In this era of digital marketing, you must have heard about the term SEO or Search Engine Optimization. But have you also wondered what it is and how it can help your business to grow?
Simply put, SEO efforts are targeted at driving the maximum amount of traffic to a website by ranking it higher in the search engine result pages (SERPs). In other words, when users search for a particular topic (also known as a keyword), an SEO-optimized website has a better chance of showing in the top results.
In this article, we take a detailed look into one specific kind of SEO effort – local SEO for small business and how it can be advantageous for you. Read on to know more!
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO, also known as Map SEO, is a relatively new form of SEO that has gained momentum over the past few years. It uses links and keywords to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) profile. The various strategies involved in optimizing local SEO include:
- Updated NAP- Name, address, and phone number of your business.
- Geotagging of images.
- Link-building and other engagements through your GMB profile.
According to Forbes, about 30% to 40% of customers find local businesses in their area through maps. Local SEO optimization allows your small business to create strong map visibility and harness this opportunity.
Key Benefits of Local SEO for Small Business
Now, let’s take a look at some of the most relevant benefits of optimizing the local SEO for your small business.
1. Reach More Customers
At its core, SEO is all about marketing your business. As such, the biggest benefit of doing it right is finding more customers. The main goal of SEO is to improve your business ranking in the search results. This, in turn, brings in more visitors to your online business profile, who can be converted to customers.
2. Find Customers Searching For Your Product
Chances are high that people are already looking for the product or service that you offer. Local SEO helps you connect with these relevant customers who are in the discovery phase.
When done right, SEO improves your website’s ranking and puts your business in front of the relevant customers, thus bringing in better sales.
3. Increase Traffic
SEO is primarily about getting more traffic or virtual footfall to your online profile or website. While all the traffic will not convert to sales, it is safe to say the more the merrier. More people visiting your site means the chances of selling your product also increases. Also, increased traffic spreads the word about your business organically.
4. Reach Your Target Audience Better
Since SEO uses relevant keywords for marketing your business, it improves the chances of creating a better reach to your target audience. This essentially means that the people searching for a particular product or service will find your business and be directed to your website or online marketplace.
5. Improve Conversion Rates
Local SEO for small business is key to improving your conversion rates. This is mainly because SEO brings in relevant traffic that is already interested in your product. As a result, the opportunity for sales increases, thus achieving a better conversion rate.
6. Bypass Your Competition
Think of two companies selling the same product in a particular locality. However, one has an optimized local SEO presence while the other still relies on traditional marketing efforts alone. Which one do you think customers will flock to in this era of digital connectivity?
Proper SEO efforts allow your business to attain a sustainable competitive advantage that catapults your position way ahead of others in the field.
7. Create Overall Brand Awareness
People searching for particular products with keywords will most likely find your business at the top of search engines. The more they see the results, your brand awareness will increase. This means they are more likely to click your website or look particularly for you in the future.
8. Create a User-Friendly Website
For most search engines, improved SEO involves a better customer experience on your website. For example, Google is very particular about the kind of information available on a website for it to be ranked higher in its searches. This effectively translates into a website that is user-friendly and contains all the important information for SEO rankings.
And ultimately, a user-friendly interface attracts more customers, thus driving profitability.
9. Reduce Cost Per Acquisition
A major advantage of SEO is that it is low cost compared to other marketing efforts like advertising. It is mostly free if you can do it yourself. However, if you are not comfortable with your website coding skills and algorithms, your best bet is to hire a small business SEO company to help you out. This is a worthwhile investment towards building your brand.
10. Achieve Long-Lasting Rankings
Unlike traditional marketing where the impact of advertisements only lasts for so long, SEO results are long-lasting. While you need to maintain all the updated details to optimize your local SEO, once you rank in the SERPs, you are likely to hold that position for a considerable time.
Though it is not always guaranteed, as long as you keep up all the efforts, you will achieve long-lasting search engine rankings.
11. Continuous Business Growth
Concerted local SEO efforts are always directed towards bringing in more traffic while improving search engine rankings. This results in improved sales and marketing leads. Better sales bring in more interested customers, thus creating a self-sustaining cycle of business growth.
So, if you are looking to grow your small business, investing your time and resources into local SEO measures is a key success metric.
12. SEO Results Are Measurable
In the current era of business and marketing, data is king. Having proper details and analyzing the same for valuable insights are some of the most crucial ways to take your business to the next level. Local SEO for small business collects important details about how your website is performing and provides you with an appropriate understanding of how you can improve.
Thus, SEO provides you with measurable data that can be directed towards further improving your bottom line.
The Key Takeaway
In order to prosper, small businesses need to direct their efforts toward specific and relevant marketing practices. Investing in local SEO is a proven way to put your small business in the limelight and attract all the relevant customers.
At previsible.io, we understand the importance of local SEO for business success and have been helping companies reach their full potential when it comes to digital marketing. Some of our success stories include Avive Solutions and Sealskin Medical Wrap.
Contact us today to learn more about our Growth Marketing SEO Services and get a free consultation for your business. We are here to help you