What Is Included in Local SEO Services?

46% of all Google searches are local and 58% of people search for local businesses on their smartphones every day. Any local business that doesn’t invest in local SEO services misses out each time a potential customer searches online for a local product or service they offer.

But what is local SEO? Why do you need it? And what local SEO services should you consider? 

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a set of strategies and best practices to tell the Google Algorithm (and specifically Google Maps) where businesses with a specific service or geographic area operate.

This ranks local businesses for "near me" searches and Wallet Word searches within Google Maps. It optimizes a business website for increased traffic, leads, and brand awareness from local searches.

Why Do You Need Local SEO?

Local SEO plays a critical role in expanding the customer base, especially since it favors small businesses over the bigger players. If you still have some doubts, here are a few fascinating statistics that demonstrate just how important local SEO is for small businesses.

• A consumer proximity study found that 98% of people travel 20 minutes or less to get their daily essentials.

• Search Engine Roundtable estimates that 48% of Google searches have local intent.

• 76% of consumers who perform local searches visit a physical store on the same day according to Google.

It is evident that if you can get your business in front of local searches, you will have more customers walking through your store doors in no time.

How to Improve Your Local SEO

Let’s say you want to prioritize local SEO for your business.

How do you proceed? What can you do to get on the coveted Google 3-Pack to show up on Google Maps? How do you ensure that your business appears when consumers perform “near me” searches?

Google Business Profile Optimization

Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile is the most important piece of any local SEO strategy. Your Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business or “GMB”) tells Google that you have a business and provide a certain product or service in your location.

After filling in the required information, Google verifies it. They don’t just check that you have a business website. Google sends a physical postcard to your address, and you must type the code on it into your profile.

Google won’t accept your application for a Google Business Profile until you enter that code. This keeps out spam and makes sure listed businesses are legitimate.

It's not enough to have a Google Business Profile – it needs to be optimized.

Google ranks local businesses based on their online presence and quality of products or services. Optimization helps build that credibility with Google and we can help.

Optimization includes adding more categories, listing your opening hours, adding any relevant phone numbers, uploading some photos, listing the services or products you offer, and adding any relevant amenities or attributes.

Local Keyword Research

Local keyword research helps you understand what people type into Google, Bing, or other search engines when looking for products and services. Many people assume they know how customers search for their business and end up targeting the wrong local keywords. They neglect the keywords that could get their businesses noticed.

For instance, you own an auto garage. You probably already know that you want to rank for keywords like “garage near me.” But what about the other services you offer? Do you have a webpage dedicated to towing, scheduled maintenance, or battery replacement? These are things that local keyword research aims to address.

When a consumer enters a search, Google uses the relevant information from Google Business listings. However, the information has to be exact – the exact phone number, the exact address, and the exact website address.

So, if your Instagram page says “Luxury Trends” and a Google Business profile that says “Lux Trends,” Google algorithm will view them as different businesses. The algorithm may not know it’s wrong, but down to the last comma, it needs to be accurate when determining which results to display.

Local SEO Citations - Get Your PAWNs in a Row

PAWN stands for phone number, address, website, and name. Building your PAWN citations helps Google build confidence and trust in understanding your business.

When you list your website on Better Business Bureau or create social media pages, ensure that the information matches what is on your Google Business page. As a leading local SEO agency, we perform an audit to ensure that there aren’t any inconsistencies out there.

These citations are like backlinks and the data must be 100% accurate and consistent everywhere – on the website, Google Business Profile, local listing websites, and business directories.

Consistent PAWN citations across the internet further verify your Google Business data. Inconsistency only serves to mislead and confuse your customers, which hurts your local SEO.

Reviews and Other Ongoing Activities

Local SEO solutions are not a one-and-done kind of thing. There are several important tasks to prioritize if you want to maintain top rankings.

When it comes to your Google Business Profile, look out for inaccurate edits, respond to customer reviews and inquiries, and use Google Posts to keep your target audience informed. These activities not only boost your search engine rankings, but also increase traffic and boost conversions.

Hire Professional Local SEO Services to Rank Higher

It can take up to a couple of months for the Google algorithm to recognize Local SEO changes and gain more confidence in your local business. Your business will start ranking higher and seeing more impressions from local searches.

Enlisting the help of a local SEO company may be your best bet. We understand all things local SEO and can help you get the recognition you deserve. Contact us today to learn more about our local SEO services for small businesses.