How Can Local SEO Help Local Businesses?

If you own a local business, then you should definitely be using local SEO to help promote your business. Local SEO is a branch of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) that specifically deals with how a business can improve its online visibility in local search results. In other words, it helps you show up higher in searches done by people who are looking for businesses in your area

Why is this important? Well, according to a 2018 study by BrightLocal, “97% of consumers go online to find local services, and 93% of them will consider using a business if it’s listed on the first page of a local search engine.” So, if you want people to find your business and consider using your products or services, then you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to optimize your site for local search results. Here are some tips on how to do just that.

1. Make Sure Your NAP is Consistent
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. It’s important that your NAP is consistent across all platforms—such as your website, social media pages, and directory listings—because it helps Google verify your business’s identity. If there are inconsistencies in your NAP, it can signal to Google that your business might not be legitimate, which can hurt your ranking in search results

2. Claim Your Google My Business Listing
If you haven’t already claimed your Google My Business listing, then you need to do that as soon as possible. This is a free listing that allows you to control how your business appears in Google Maps and Google Search results. You can add important information about your business here, such as your hours of operation, website address, contact information, etc

3. Optimise Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Title tags and meta descriptions are what show up in the search results when someone looks up a particular keyword or phrase. So, it’s important that these are well written and accurately reflect the content on your website. For example, let’s say you own a Restaurant in Leeds. A potential customer does a Google search for “pizza place Leeds.” If the title tag and meta description on your website say something like “The best pizza in town! Delivery available,” then there’s a good chance the searcher will click on your listing because it sounds relevant to what they’re looking for. However, if your title tag and meta description don’t match up with the actual content on your website (e.g., there’s no mention of pizza delivery), then the searcher is likely to click away from your site pretty quickly—which will increase your bounce rate and hurt your ranking in search results over time

4. Get Reviews From Customers
Customer reviews are crucial for local businesses because they act as social proof that others have had positive experiences with your company. When potential customers see that others have had good things to say about your business, they’ll be more likely to use your products or services themselves. You can encourage customers to leave reviews by adding links to review sites on your website or sending follow-up emails after they make a purchase asking them how their experience was and if they wouldn’t mind leaving a review. Just make sure you only ask customers who had positive experiences—it looks bad if potential customers see negative reviews from disgruntled customers who had bad experiences with your company (although even the best businesses will get an occasional negative review)

There are many benefits that come from using local SEO to promote local businesses—such as increased visibility, higher quality leads, and improved customer conversion rates. If you own a local business and want to improve its online presence, then start implementing some of these tips today!

You can also contact us to see how we can put your business in to growth overdrive!