Nearly 70% of all internet traffic is routed through Google. You can search for almost everything online today. The internet is a great source of information and knowledge, especially when it comes to searching for local businesses.
For small businesses looking to get noticed, they must be able to use search engines like Google effectively for their benefit. Local businesses need to stand out amongst these search results. Local SEO services are an invaluable resource for small businesses to find and connect with potential customers.
If you are a business owner looking to get noticed in local search results, local SEO is the way to go. To find out the 11 reasons why local SEO services are essential for your business, keep reading below for more information.
1. Local SEO Reaches More Customers
The ultimate goal of any business is to get more customers. But for small businesses, this is even more crucial. Small businesses must attract customers or risk shutting down altogether.
Local search inquiries account for almost half of the more than 2 trillion Google searches made each year. This means that local businesses can receive a huge boost from utilizing local SEO services. SEO relies on using specific search terms and keywords to establish relevance online.
Using the proper keywords relating to your business increases your ranking on Google searches and links your business’s relevance. When potential customers search for a product or service online, your business’s website will be there front and center to greet them.
2. It Increases Traffic to Your Website
If you have a product or service that’s in demand, you need to make your website stand out amongst all of the other sites in the search results. Using the right keywords with local SEO can get your website more traffic.
While all of these visits may not translate into immediate sales or calls for service bookings, you’re putting your business on the radar of your potential customer base. They’re getting exposure to your brand and this can benefit you in the long run.
When they are ready to do business with you, you’ll already be there in their search results. This will then result in a new lead or a customer conversion.
3. It Helps You Locate Local Customers Searching for Products and Services
A customer searching for local services on Google is already in the process of the customer journey. There are three main stages of the customer journey leading up to a sale. These stages are:
- The Awareness or Discovery Stage- when a customer is researching to understand a problem
- The Consideration Stage- when a customer understands and actively seeks solutions to their problem
- The Decision Stage- when a customer is ready to make a purchase or decision
By using local SEO services, you can pinpoint customers in the Discovery stage of the journey. Your local search results can greatly influence customers to go with your business in their Decision Stage.
4. It Allows You to Focus on Your Target Audience
Internet search terms can span the whole world for information on products and services. SEO narrows down these search parameters to give more precise results. It also lets you focus on a more specific audience that may use these search terms.
Local SEO services in particular help customers zero in on the products or services nearest them. For businesses, this means that you will know the right search terms and keywords needed in order to reach them.
You will also have a better sense of the customer demographics that your business appeals to, such as the age range and location of your ideal customer base, to further hone your local SEO strategies.
5. Local SEO Services Create Brand Awareness
Every time a consumer sees a brand it gives your brand much-needed exposure. It has been said in marketing that each view of a brand creates an impression and that it takes 5-7 impressions to produce lasting brand awareness.
This brand awareness can translate into potential sales later on. Therefore, it is important to use local SEO services to make your mark on your prospective customer’s minds.
Though it may not seem like this will yield massive results, brand awareness not only attracts new potential customers, it also creates the possibility of repeat business and customers who are loyal to your brand. This gives you the added capability to grow your business’s customer base.
6. It Leads to More Customer Conversions
The primary objective for a business is to improve its customer conversion rates. A customer conversion refers to any customer who enters a store or visits a website and makes a purchase.
However, not everyone who shops online or in a brick-and-mortar store may go in with the intention of buying something or committing to a service. They could just be browsing. This is why aiming for customer conversions is so vital.
Local SEO services establish more relevant search results for a targeted experience. Because of the precise search keywords used, it is more likely that customers already have a specific product or service in mind.
The nature of these search results increases the probability that these searches will turn into conversions or sales.
7. User-Friendly Website Design
Local SEO services can simplify the search process for your business. But they can also help you design a website that is more user-friendly. Your website’s layout and content must meet the specific criteria Google has to achieve an organic rank on its search results, so it should be easy to navigate and read.
A user-friendly website is tailored to provide your customers with the best possible experience. They will find features like easy-access menus and extensive contact information. This allows your customers to request or view more information or schedule a service from your website.
The better quality your website is, the more likely customers will be to visit it and make purchases. This translates into increased profits for your business.
8. It Offers Affordable Local SEO Services
Local SEO services are more affordable than other traditional forms of paid advertising. This can be beneficial for small businesses that don’t have access to a large advertising budget.
Some SEO services can even be done by the businesses themselves if they are willing to learn the right SEO strategies. You will need some knowledge of skills like website coding and reading and understanding algorithms.
But if you’re not sure about the ins and outs of how SEO advertising really works, it’s still best to seek out a trained agency that will offer you affordable local SEO services. This way you can be sure that you are getting the most benefit for your business.
9. Local SEO Gives Measurable Results
Having the proper data and analytics to back up your advertising endeavors is a significant benefit of any digital marketing campaign. With SEO services, you have access to important data specific to your business. Local SEO lets you see these results firsthand.
Local SEO reports detail all of the information relevant to your location as well as focused and related keyword searches. SEO Audits of your website also show you what keywords provide the most benefit.
You’ll receive real measurable and verified data of your SEO service. You can use this valuable data to make further improvements to your local SEO strategies. You don’t have to be left guessing if your campaign is effective enough.
10. It Enables Your Business to Stand Out From the Competition
Your business may provide a valuable product or service, but if you’re not the only one offering it, it can be difficult to distinguish yourself from your competitors. You need to take every advantage to outrank your competition and appeal to potential customers.
Local SEO enables you to boost your search rankings over your competition, particularly if they don’t use local SEO services themselves. SEO’s organic reach also looks more natural than paid advertising. Customers will be more drawn to your company’s results when they rank over your competitors in the search.
Even if two competing companies offer identical products or services, the highest-ranking result featured will always receive the most attention.
11. It Provides Long-Term Results
Many ad campaigns only operate on a short-term basis. Once the campaign comes to an end, you have to restart it again and pay for another limited round of advertising. On top of being affordable, local SEO services give you better long-lasting results.
Additional optimization of your local SEO may be required to improve your search term effectiveness. But once you rank on the Search Engine Results Page, or SERP, as an organic result, you can hold onto your position for a much longer time than you can achieve with paid ads.
Proper maintenance of your SEO service keywords will ensure that your local SEO campaign continues to offer you the high-ranking search results that you are striving for.
Find the Best Local SEO Services at GHAX Digital Marketing
Local businesses need every advantage they can get to stay relevant and successful in an increasingly digitized world. Local SEO services can help them maintain a foothold in Google search results. Local SEO leverages the power and influence of Google for the benefit of a more organic search result.
If you are a small or medium-sized business looking to boost sales and increase conversions with local SEO, GHAX Digital Marketing can help. We offer affordable local SEO services and other solutions to help businesses grow.
Contact us today to apply for your free no obligation growth strategy session (a $1,000 value).
