Local SEO

Local SEO is literally the key to success today for local businesses.  A business’s website gives them the ability to be seen by the entire (online) world. Local SEO, however, is more focused on ranking your company website higher for your local area. Especially now, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when customers are trying to reach you online far more than offline, it’s definitely worth investing in Local SEO.

Being able to be found online by your local audience greatly increases your company’s chances of success during these tough times. Below, we explain what local SEO is and provide you with at least a basic understanding of the Local SEO process.

What Is Local SEO

So, what is Local SEO all about? Well, these days we all know how essential SEO is to the digital marketing success of a business.  That being the case, then local SEO is a major pillar of any successful search optimization strategy. But what exactly is local SEO, and how will it help your business?

Local SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of enabling a website to rank for customer searches that are specific to a geographic area. Today, Google automatically gives priority to many search queries to display the local results first.  In fact, many customers may deliberately search for businesses or services close to them (“plumber near me”) to get local results.

Local SEO is usually in reference to a search term that carrying a geographic restriction:
Service + Location is essentially the local SEO formula.

Here are a few examples of some local searches:

Dentist near me
Criminal lawyer Toronto
Barber shop open now
Car wash in Vancouver

Local SEO Is Great For Business

Regular SEO does a great job of generating greater awareness for your business’s brand and your overall business online. Properly done, it will enable your business to appear at the top of search results anytime someone searches for a product or service (keyword) that is related to your business.

However, regular SEO attracts all website traffic, without regard for the geographic relevance for your particular business. For example, If you write a amazing product article that goes viral, the majority of the traffic will be from all over the globe It’s a good thing, but it won’t lead to increased sales for the local business.

This is where local SEO takes the stage. We’ll take organic keywords specific to your business and convert them into local keywords by adding the name of the region or city, or by adding key-phrases like “near me”. These are some of the most valuable keywords for a local business.  They are essential because they’re being used by people every single day from your service area. These are all potential customers that are actively looking for a service or product that you sell.

By The Numbers – Local SEO Stats

Here are some seriously eye-popping local SEO statistics that every business owner should be aware of.  These days its important to have all the facts to gain an advantage over your competition.

Here are just a few local SEO stats:

• 72% of people that conduct a local search will visit a store within 5 miles. (Source: HubSpot)
• 900% growth in “near me tonight/today” searches over the past 2 years. (Source: ChatMeter)
• 200% increase in mobile searches for “open” + “now” + “near me”. (Source: Think With Google)
• 46% of all searches on Google are local searches. (Source: Go Globe)
• 78% of local mobile searches lead to a purchase in-store or online. (Source: Search Engine Land)
• 56% of consumers shop both online & offline. (Source: Local Search Association)
• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. (Source: HubSpot)
• By 2020, online advertising will be 70% larger than TV advertising. (Source: Local Search Association)
• 88% of local business searches performed by consumers using a mobile device will either call or visit the business within 24 hours. (Source: Nectafy)
• 97% searches online are done so in order to find a local business (Source: HubSpot)
• Google accounted for over 72.47% of all global desktop search traffic, with Baidu at 13.47%, Bing at 7.64% and Yahoo at 4.74% in June 2018. (Source: NetMarketShare)
• 86% of people will use Google Maps to lookup the location of a business. (Source: HubSpot)
• 72% of consumers searching for local businesses, will end up visiting stores that are within five miles. (Source: HubSpot)
• 46% of all Google searches are local, with 60% of the people who search for local business using their smartphones. (Source: HubSpot)
• 76% of consumers prefer to go shopping in physical stores during holiday seasons. (Source: Geo Marketing)
• Over 50% of ‘near me’ searches result in a physical store visit. (Source: Mediapost)
• Online search beats social media by more than 300% as a traffic source. (Source: imForza)
• 61% of digital marketers view SEO as a top priority. (Source: HubSpot).
• 76% of potential customers who conduct a local mobile search will visit a business within 24 hours. (Source: Think With Google)
• Position 1 of local search rankings get 24.46% of all clicks, with position 2 getting 13.38% & Position 3 getting 10.12%. (Source: AWR)
• After the 6th ranking position each local listing get less than 2% of the clicks. (Source: ChatMeter)

Why Is Local SEO Important?

Why Is Local SEO Important?

By optimizing your business for local SEO, it will allow your business to promote your services or products to an audience of buyers that are interested in what you are selling. People that are close to your business and that are actively searching for a service or product that you sell.

Let’s look at some specific Local SEO data.

1. Consumers Are Using Local Keywords More Than Ever Before

Local businesses have begun to fear that online retailers are gobbling up most of the potential business. However, that’s not actually the case. 46% of all Google searches are local searches, and the amount of those localized searches has skyrocketed by roughly 900% over just the past two years!

Just ask yourself.  If you’re just simply looking to buy something quickly, the easiest and fastest way is to simply visit a nearby store and buy it there. When you order online, however, you have to wait for your order to be shipped. Furthermore, there are many types of products you may wish to try on or test out  before buying.  Some examples of these items would be clothes, furniture and even cars.  Additionally, there are some things that you couldn’t order online if you wanted to.

The same restrictions apply to services as well. If you’re searching for a plumber, lawyer or any service you need to do something for you, you’ll likely choose one that’s in your general area for your convenience

This is why 97% of online searches are done with the intent of finding a local business

2. Local Searches Convert To Sales.

As we all know, most people do local searches to find businesses, just like yours, that are close to them.  However, the truth is that the real power of local SEO goes much deeper than that. In fact, local searches are come from people that are most likely to lead to increased sales for your business.

One study shows that 78% of local searches made on mobile devices result in that person making an offline purchase. but hold on, it gets better.  another study proves that 88% of people that search for a local business using a smartphone will call that business or physically go to that store themselves within 24 hours!

Just think of every time that you have looked for a local business that’s “near you” through Google. Then think about your intent ant the time. You were looking for a local businesses that was close to you simply because you wanted something now, and you were a textbook active shopper.

As soon as you found that business that had what it was that you were looking for, you either went to the store or called them to book an appointment.

Sound familiar?

That’s the true power of local searches and why local SEO is so important.

3. Local SEO Puts Your Business Front and Center

It’s incredible that today so many people are searching for local businesses online.  Local searches are the most likely of all online searches to convert into a sale.  However, if your business is still not optimized for local searches your business will not get any of the benefit of the current online boom.  This is where local SEO come in.

If your business can beat its digital competition by rising to the top of relevant local searches, you’ll be ensuring that people see your business first. That will have a major impact on the percentage of the “digital pie” your business will get from local searches.

Today, over 44% of people that do a local search will click on one of the top three locations they see in the local 3-pack.  Alternatively, only 8% will click on the organic results. That proves that most people won’t even look at the businesses below the top 3 results in the local pack. This is exactly why it is important to have your business featured in the local 3-pack located at the top of all local searches.

4. Local SEO Will Give You A Competitive Edge

As any successful business owner knows, these days, general SEO has become highly competitive.  More and more businesses are realizing the power of SEO and are doing everything they can to get an edge on their competition.  However, the good news is that most businesses have yet to tap into the full power of local SEO.

That means, through local SEO, it will be far easier for your business to crush the competition in local searches.
As a matter of fact, only 44% of businesses have even claimed their Google My Business listing. Claiming your listing is one of the very first steps of any local SEO campaign.

So, these are the reasons why local SEO is so important to today’s businesses.  Local searches have exploded by a tremendous rate which has lead to a massive boost in sales.

By simply focusing on optimizing your website for local SEO rankings you will maintain a big competitive edge in your particular market.

What Businesses Benefit Most From Local SEO?

As stated above, there has been an incredible 900% increase in local searches. Now, combine that with the knowledge that 78% of local mobile searches have lead to an in-store or on-line purchase.  Now we see how essential and powerful local SEO is today.

But what types businesses benefit most from local SEO?  Well, we’ve put together a pretty comprehensive list of business types that we think will gain the  most benefit below. 

Note:  We will be periodically adding to this list so check back regularly for updates…

Here are some of the industries that can benefit most from Local SEO:

Dentists 

I think we put dentists first on the list because we get the most requests for local SEO from dentists.  It is a proven tool for all dentists and their most important form of digital marketing. 

Doctors

Businesses that provide medical services, such as doctor’s offices and urgent care clinics, are perfect candidates for local SEO.  

Lawyers

In general, when people are looking for legal representation, they are usually looking for an legal professional nearby. That is why appearing in the local searches is critical for law firms.

Plumbers

When a pipe bursts in your home and you need emergency help from a plumber, where do you look?

Google. That’s where…

In fact, you ‘ll want that plumber at your house as soon as possible so you’ll be looking for one close by.  This is why Local SEO is a critical resource for plumbers.

Pet Stores

Pet services like pet stores, groomers, veterinarians, and walkers are highly localized service.  They benefit greatly from local SEO.

Real Estate Agents

 Real estate services and local SEO go hand-in-hand these days. However, because of the dominance of platforms like Zolo and Realtor.ca, the smaller and more local real estate agents require a hyper-local SEO strategy to remain visible.

But wait, there are more….

Home Repair and Renovations

Repair Shops

Ice Cream Shop

Bakeries

Dealerships

Cleaning Services

Religious Buildings

Movers

Yoga Studios

Insurance Agencies

Painting Companies

Nail Salons

Bars

Car Wash

Barber Shops

Hair Salons

Multi-location Businesses