Local SEO: What is local SEO?

Your Local SEO agencyoffers you a guide to learn all about local SEO and boost your business :

  • What is local SEO and who is affected?
  • What are the opportunities for your business?
  • How to improve and optimize your local SEO?

Also find, at the end of the article, our infographic on local SEO to provide you with more details on this subject and to better visualize the opportunities not to be missed.

Local SEO

What is local SEO?

We cannot define what local SEO is without starting with a small definition of SEO . Natural referencing or SEO is a pillar of web marketing. It consists in improving the position of the pages of your website on search engines. Different techniques are used to obtain the first position of a page on a specific query when an Internet user performs a search.

Who is concerned ?

Almost all businesses are concerned with local SEO from the moment you build business in a specific catchment area. Any business with a physical location can benefit from local SEO. This concerns, for example, restaurants, artisans, various physical shops, liberal professions (doctor, lawyers, etc.), etc. All professionals serving local clients can also benefit from SEO . That your company sells in-store or whether you are a service company, you are concerned by this web marketing strategy. Note that97% of internet users have searched online to find a local business . It shows the importance and power of local Google search.

The principles of local SEO on Google

Local SEO is a series of actions and strategies designed to improve your visibility on Google and other search engines . This includes searching with a local query that has a specific location and also geolocation of a search when a surfer performs a search near your physical location. 92% of Internet users will choose the company that is on the first page of local search results . Local SEO is therefore an extremely important criterion for finding new customers. Basically, local SEO is a strategy that allows you to increase your sales by boosting your visibility on the web.

This could be including the name of your city or county in the content of your website or your Google My Business page, using local directories , getting more reviews online, etc. For example, your establishment will appear more easily in Google Maps or in Google results if someone writes: “best restaurant in Toulouse” or “restaurant near me”. The same goes for people who want to visit your city and who are looking in advance for businesses or services in your area.

What opportunities does local SEO bring to your business?

1- Better visibility on your geographic sector

Local SEO will definitely help you gain better visibility in the geographic area where you generate business. You will thus be able to continue to gain notoriety in this geographical area. Internet users will find you more easily. Let’s say you own a bookstore based in Aix-en-Provence. When an Internet user writes “bookstore” on Google, the search engine will first display sponsored ads, then local results will arrive even if they have not specified a city. Indeed, Google, thanks to geolocation, will present him the bookstores closest to the place where he carried out his research.

To be referenced in this block of local results, also called “local pack”, you must register on Google My Business.Example of local referencing with the bookstore query which geolocates the search in NantesIt’s also a good way to stand out from the big companies that work across France . Indeed, in this current climate, it is not easy for a local business to compete with sales giants such as Amazon, Sarenza, La FNAC, etc … Investing in local SEO gives you the advantage of be found by local consumers who are ready and willing to invest in your products rather than the giants in your industry.

Google will help you rank with a specific set of local ranking factors that it uses as a metric to determine if your business is geographically relevant to a user searching “nearby”. This means you don’t have to worry about competing with large international or national companies to introduce your local business to consumers in your catchment area.

2- The generation of new prospects

Obviously, if you are found more quickly and easily on the search engines, it will undoubtedly increase the number of your new prospects and consequently your profit . It’s a virtuous circle!Sales figures with local SEO SEO Local SEO has several benefits; it increases your conversion rate through much more qualified traffic to your website. This allows you to generate more online sales or telephone contact.

It’s also a great way to increase the flow of traffic to your physical store. You can thus boost your in-store sales thanks to the internet. This is the definition of web to store . Take the example of an Italian restaurant based in Lyon. If this restaurant does not work on its local referencing, Google will position its site on the keyword “Italian restaurant”. The site will thus compete with a multitude of Italian restaurants, not to mention all the cooking blogs or specialized directories.

In addition, Google will not know where to geolocate this restaurant. On the other hand, by working on its local SEO and putting the priority on the city of Lyon, this restaurant will gain visibility on search engines and obtain a better position. In addition, its traffic will be much more qualified since people writing the local query “Italian restaurant Lyon” will be more likely to eat there. Whereas a person typing “Italian restaurant” but being located in Paris will have little chance of going to eat in the said restaurant if he goes back to this keyword.

Example of a local SEO for an Italian restaurant based in LyonIn 2019, 70% of consumers visited a store after finding information on the web and 28% of local searches resulted in a purchase ! Local SEO therefore plays a crucial role in generating customers for both businesses and service companies.

How to optimize your local SEO?

Now that you have a good idea of ​​the definition of local SEO and its benefits, it’s time to guide you on the levers to activate. You will finally appear in the first positions of local Google results thanks to the advice of your SEO Nantes agency!

1- Google My Business, a must

You must create the Google My Business listing for your company in order to be visible in the Google local pack . Google local pack cipher for local SEO SEOLet’s go back briefly to what the Google local pack is. As we mentioned previously, when an Internet user performs a search on Google, the search engine will first display sponsored ads if companies have bid on the keyword entered by the Internet user. Then Google displays a block of local results if it is relevant for Google to display it.

This is called the Google local pack.Presentation of the SERP to present where the Google local pack is locatedIt is extremely important for a company to fill in its Google My Business file to be present on the local Google pack.. In addition, you must also optimize your Google My Business listing in order to be positioned in the first results of the local Google pack. To do this, several levers must be activated: Completely fill in the information about your establishment and the data in your Google My Business listing. The more details there are about your business, the better it is to attract customers.

For example, you can add different photos to it: here we explain how to upload an image to Google My Business . Use the right keywords on your listing without over-optimizing it. This will allow you to be better referenced on Google Getting more consumer reviews will improve your positioning on the local pack and in addition, it will have a positive impact on your prospects. Improve business links and quotes on the internet. The greater the authority of your site, the more trust Google and other search engines will trust.

Google my business for your local SEO Do not hesitate to consult our article on Google My Business, what is it to learn more about it. Note also that in addition to having the possibility of appearing on the local Google pack thanks to your Google My Business listing, your business may also be visible on Google Maps . When we know that 86% of Internet users search for the location of a business on Google Maps , this feature should not be neglected.

The post Local SEO: What is local SEO? appeared first on Sunshine Slate.



source https://www.sunshineslate.com/tech/local-seo-what-is-local-seo/

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