Local SEO: let’s discover what this part of SEO is
Local SEO identifies the process of website optimization for a business in local and geolocalised search results on Google.
The importance of Local SEO, or Local search, is evident when considering businesses that have a predominantly local focus.
Let’s take for example a hairdresser. They will need to sell their services within a specific radius . It’s difficult to imagine that their priority would be to become known 100 kilometers away from their business!
Unless it’s a well-known brand, but that’s another story and it involves a more complex core business, which we might address in the future.
Before proceeding, let’s see what SEO is
SEO is “the acronym for Search Engine Optimization, which is” the optimization of the website and content for search engines. SEO involves a series of targeted activities carried out by a SEO specialist.
These include SEO content, on-page SEO and off-page SEO, as well as a series of actions such as link building, link earning, a solid social strategy, without neglecting technical SEO.
Local SEO is part of SEO activities that we could define, to better understand, as traditional.
What are the elements of Local SEO and why are they fundamental in a local SEO strategy
When a user searches for a nearby business or service, through queries and keywords, Google returns the best answers it has identified in the search and in Maps, evaluating three elements which are:
Relevance, between “the business and the search made by the” user.
Distance, if the user doesn’t specify a location, Google calculates it based on known data about their position.
Prominence, meaning the notoriety of the business, for example a famous brand.
If a user searches for a pastry shop, they’re likely to also type in the location of interest where they want to find it, which could be the city, a town, or a specific address.
Google selects the responses to search intents that it deems most relevant and close to the “user. Today, Google’s increasingly refined and precise search is able to propose solutions closest to the” user, even if they haven’t typed any location.
What is meant by local business? Read below
When talking about Local SEO, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what we mean by local businesses. Local businesses include shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, accommodation facilities that operate in a well-defined geographical area.
Any company with a physical location is a local business. It’s not if it has an ecommerce and sells on a national and/or international scale. In the case of large companies and brands with multiple locations, it’s important to activate a Local SEO strategy for each physical location, even if there’s an ecommerce.
Now let’s see how to do Local SEO in a web marketing strategy
Local SEO is based on specific strategies and actions that differentiate it from traditional SEO. The first step is to create your local business or service profile on Google My Business, Google’s positioning platform dedicated to local businesses and their positioning.
Remember! The main business objective of a local activity is to increase visibility and reach as many people as possible in the vicinity.
What is Local SEO for? If you’re asking yourself this question, here’s the answer
Thanks to a targeted local SEO strategy and a Google My Business listing that is well-maintained and rich in information, your business will be visible in local search and on Google Maps.
This will increase the possibility of being reached by users who are nearby and to whom you want to sell your services and products.
Let’s discover everything about Google My Business
Google My Business is a tool provided by Google, through which you can create, optimize, and manage your business profile on local search engines.
Based on the information you provide, Google will understand if your business page meets the needs of users who can find the company in three different ways:
Direct searches, where the user searches for the name or address of a business they know.
Discovery searches, where the user searches for a category, product, or service offered that appears displayed on the Google My Business listing.
Brand-related searches, where the “user searches for a brand or a brand related to the” business.
When and why was Google My Business created?
Google My Business was created in 2014 to unify and replace Google Places, Google+ Business, and Local. Having a single tool is certainly advantageous for Google, for SEO specialists, and also for users.
Starting from July 2017, it’s possible to create posts visible in the Google My Business listing. Through posts, you can promote events, special offers, and add buttons such as register, book, buy, see the offer, more information.
From January 2019, users can also directly contact the business.
Want to create a Google My Business listing? Keep reading and find out how
Any local business, to be included in Google Maps and appear among the answers to be reported to users who perform the search, must have an optimized listing of their business.
The listing should be created following precise guidelines and must provide all the necessary information. In particular, it must contain:
the business name
the phone number
the address
opening and closing hours
the logo
the cover image
photos that showcase the business
information about the business, its history, the team
link to the website
These are the fundamental pieces of information that every listing must have. However, don’t forget the part dedicated to content, reviews, and customer contact. Specifically, it’s necessary to:
create posts to promote offers, events, and update customers
respond to reviews
send and receive direct messages
publish answers to frequently asked questions, so you can save valuable time
let other customers provide answers to questions posed by users
Google My Business also offers the great opportunity to verify and monitor results through the dedicated dashboard. A mini Google Analytics dedicated to the Local SEO of your business. Try it, it’s really useful! It helps you understand many things about the performance and positioning of your company, business, or association.
Taking care of your Google My Business listing as if it were a mini website is part of the best practices of Local SEO or Local Search or local SEO, whatever you want to call it. Never forget it!
How to set up keywords on Google My Business? Keep reading to find out
Every SEO activity, including Local SEO, must include keyword research. First, you need to establish the objective and choose the keywords that define your business.
For example, if the business you’re promoting is a pastry shop in Milan, you’ll need to be specific and not stop at the keyword pastry shop Milan. If you offer gluten-free products, you can, for instance, choose to position yourself for the keyword gluten-free pastry shop Milan.
Many fear being too specific for fear of narrowing their user base too much. However, especially at the beginning, standing out for certain products or services can make a difference and help your business grow.
Once the keyword research is completed, having evaluated search volumes and keyword difficulty, you’ll have a clearer overall picture. Never forget the “importance of conducting a” careful analysis of competitors, observing which keywords they rank for and with what and how many contents.
Local directories, let’s see together why they are useful in local SEO
Local directories, or lists of local professionals, are useful websites for your business’s visibility and for reaching customers at a local level. They can positively influence Local SEO, but only if chosen carefully.
To be clear, directories are similar to Google My Business and allow you to create a profile where you can insert information relevant to local search.
Among the information that should not be missing are the website if it exists, the benefits of services offered, the products, the name, address, and phone number. The more information we provide, the better the local positioning will be.
Directories are almost always free. But be careful! Choose only reliable ones that guarantee good visibility and quality. Once you’ve added your business, it’s important to always keep the information up to date. This will benefit your Local Search.
How much does Google My Business cost? We’ll answer you right away
If there’s a completely free way to do Local SEO, it’s Google My Business. The tool offered by Google is totally free and allows you to create your business profile and manage it from Google Search and Maps.
What’s certain is that a quality Local SEO strategy, preferably done by a professional and included in the costs of a broader SEO strategy, cannot do without Google My Business!
What activities are needed to improve local positioning besides Google My Business?
Developing a Local SEO strategy requires a high level of preparation in the field of web marketing and website optimization for search engines.
Google My Business is not enough. For a “business to grow and reach more users in” its geographical area of interest, Local SEO and the web marketing strategy must include reviews, have a website, set up email marketing campaigns and targeted link building campaigns for the sector of interest. If you’re interested in Local SEO but don’t have the necessary skills to do everything on your own, contact us and we’ll be happy to prepare a personalized SEO consultation for you.
How does local SEO positioning work compared to non-local SEO?
How many times have you wondered how to position your business, company, or association on the first pages of search engines and make yourself findable? Surely many.
Good positioning doesn’t give mathematical certainty of increasing sales and revenue. But it certainly increases, and greatly, the opportunities.
SEO positioning refers to organic positioning that doesn’t involve advertising investments. These belong to Google Ads, which we’re not dealing with now or we risk really putting too much on our plate.
Let’s return to SEO positioning and understand how it works. When a user searches on Google for a product, service, or business, they do so by typing queries and keywords. The search engine responds to these by identifying the most relevant solutions.
But how does Google choose the most relevant solutions? It does so through a very sophisticated indexing algorithm, which decides how to rank businesses in the SERP, based on relevance to the user’s search.
Good SEO positioning that helps your business rise and stay at least within the first two pages certainly helps make the business more visible and accessible.
This requires skills and experience that only a professional SEO agency can bring to the table.
Contact us and together we’ll focus on your goals. We’ll determine the best and most effective strategy for you and your business.
SEO Consultant: What Are the Tasks of This Important Digital Marketing Figure
A web marketing strategy must include the professional action of an SEO consultant. The SEO specialist is an attentive and analytical professional, equipped with a deep understanding of the digital field and beyond. We could define them as the chameleon of web marketing, with a 360-degree view of what’s happening in the internet world and beyond.
The SEO specialist knows the algorithms, their dynamics, and mechanisms. They study their evolutions and changes. An SEO expert can establish and prepare the best strategy for SEO positioning, which is a fundamental and essential part of online marketing, including Local SEO.
The SEO consultant doesn’t work in a standardized way. The SEO specialist customizes and tailors each strategy based on the client’s needs, objectives, and possibilities.
What activities should an SEO specialist be able to do? Discover them below
An SEO consultant aims to optimize the website and increase organic traffic reach. In the case of Local SEO, this includes the website and Google My Business listing.
The SEO professional works to increase the authority of the site, domain, and individual pages. They aim to climb the ranking and rise to the top positions in the SERP for chosen keywords.
The SEO strategist’s tasks also include everything related to content, which is then produced by copywriters. The SEO professional develops “competitor analysis, keyword research, link building activities,” SEO optimization of the website.
All of this is part of a broader web marketing strategy, which should also include a social strategy, “email marketing,” influencer marketing, Google Ads, and targeted offline activities.
If you want to increase your business visibility and reach the top positions in search engines, we’re available to learn about your business objectives and create a personalized and effective strategy. Contact us without obligation!
