Local Search Marketing (LSM) is an extension of traditional SEO that focuses on showing Google and other search engines that you are the most relevant business in your locality for any given query. Activities may include building citations of your name, address and phone number in online directories or review platforms.
Increased Relevance
Local SEO strategies focus on optimizing the signals that search engines use to recognize your business in specific geographic regions, including creating websites containing keywords, NAP information, citations and reviews that rank businesses in local searches.
By investing in local SEO, your content will be presented to those actively searching for products or services similar to what yours offer, leading to relevant traffic that increases sales conversions.
Small businesses often waste valuable time dealing with traffic that does not qualify, yet local SEO strategies can help identify customers more likely to convert. By offering locally relevant content and emphasizing your connections to the community, local SEO strategies will also increase brand loyalty and retention rates for local customers.
Increased Traffic
Searchers using local search tend to have high purchase intent; for instance, they might search “buy X near me,” “find a dentist nearby” or “best PTSD treatment.” One of the major benefits of Local Search Marketing is increasing traffic to both your website and physical locations.
An accurate Google Business Profile can help your company rank higher for relevant searches, giving consumers greater trust in your business and helping you build an online presence search engines and directory platforms trust.
According to a 2021 local search industry survey conducted by BrightLocal, 89% of consumers trusted businesses that provided complete and accurate information on their profiles. Make sure all major search engines and directories list your business consistently; search engines place importance on relevancy and prominence as measured by website content quality relating directly to what people search for online.
Increased Conversions
Greater visibility in local searches generates more consumer conversions – whether website visitors or phone calls seeking services – creating brand recognition and customer loyalty in the process.
Utilising relevant keywords and content are one of the cornerstones of local search marketing. By targeting search queries specific to your audience’s search history, relevant traffic will increase, with greater chances of converting these visitors into paying customers or clients.
Local SEO also makes it easier to eliminate traffic that doesn’t fit with your business, saving both time and money from interactions with people who won’t buy your products or use your services – while simultaneously helping focus on reaching out to the people most likely to purchase from or book with you.
Increased Sales
Local search marketing can be an invaluable asset to businesses that serve local customers – including retail chains, so-called Mom & Pop shops, service providers, financial brands and enterprise brands.
Selecting appropriate keywords is key to local search marketing. Not only should your customers be searching for them, but make sure these terms are also contextually relevant to your business.
Being successful at local search requires having an effective online presence, including having a website that is mobile friendly and providing quality content that engages with audiences.
Your website must also feature NAP (name, address and phone number) information as this allows search engines to determine the listings to display for various searches. Citations is another key factor – it helps inform them which listings to display for certain queries.