What is Local SEO?

SEO, local seo

29 September 2016

Local SEO

The Internet holds a sea of marketing opportunities; a small business only has to learn how to master them in order to increase its visibility in the local marketplace. That said, the marketing strategies that local businesses need to use are intrinsically different from those used by larger corporations. Local SEO is arguably the first tool to master.

Having an optimised website isn’t enough when it comes to small businesses driving sales. It needs to be optimised appropriately to bring in the desired results; be that footfall, enquiries, leads, clicks or sales. A local business that operates within certain geographical limits will have to centre their online marketing efforts on the local demographic and using Local SEO or LSEO is one way to do it.

Make a splash in the local marketplace

Here are a few Local SEO strategies and how they are relevant for any small business that wants to make its mark:

  • NAP Data- NAP is an acronym for Name, Address and Phone. This information should be consistent on all your online business listings- this helps increase your search engine rankings.
  • Claiming Your Business- This is a very essential part of ensuring your online presence is well organised. It is important that you claim your business across directories including White Pages, Yellow Pages, Yelp, Google+, etc. This indicates you are a credible business.
  • Indexing- This means your site should be appropriately indexed on all local search engines, which makes it easier for potential customers to locate your business.
  • Enhancing the Listings- You can enhance your listings by including links, descriptive keywords and other similar information such as hours of operation, services & products offered, languages spoken, payment methods and the like. Giving users easy visibility of this information helps them make a quicker decision about visiting your business- or doesn’t allow time for doubt.
  • Targeted SEO- Your site should include all the keywords & key phrases that are relevant to the local community- these have to be targeted on the basis of geography.
  • Common Local Searches- Ensure your business is also listed properly on local applications including Facebook, Citysearch and Foursquare etc. This increases the chances of a prospective customer finding your business, even when they are looking for it via mobile devices; thus increasing physical footfall.

These are just a few of the Local SEO strategies that you can incorporate into your broader online marketing strategy. Local SEO is never a set-and-forget strategy. SEO an on-going, iterative process that can be very time consuming eating profits if conducted poorly but very profitably if carried out correctly; usually by a professional SEO company.

For more information, and customised Local SEO services, simply contact Webizzy on 0116 243 6440 or via our contact us form.