ local leads a month with the help of local SEO. Before jumping to the benefits of local SEO, let’s understand what local SEO is:
What is Local SEO and why is it a smart way to build a successful business?
Local SEO is the optimisation of your website and Google local listings for ranking in a specific city or area. Small businesses that serve local areas can have an advantage with the help of local SEO.
Local SEO differs from traditional SEO because it focuses on the user’s location, not just their keywords. You would be stoked to know that Google also considers things like the distance between the searcher and your business, as well as mapping features like Google My Business.
That said, you must use all the GMB (Google My Business) features. Also, the more relevant and genuine your content and services listings are, the greater your chances of converting them into regular customers.
How is local SEO helps to establish your brand locally?
People often prefer to buy products and services locally. Well, the main reason is that they have more trust in local businesses. That said, the local ranking of your website significantly affect the website’s conversion rate.
You can’t avoid local SEO if you are looking for relevant visitors to your doorstep. In SEO, relevancy is key to success. With that in mind, if users don’t find relevant information on your website, they won’t stay. This will increase the bounce rate (if they stay on your website, learn more, or leave straight away) of your website and lower the ranking.
Making your website relevant to local customers is a strategic process. As a leading local SEO agency based in Sydney, we help our clients with white-hat and Google-friendly SEO strategies.
Local SEO has many benefits, such as more footfall to your shop, relevant website traffic, more local calls, improved credibility, and competitive advantage.
How to Improve Your Local SEO?
Local visibility depends on many factors. Here, we will discuss the most effective ones.
- Optimise your website for mobile devices and make sure it has a responsive design.
- Create a Google My Business page and fill in all the information correctly.
- Create a Google Maps listing and add photos, hours of operation, phone number, etc.
- Get detailed reviews from your customers.
- Create separate location pages if you are targeting multiple locations.
- Optimise your website with keywords that will be relevant to people searching for services or products in your area.
- And finally, build links from local citations, news channels, and blogs.
Want to learn more about SEO and local business? Check out our article: IS SEO, a profitable strategy for your business?
Design your website specifically for local customers
Designing a website for local customers is different from just designing a website! Irrespective of the type of website, you need to identify the purpose behind designing a website. One way to find out is to become aware of your customers’ needs and wants.
Additionally, your website should resonate with the needs and common questions of your local target market. Furthermore, it should guide users to take specific actions, such as using contact us form.
Its layout, architecture, colour combination, mobile optimisation, as well as overall User Experience, and content, should engage your potential customers.
For a small local business website made on budget, the secret is to keep the design simple and straight to the point. A simple design is far better than a disorganised website with too many elements, which distracts users from essential sections and confuses your potential clients. Here is an article about the fundamentals of web design.
In layman’s terms, your ideal customers should not have to put much effort into understanding why your services and products would be of value to them.
Some Common Mistakes to Avoid for Local SEO
- Not optimising for mobile devices.
- Not using Google My Business.
- Not using Schema Markup.
- Not optimising for voice search.
- Not optimising for location.
- Ignoring the importance of citations.
- Ignoring the importance of social media.
Local SEO: a smart way to build a successful business and an investment that is definitely worth it but can be a hard basket for DYO!
For small businesses, local SEO is one of the most important segments of digital marketing strategy. I hope that my experience has given you a brief of local SEO and its benefits for your business.
Local SEO might take time to give you results. But once it becomes successful, it is worth investing.
Is SEO too hard basket for you? 
No worries! Our agency helped over 100 of successful small business owners in Sydney to design their websites and create successful digital marketing campaigns, including SEO. Want one for your business? Contact us today!
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