Search Engine Optimization is the cornerstone of all digital and internet marketing. Integrating best SEO practices in all forms of content that you produce is the best shot at generating business leads and converting them into successful sales. If you as a marketer can develop optimal content strategies, you can use the entire internet as your own sales funnel.

Although SEO is by far the most important aspect of your marketing strategies, it is important to make sure that you are reaching out to relevant markets. SEO on its own simply helps you reach higher search rankings and become more visible to potential customers. The concern is that the internet is a global phenomenon and it may be possible that someone 150 miles from your location finds your business online. They might have found you, but there is no way you can serve them because the geographical distance doesn’t allow it.

Enter Local SEO

By now, this much should be clear.

SEO can’t be carried out without considering where your real markets lie. Whether you work at a physical store or if you are a purely online commercial entity, it is necessary that you cater to local markets before moving on to more distant client bases. For as long as you develop a strong foothold in local markets, it will make it easier for you to expand your range of services across greater distances.

This is where Localized Search Engine Optimization comes into play. Localized SEO is no different from general Search Engine Optimization, with the exception that it is directed towards helping businesses stand out form local competition. While SEO takes into account all possible markets and takes something of a global marketing view, local SEO is more precise and clinical to achieve market prominence in your local markets.

Since there is a higher degree of specification involved in local SEO, the methods used are also different. There is greater emphasis on the location of the business, the content produced mentions of where the business is located, how it is compared to competitors in the area and many more factors.

Similarly, the avenues across which the marketing takes place become differentiated. Local SEO not only takes place on your regular Pay Per Click platforms like Google Ads, it also uses localized review websites for businesses in your general vicinity, localized Google My Business listing, so on and so forth. The purpose of each of these steps is to make sure that potential clients can identify your business as located near them and further that it is the most noticeable business in their vicinity.

As we know, the more noticeable you get, the easier it is for you to generate your business. Local SEO has you standing out amongst all the competitor in the same region as yours.

Some Statistics

Before we can discuss some strategies that can help improve your local SEO rankings, let’s see how effective local SEO has been in helping business generate leads. Over the past few years, multiple surveys have been conducting to check the trends in local SEO and the resulting consumer behavior from exposure to local SEO strategy. These show the following results:

1. 50% of all consumerswho make a local search on smartphones, visit the store on the same day.
2. 18% of all local searches generate sales conversions within one day.
3. 87% of all smartphone owners use some Search Engine at least once in a day.

Research by Chatmeter, indicates:

1. A 900% increase has been observed in local searches in the past 2 years.
2. 46% of all searches on Google are for local services and stores.
3. 75% of all Search Engine users never go past the first page of their search results.
4. Online advertising expenditures will be 70% higher than television advertisements by 2020.

It is clear that the consumer is moving towards the internet for their business information needs. This change will only become more prominent as time passes and the business environment becomes increasingly digitized. For this reason, it is imperative that business owners start focusing on developing their online presence in local markets and then move on to other marketing avenues once local SEO has done its work.

Using Local SEO

Now that we understand the necessity and commercial potential local SEO can help unlock, there are certain steps you can take to exploit the market for all its worth through local SEO. As you improve your local SEO capabilities, you will find that your business will start generating more leads and as a result, experience increasing sales volumes. Some ways to do that are:

1. Creating Locally Relevant Meta-Tags and Titles

Meta-tags will probably never lose their relevance in digital marketing. Optimizing your meta-tags to cater to local markets is a sure-fire method of rising in local search rankings. Creating eye-catching and easily understood meta descriptions will not only help your customers realize your potential as a relevant service, but the incorporation of location details will also help bring to light your closeness to their locality.

2. Optimizing Google My Business Posts

Google My Business (GMB) is the new yellow pages. Having your business verified by Google and then optimizing you GMB posts will have you stand out in front of all the competition in the industry. In addition to this, as customer reviews and feedback starts flowing in, very soon you will be known as a local market leader.

3. Create more Location/Regional Pages

Details about the locations that you work in and the services is a great way for businesses in multiple locations to stand out in each market. One of the most popular strategies to that end is to create regional pages that specify what services your business offers in each region. Internet users that search for services relevant in your industry will simply be redirected or shown a specific regional page that includes all SEO sensitive information that is published on a localized page. This will significantly improve your sales potential.

Devebyte is a premium Digital Marketing agency in Edmonton, Alberta. The company provides expertinternet marketing consultancy and offers web development services to local business. Our full range of services include professional search engine optimization services for local SEO, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing and Web development. Get in touch with our representatives for information on our affordable local SEO and internet marketin