The many benefits of local SEO for websites

Benefits Of Local SEO

Anyone starting an online business would ideally want a market that stretches far beyond their geographical location. This is because it would attract more customers, penetrate an international market, and result in a more extensive online presence. This would, in turn, lead to higher Google ranking and build brand reputation and credibility. 

But if you want to ace the game, it is advised to start from the base. How about targeting customers in your area first? What is the immediate feedback to your online business from customers in your area? How are other similar local businesses faring? These are some critical yet practical questions you would have to answer first. To get the answers, you must employ local SEO services.

Local SEO is essential for new businesses, businesses struggling to climb the ladder, and even ones that have already established themselves in the market. 

We have listed 10 benefits of local SEO here for you:

Catering to a local niche market

Your product or services may have a universal appeal, but they should also cater to the local population. The business generated from the immediate vicinity is an excellent parameter to know if your product or service has found acceptance by customers. 

Catering to a local niche market has various advantages:

  1. You have a market that is stable in terms of demand.
  2. You can cut down on transportation time.
  3. It is faster to conduct transactions. 

Increasing web presence

A study of customers’ search habits has shown that over 50% of users look for products or services locally available. When online business owners curate the presentation of their content to match local user search habits, they invariably get more impressions and Click Through Rate (CTR) on their website. 

A website’s likelihood to feature on the first Search Engine Results Page is also higher when it is targeted to attract local users. This leads to an increase in web presence and higher Google ranking. 

More people visiting your store

Though business has increasingly moved online, and even most transactions are done online, the good old style of visiting a store has not entirely lost relevance. 

Though good product reviews and ratings on directories or websites often influence customer decisions, a class of people prefers to see the product for themselves or directly communicate with the service providers. This group will prefer to drive to the store instead of order online. 

Customers who visit your store may not necessarily give you a positive rating or spend a lot of time on your website. Still, they are also important to drive more customers to your store by way of recommendations.

Get more local reviews.

Local review means more people are talking about your business. When customers visit a directory on the internet, one of the most important sections they check for is the comments section. Some directories also rate companies based on customer feedback – positive or negative. 

Local reviews can, however, work as a double-edged sword. Many positive reviews will undoubtedly draw more customers to your website, while a few negative reviews can cause customers to switch to the next available service provider or product. 

When you choose to use SEO, you must ensure that what you promise online and what you deliver are the same. In short, you should meet the customer’s expectations.

Compete with other local business

Competition can be stressful and challenging, but it helps you continually evolve to meet your customers’ ever-changing requirements. Businesses or websites that can pick up hints from their customer and create products and services and deliver information online to meet those needs maintain dominance.

Competition with other local businesses helps you improve your own business and website. It enables you to find out aspects of online marketing that you might have overlooked. It gives you new ideas on how you can improve your content, increase traffic to your website, and keeps you updated with the latest and popular trends. 

Create a customer base

It is easier to create a customer base with local SEO than general SEO because local SEO provides more opportunities to interact with customers. The location factor also plays a vital role as businesses’ presence nearby makes buying products and availing services more accessible and faster. 

The likelihood of a customer returning to you is considerably higher not only because you have met his/her specific requirements but because it also takes lesser time and they travel shorter distances to do business with you. 

More relevant content

It is easier to cater to a specific target population as there is a definite pattern/trend to their choices and browsing habits. Because the target group this time is one you are familiar with, you can also write content and design your website in a manner that will answer specific questions and draw more traffic.

Reduce advertising cost

Advertising can be expensive, particularly for fledgling businesses. However, with local SEO, the content or website itself becomes a sort of advertisement. In the case of local SEO, your credibility and trust do the advertising for you. 

Also, when the chances of your website or page featuring in the first landing page are considerably higher because of the local searches, the need for extensive advertisement is diminished. In the case of local SEO, the reviews, comments, and rankings do the advertisement for you. 

Show up in Google’s 3-pack.

Google’s 3-pack is the first three business listing that shows up on the first search page when you use keywords like ‘Near me’ or ‘Near (location)’ in your search. It is used to show the location of nearby businesses that are relevant to your search term. 

Previously, Google provided five to seven listings on the first page. This time, they have listed only the three most relevant websites and ones nearest to your location. 

The presentation is also catchier with the three businesses’ locations shown on Google maps, their ranking, address, and even a small picture of the store or service.

Better community outreach

Community outreach is looking beyond the numbers, sales, profit, and building a social and emotional bond with people in your location. This is mainly done by donating and supporting a cause. It could be material assistance during a disaster or financial aid to the lesser privileged section of the society. 

People don’t like doing business with brands that are regarded as irresponsible and don’t communicate well with their clients. On the other hand, they support brands that contribute to society with noble initiatives to grow.

Local SEO is a great way to do community outreach to build your brand reputation and growth.