As a local business owner, you may feel there’s little point in investing time and money to optimize your Google presence when you’re up against the likes of Walmart and Amazon for top-tier rankings. That might be true when it comes to the main organic listings but it’s not the case for local search.
Whether you have a physical bricks-and-mortar location or serve a particular geographical area, local SEO allows you to better connect with people in your neighborhood, town, or city. That’s important given that 81% of consumers now turn to Google to evaluate local businesses.
Benefits of local SEO
Better online visibility: Local SEO Marketing activity, such as citation and link building, increases your online visibility. That makes your business more easily discoverable by new customers.
More in-store foot traffic: Greater local visibility brings more foot traffic to your bricks-and-mortar location.
Tap into local shopping boom: Post COVID, more than half of consumers now prefer to shop locally and support local businesses or smaller brands. Local SEO puts you in contention for those new business opportunities.
Targeted web traffic: Optimizing your site for local search delivers more targeted traffic to your website which can lead to more leads, subscriptions, sign-ups, and sales.
More calls: Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) optimization can lead to enhanced Google Maps visibility. This can lead to more calls and more in-person visits.
Thought leadership: Content marketing can help you establish a thought leadership position and be seen as an expert in your field.
Enhanced trust levels: Reputation management builds trust in your business.
More sales: Consumers are known to use online reviews to help with decision-making when choosing a local business.
Improved conversion rate: Website optimization can bolster your conversion rate, increasing contact form submissions, phone calls, email subscriptions, or sales.
More competitive: Local SEO also makes you more competitive as it encourages you to study what your rivals are doing well and what tactics are working for them to then ingrate into your own approach.
