Looking to try a new restaurant tonight? How will you go about finding one? If you’re like most people, you’ll probably pull up a search engine and type in something like “best restaurants in Baltimore” or “rooftop restaurants in New York.” Then, you might look through various websites and reviews to see if one stands out to you. That’s why local SEO is important for small businesses.
A business’s online presence is as crucial as its physical one. Yet, many small businesses overlook local SEO.
What is Local SEO?
Who’s at the top of the search results when you search for a restaurant in your area? Whoever it is, they’ve probably invested time and effort into local SEO. Local SEO is a strategic process specific to both brick-and-mortar and service-based businesses that helps them reach the top of the search results and, in turn, reach customers in their local areas.
Who Needs Local SEO?
Whether you’re a restaurant owner, dentist, apartment manager, or plumber, if you want to attract more local customers, local SEO is essential. It’s particularly beneficial for small businesses that aren’t necessarily household names, as it allows them to compete with larger companies within their locality.
How Does Local SEO Help to Grow Small Businesses?
Local SEO can be a game-changer for small businesses. Let’s consider a bakery in New York City as an example. When someone nearby searches for “Best bakery in NYC,” the bakeries that have invested in local SEO will appear at the top of the search results, attracting more customers and boosting their sales.
When you execute solid local SEO strategies, you can dominate your local market, even if you’re a small business in competition with national chains.
What are the Benefits of Local SEO?
As mentioned above, the most considerable benefit of Local SEO is the rise in customer quantities, but there are other subsequent benefits as well, including:
Increased Visibility: Local SEO increases your business’s visibility on search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
Targeted Traffic: Local SEO targets local customers who are more likely to convert because they’re in your vicinity and looking for businesses like yours.
Competitive Advantage: Many businesses aren’t optimizing for local SEO, so doing so can give you a competitive edge.
Should You Hire a Local SEO Company?
You can do local SEO yourself, but hiring a professional can make your traffic (both foot traffic and web traffic) explode. SEO specialists have the experience and knowledge to implement strategies that are proven to work, and since SEO requires continuous monitoring and updating, your time is probably better spent on other aspects of your business.
Top 10 Local SEO Tips for Small Businesses
- Set up and optimize your Google Business Profile: This makes your business more credible and visible on Google Search and Google Maps.
- Use Local Schema: This semantic vocabulary is something you can add to your website to help search engines understand your content.
- Collect & Respond to Reviews: Engage with your customers by asking for reviews and responding to them. You’ll improve customer satisfaction and send positive signals to potential customers as well.
- Ensure NAP Consistency: Your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) should be consistent across all online directories.
- Create Hyper-Local Content: Write blog posts about local news or events to draw more local visitors to your site.
- Fix Technical Errors: Regularly check your website for broken links, slow load times, and outdated content to improve its performance.
- Optimize for Mobile: Customers often search for local businesses on their mobile devices, so ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
- Earn Backlinks: Get other local businesses and blogs to link to your site, showing that people trust you (and Google can trust you, too).
- Conduct an SEO Audit: Regular audits can help identify areas of improvement and keep your website updated with the latest SEO practices.
- Track Your Results: Use tools like Google Analytics to track your local SEO efforts and make improvements where necessary.
Stay Ahead with Local SEO
Want to stay competitive in your local market and increase your online visibility? Call periscopeUP today. Our SEO experts can help you navigate the complexities of local SEO and ensure that your business is at the forefront of local search results.
Call us today, and we’ll get you on the right track – (443) 475-0787
