blue map marker on top of keyboard, why local seo matters

Why Local SEO Matters to all Businesses

Yes, you did read that right. Local SEO should matter to ALL businesses. And here’s why…

 

Local SEO explained.

The definition of local SEO is pretty clear-cut; it’s the process of using search engine optimisation to increase your presence on search engine results pages for users within a local area.

Think about it; it’s the weekend, you’re craving for a pic of the latest trendy brunch food for the gram. How will you find the latest chic cafe with all-year Halloween décor, plants covering all surface areas and the world’s most unpractical chairs, without a Google search?

You’re not! That’s just some of the power local SEO can have for your business.

 

Why Local SEO Matters.

You might’ve heard of this statistic before, but it’s such an essential figure for everyone, even remotely involved in SEO. Just over 45% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Can you honestly say that your business can neglect 45% of all Google searches?

If not, yeah, we thought that might be the case! If yes, that’s cool, do you work in the marketing department and want a job at ROAR?! We’re hiring…Man in suit pointing while giving speech, Why Local SEO Matters to all Businesses

Now, let’s look at two examples to show why local SEO matters to all businesses:

Example 1: A small café is struggling to get many local customers through the door. The café sets up a new site and pairs it with a Google My Business account. Everyone in their local area can now visit their site much more effortlessly and see the following on their GMB profile:

  1. Service Options
  2. Address and where they are on a map (and get directions)
  3. Opening times
  4. Menus
  5. Phone number
  6. Q&A’s from customers and the owners
  7. Popular times

They would have the benefit of the factors listed above and any supporting content they post on their site. The sky is the limit with local SEO!

 

Example 2: A large storage and security company based in the UK sees a lot of traffic. Still, a lot of it comes from America. A conversion for this company can be worth a significant amount, so every user on their site counts.

They then implement aspects of local SEO into their strategy, like optimising their service pages to target keywords with a higher UK search volume and edit their GMB profile by listing their business location.

In this instance, they do the opposite of what most companies want when introducing local SEO. Instead of solely bringing in users from the local area, they also use local SEO to stop non-local users from visiting their site.

This way, they can ensure all traffic is within the target area and excludes traffic from anywhere else, ensuring that every user counts toward a potential conversion!

 

How Google determines local SEO ranking.

Google has been pouring support into local SEO to improve user experience in the last few years; it’s all part of their user-orientated strategy. They reward everyone who makes the user journey as easy as possible.

All local results rankings can be based on three primary factors; relevance, distance and prominence. These factors are used in combination to find the best match for all search queries on the search engines and local pack search results.

Local pack is an aspect of local SEO needs its own chapter, you will have seen it before, it looks like the screenshot below! If you’re curious to learn more about local pack, check out Search Engine Journal’s quick guide!

screenshot of google local pack results, Why Local SEO Matters to all Businesses

 

 

Don’t just take it from us; here’s what Google has to say; “Local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. A combination of these factors helps us find the best match for your search..”

To expand on this, we’ve created a little graphic to explain the main factors for local ranking:

 

Infographic with three columns explaining how Google determines local SEO rankings, Why Local SEO Matters to all Businesses

*information for this graphic taken from Google

Why do YOU need to implement local SEO?

Cutting to the chase, if you have a local client base, yes, you absolutely do, and you can significantly benefit from it.

Simply put, you need local SEO because you want to stay competitive. If you’re going to continue to grow online and remain competitive, ebb with the flow of the goals of search engines like Google.

Speaking of Google, they are heavily user experience focused, so the more you do to convince Google that your business suits local searches over others, the higher you will rank.


ROAR’s DIY SEO platform offers a unique opportunity for businesses and agencies of all sizes to get actual results from your SEO.

For a refreshing perspective on your SEO, get in touch with one of our specialists and book a free demo!

RELATED POSTS

Why No Isn’t a Dirty Word

IF you’ve ever said ‘yes’, when you really meant...

Why No Isn’t a Dirty Word

IF you’ve ever said ‘yes’, when you really meant...

How to Navigate the March Google Core Update

Navigating a Google Core Update presents challenges...

How to Navigate the March Google Core Update

Navigating a Google Core Update presents challenges...

GET A FREE SEO Audit

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

GET A FREE Ads Review

Do you invest more than £1500 per month in ad spend? Find out how your performance can be improved with a FREE ads account review.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.