When was the last time you saw someone looking out the window on the train? That's right: people usually don't look at the scenery, but instead stick to their smartphone and very often use it to perform search queries.
Many of them are locally connected, meaning they are related to the search engine's location. We reveal how this development is changing online marketing, what advantages local SEO concepts have for businesses and how they can be implemented.
Local SEO: because the future is digital
Ten years ago, “shopping locally” still meant: I rummage through the shops in my immediate surroundings. I go to the market. I support small, local businesses.
Nowadays, there is a small, but immensely important step before entering the store: looking at your smartphone. More precisely: searching via smartphone. I no longer go there by chance, but rather plan my routes in advance. And Google knows that I do this.
For this reason, the largest of all search engines has adjusted its ranking algorithm in favor of locally tailored search results. Of course, this also means that companies that have not optimized their website for Google local search are no longer shown in the results. And that in turn means: you lose potential customers.
This is why businesses need local SEO: 5 reasons
Local customers search for service providers on the Internet
A staggering 99% of consumers in 2021 used the World Wide Web to search for information about local businesses. 78% even use the Internet more than once a week to find such information. In addition, the Internet is also being used more than ever when it comes to evaluating or rating local businesses.
So the Internet is a good place to generate customers. And the great thing is that you can present yourself there – on your website, on industry portals, through advertisements – exactly how you want. If you have then optimized your website for local search queries, you have done all the right things to make your potential customers see and find you when they search on the Internet.
Local searches become direct purchases
But local customers don't just search the Internet without taking any action. On the contrary, 90% of local searchers intend to make a purchase within a week of their search.
This shows two things: firstly, an extremely large proportion of all local searchers actually become active shortly after a search, and secondly, local searches have a high commercial search intent. Local SEO marketing therefore makes an important contribution to the financial success of entrepreneurs.
Additional exposure through reviews in local search results
Many companies include particularly good or meaningful customer reviews on their website. Of course, you look more serious if the ratings are displayed on an independent platform such as Google My Business in the local search results.
Ratings in local search results attract a lot of attention because they appear directly below Google ads. And at this point it is important to attract users.
But how can you, as a service provider, influence what information is shown to users when searching for your company? Very simple: By confirming the entry of your business via Google My Business. As soon as your identity as the business owner is confirmed, you can continuously edit and update all the information stored in Google My Business.
Knowledge does not guarantee customer contact
Good local search engine optimization ensures that your business ranks well in local searches and that the information and data available is always up to date.
But why are these two points important? This is easily answered:
- If you don't rank well in search results, you won't be seen as a company on the Internet.
- If data and information are not up to date, your customers will quickly find themselves facing closed doors. This often causes resentment. So don't rely on information alone, but on the right information.
But local SEO isn't just important for customer acquisition: even customers who already know your business don't necessarily have exactly where you're located in their heads. In fact, a good portion of local searches are done for exactly that reason: to get precise information about the address, phone number, and opening hours of a particular store.
And even if you shop frequently and enjoy shopping at a particular store, visits are usually not frequent enough to find the branch without seeing it. That's why many make a request via smartphone before each new visit. And so Google gives you the exact address in seconds and also tells you whether the store is open or not.
Local SEO: 3 important tips
There are three aspects that are important for your business in general, but also explicitly for local SEO.
Online reviews help you decide whether or not to buy locally
Nowadays, hardly any customers go to the store to ask for advice. Research on a product or service, like the purchase decision, is done almost exclusively online. According to a 2022 survey, more consumers than ever before read online reviews of a company to get an idea of a supplier. A staggering 77% read them always or regularly when looking for a local business. In 2020, it was still 60%, so the increase is enormous.
From this, it can be deduced that reading customer reviews on the Internet is an integral part of the decision-making process for many people. When it comes to your business, you should also pay attention to this aspect.
But it is not only the ratings of other customers that are of interest to consumers. 89% of respondents said they were very likely, or at least somewhat likely, to buy from a company that responded to positive and negative customer reviews.
Local businesses need a website
Local customers who only need the specific address of a store will find what they are looking for in just a few seconds. If in doubt, this local search query only continues to go to the respective store.
13% contact the company directly after their search and after reading a positive review. However, another number is really surprising: exactly half of all customers who conduct a local search and read a positive review there, then visit the website of the company they are interested in. This is an opportunity that you should not miss.
Local Citations: The Importance of Local Directory Listings
Entries in local directories are one of the many ways you can be found through Google and other search engines. A mention of your business is called a "citation." Local citations can appear in all sorts of places, for example in business directories or portals like TripAdvisor.
On the one hand, local citations verify the existence of your business, on the other hand, they help search engines like Google to classify you as relevant and trustworthy. And that leads to better rankings.
Remember: Just like with link building, a measure in the field of OffPage SEO, it's more about quality than quantity. Only register with reputable directories so as not to cast a bad image on yourself.
Local SEO: the most important measures
The important points that influence local search engine optimization are as follows:
- On-Page SEO optimization of your website for local search queries: On-Page SEO measures are, for example: suitable keywords with a local reference, good page structure, site map, city name in the metadata, etc.
- Create a Google My Business profile entry: You must then conscientiously update all contact information and relevant data (route map, address, opening hours). It is important that you provide all information correctly and that you follow the guidelines of the search engine giant. Offensive, misleading or illegal content is prohibited and will not be tolerated by Google - you risk having your account suspended.
- Local keywords: You should also enrich your Google My Business entry with suitable local keywords and photos.
- Collect local backlinks: These should come from very high-quality, quality-conscious link partners that fit your topic.
- User experience and loading time: Both should be optimal on your site. Mobile Optimization – It’s good for your local marketing to optimize your website for mobile devices.
- General NAP Optimization: This stands for Name, Address, and Phone. These should be consistent across the internet. Wherever you put them, always use the same spelling to avoid confusion.
- Online Reviews: You should always take Google reviews seriously and react professionally to negative Google reviews.
Local search engine optimization brings many advantages to every business: Google ranking is positively influenced, you get additional attention, local search queries often result in direct purchases, etc. Local SEO marketing therefore provides many opportunities, which you as a company should not leave unused.
And just like with "normal" search engine optimization, the same applies to local SEO: the better your ranking on Google for local search queries, the more local customers will visit your company's website and ultimately your business. And that, in turn, ultimately means an increase in sales thanks to local search engine optimization.
