SEO Basics 101: All About Local SEO

Starting your own business can be challenging, but keeping it afloat and running is another thing. Having a marketing strategy is important in this case. This includes boosting your presence online through different social media channels and optimizing your business website through the use of SEO techniques. 

But for first-timers, SEO can be confusing. What if you have just opened your business but are unfortunately not doing well as far as online presence is concerned? Or perhaps you are exploring new skills in digital marketing. For one thing, SEO is a broad term so we will focus on local SEO. 

 

What is local SEO? 

You need to understand what local SEO is, especially if you are still starting your business. Local SEO involves the use of online and offline strategies so that your local target audience will easily find you and choose your business. It connects local businesses to their respective local communities and ensures their visibility, accessibility, and appeal. 

Local SEO, when done right, helps in boosting your business up on search engines such as Google. It helps in promoting and building your brand and ensures that it deserves to be seen in SERPs and by your target customers when they need it most. But first, you need to understand how it works. 

First of all, Google serves as a directory that contains tons of information millions of users search for. The same goes for local businesses. Google gets this important data about local businesses through your website, social media platforms, GMB listings, and other brand mentions through tagged photos, reviews, and ratings. 

Google “crawls” all over the internet to search for information about your brand, aside from the Google My Business listing that you submitted to keep your business visible on the Internet. Google will then “index” your information using algorithms and provide that consolidated information to users who search for it. 

 

Why do you need local SEO 

You will need to use local SEO if you have potential customers nearby and want to be visible to them. When you do local SEO, you should take certain actions depending on your business model and how Google sees you as a brand. These will be determined through these factors. 

Does your business have a physical store? Or at least had a physical store before COVID-19 happened and is planning to resume face-to-face transactions once safe? If your answer is otherwise, and mainly operates online, then you might not need a local SEO campaign. Make sure to know your business model so you will know the right local SEO strategy to use. 

It is also important to know Google’s guidelines that will help you with promoting your business through local platforms. You should comply with the guidelines or risk getting penalties and even have your business information removed from search engines. 

Local SEO will help make your business more visible. At the same time, increase profitability, rankings, website/foot traffic, and quality of customer service. Make sure to optimize your SEO strategy for the success of your business! Hiring an SEO expert in Nashville TN will also help boost your brand online.