Local SEO Explained: How Nearby Customers Find Your Business Online

Local Search Engine Optimization (Local SEO) is an ongoing process that shapes a site’s visible online presence across paid and organic search results, helping nearby customers find a business. Organic SEO targets a specific audience through search rankings, while PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is a popular form of paid search that produces visible results with less time but more planning.

Who runs local search?

Two major players dominate the field: Google and Yahoo!. Google leads in search popularity and Google AdWords, while Yahoo! also maintains a strong presence and was acquired by Microsoft.

What are the tangible benefits of Local SEO?

Local Search Engine Optimization offers several concrete benefits for businesses:

• Higher rankings on Google. A well-optimized site with relevant content can lift your Google ranking, driving more traffic and ultimately more sales and profits.
• Stronger customer relationships. Better service areas increase the likelihood of sales and income, since the sale is often made in the customer relationship area where both parties come together.
• Free, sustainable organic traffic. Organic searches performed on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN using appropriate keywords generate traffic that is free and can be sustained over time.
• Free, sustainable organic rankings and local online visibility built through those organic searches.

What happens if Local SEO is ignored?

The opposite of gaining organic traffic and local customers is losing them. Losing local customers undermines SEO efforts, because once customers leave they are gone and require harder work to win back. Local SEO helps prevent that loss by bringing in local customers organically.

What elements does Local SEO include?

Local SEO combines organic search optimization with elements such as:

• Content marketing: submitting articles through the blogosphere so others can find them useful.
• Social media marketing: platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• PPC or pay-per-click advertising: used to achieve higher search rankings and generate traffic.
• Video advertising and mobile website applications.

Putting it all together

A fully optimized Local SEO approach should encompass organic search engine optimization along with social media, content marketing, PPC, and mobile application development, supported by customer and competition data analysis. A site optimized for a specific market can be the difference between attracting new visitors and gaining new business, and between gaining new customers and closing new sales.

FAQ

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is an ongoing process that affects a site’s visible online presence across paid and organic search results, aimed at helping nearby customers find a business. Organic SEO targets a specific audience, while PPC (pay-per-click) is a popular paid form of search.

What benefits does Local SEO provide?

It can raise Google rankings through relevant content, increase traffic, sales, and profits, improve customer relationships in service and sales areas, and build free, sustainable organic traffic and rankings from searches on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.

What elements make up Local SEO?

Local SEO combines organic search optimization with content marketing, social media marketing on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, PPC advertising, video advertising, and mobile website applications, along with customer and competition data analysis.

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