Why local SEO is so important for Your business

Philipp Huber • January 17, 2020

What is local SEO and why doing it

Some users are wondering why local SEO is supposed to be so important these days for local businesses. The purpose of this post is to articulate and explain that. Let’s assume you are looking for a local kitchen fitter that will help you to fit your new kitchen, get your clothes dry-cleaned or find a DIY store that sells electrical appliances – how do you find it?

You will unlock your phone, open your phone’s browser for a little online research, of course.

That is exactly what your customers do, they are no different. When they are looking for a service or a product similar to what your local business offers, they will go online to find it.

The key question is, will you turn up in those searches and are you high enough in the list so that the customers contact YOU first to inquire. 

It becomes obvious from the above scenarios that local SEO plays a major role in your business’ success. With the increase in mobile usage, local searches have become more common than ever. If your business shows up on the first page when users conduct a local search, you will get much higher conversions, and it will have a direct impact on your bottom line.

User searching for a local business on his mobile phone, looking at a Google Map

That stats speak for themselves

A recent blog post of Hubspot offered some mind-blowing statistics that should convince even the hardest doubters that local Search Engine optimisation is absolution critical:
  1. 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. (Source: GoGulf)
  2. 78% of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase. (Source: SEO Tribunal)
  3. 72% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within five miles. (Source: HubSpot Marketing Statistics) 
  4. By 2021, mobile devices will influence more than $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Source: Forrester)
  5. 97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else. (Source: SEO Tribunal)
  6. 18% of local smartphone searches led to a purchase within a day, whereas only 7% of non-local searches led to a sale. (Source: Think with Google)
  7. 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. (Source: Nectafy)
  8. “Near me” or "close by" type searches grew by more than 900% over two years. (Source: Chat Meter)
  9. 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site. (Source: HubSpot Marketing Statistics)

Local searches are becoming more common

With specific shopping ideas in mind, mobile users turn more and more to the internet to find local businesses. Predominantly through search engines, users tend to look for local shops to:
  • Find out their locations
  • Visit the business or store
  • Get a phone number to call
  • Go through reviews and learn more about the business

A golden opportunity

Local SEO is a tremendous opportunity to grow your business and reach new customers. One of the key reasons is actually very simple but intriguing. Let me use an example: Your customers know that there is no Nike shoe shop in your town, so they won’t even search for it. However, they know that there are several shoe shops in town that likely sell Nike and other brands. So, their searches are not directed at a particular brand but rather at a local business offering that type of service or product. They are typically open for suggestions, too. 

Do you spot the unique opportunity here: You will never have the brand image or marketing power of a Nike and you can never compete with such powerful brands. However, in this instance, you have a huge advantage over them, you have a local presence. When the customer then turns up at your shop, he or she finds these great looking Adidas trainers that will do the job as well.

There’s no better time to show up than when potential customers search for your product or service. Local SEO tactics can help you get there.

A good ranking on local searches offers higher conversion rates than most marketing strategies. Users are actively searching for what they need with a clear intent to purchase. If they find what they need, even if it is not a 100% match, they’ll act on it.

How you can do it

Local SEO tactics and optimization can be a complex and vast topic, but you can start with a few simple things that will get you off the ground quickly. Here are some tips to get you started with your local SEO optimization:

Google My Business 
The first thing you should do is set up your business place on Google My Business. It is a free service that Google offers, essential for your local SEO.

Mobile-friendly pages
Consumers do most of their searches for local services or products on the go, on their mobile devices. So, if your website is not optimized for mobile, you will not rank high in search engines and your competitors will more likely get the first shot. 

NAP
Your name, address and phone number (called NAP) should be on your Contact page. It will help Google to find your business information from your website so it can make the connection between your services and location details.

Maps
Add Google maps to your Contact page so visitors can remain on your website to search for directions elsewhere. 

Online directories and citations
Having your business described accurately in websites like Yell, Scoot, Foursquare, among others, can help you improve your position on local searches.

Reviews and Ratings
Always encourage or even ask customers to leave reviews and to rate your business. Each feedback plays a massive role in your ranking. Take the opportunity to thank the customer and reinforce your location.

How Digital Stirling can help

Most businesses are already extremely busy with delivering their services or shipping products, so finding time to stay on top of the latest trends, monitoring the latest business rankings or answering customer feedback is simply overwhelming. The day does not have enough hours to get everything done.

This is where Digital Stirling can offer support. We can help you with one-off efforts to improve your local SEO ranking or support you on an ongoing basis. This can include:
  • Managing your customer feedback and customer interactions on Google My Business, Facebook Trustpilot or Tripadvisor.
  • Helping you to increase the amount of feedback you get and how you can deal with negative comments. 

Regardless of what needs you have, just talk to Phil. We are sure we can offer you a package that will suit your needs.