5 reasons why local SEO should be your priority

Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is a must for any business. Some business owners don’t necessarily know what it means or where to get started. Local SEO, that’s where! As local and organic searches together make up 69% of overall digital traffic. Be sure to check out our blog post to find out if you could be missing out on local customers.

Impressive, right? Then when it comes to SEO, don’t make the mistake of instantly thinking further afield and trying to target customers nationwide, first opt to focus closer to home on ‘easy’ wins. 

Here’s 5 reasons why we believe local SEO should be your priority.

• Quickly reach a pool of ‘warm’ potential customers

According to Google, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.

Chances are, those who are searching for a local business like yours are ready to make a purchase…whether that’s from you or your local competition, that’s up to you! 

So, how do you reach a potential customer who is ready to take action? 

Build brand awareness and trust through traditional and digital marketing and the final piece of the puzzle is to ensure you can be easily found through local search results to those who want to buy, buy, buy!

• Build a solid reputation and show your authority

Did you know that 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? But a lot of business owners aren’t asking customers for them!

We get it…a lot of business owners just feel plain awkward asking people to rate their experiences. But they shouldn’t! If you’ve provided a service, feedback is a great way to know what you’re doing well, or alternatively what you need to improve.

What’s more, Google reviews do help to improve search rankings and overall SEO efforts. Think of it like this – Google trusts your customers more than it trusts you. If you were to improve your Google rating by even just 1.5 stars, that could equate to around 13,000 more leads!

• Avoid customers finding incorrect information

Did you know that almost 70% of consumers would opt not to use a local business if they found incorrect information in online directories? Local SEO really does play a significant role in ensuring that any information about your business is actually correct. 

Online directories often use information directly from your business, such as Google My Business listings. So, the best way to control the spread of information (and to make sure it’s correct) is to share your own information – from your address, opening and closing times, website details and more.

What’s more, Google uses these online listings’ accuracy level as a top ranking factor, meaning it’s a vicious circle of misinformation if you’re not updating your own business details.

• Show up in voice search results

More and more consumers are now opting to use voice search, over other searching methods and tools. 

In fact, 135.6 million people in the U.S. are using voice search features – a 2.7 percent increase from the previous year. This means that around half of all internet users in the U.S. and over 40 percent of its total population are users of voice search.

So, how can you be sure that you show up in voice search results? By doing local SEO! 

How many times have you wanted to find a local coffee shop or perhaps a convenience store that’s near you? Voice search is a great and convenient way to find business information quickly, and more often than not, it’s used to find local businesses – they are three times more likely to be local searches than text-based ones.

Local SEO can ensure your business shows up on Amazon Alexa and similar home technologies, so be sure to optimise your website accordingly by thinking about the below –

• Are there any phrases that people use to describe the neighborhood around your location?
• Have you added “near me” in your title tags, meta description, internal links, and anchor text?
• What about including details of landmarks around your business location?
• Make the most of the local shopping ‘boom’

There’s no getting away from it – shoppers are going local. 

Whether it’s following Covid-19 that some consumers got used to staying more local instead of ordering online, a desire to see a product in ‘real life’ or just a general preference of buying local, more and more people are supporting local business.

Make sure you’re making the most of the ‘boom’ and getting in on the action by prioritising local SEO! 

Expert SEO Agency – we’re here to help you be seen

Any SEO results, not just local, must be earned. Let us earn them for you!

We understand that you want to see a visible return on your investment. You’re looking for a long term partner, not just a short term ‘fix’. That’s where we can step in to help. 

At HV Media Group, we understand what makes the local community tick, their mindset, and what they’re looking for.

Ready to have a chat? Get in touch about a FREE 30-minute strategy session here.