Have you seen the size of your town’s Yellow Pages recently? You can get thicker envelopes. People needing the services of a local business just don’t use the Yellow Pages anymore.
They are searching online and, more to the point, they are searching for local businesses on their smartphones.
So, does your business need local SEO? Oh yes. Without optimising your website for local search you are leaving so much money on the table. If your customers can’t find you online and on their smartphone, they won’t bother looking any further.
However, a well-managed and executed local SEO campaign, will put your business in front of customers eager to use your service or buy your product.
Still not convinced? Have a look at a few statistics released by Google:
- More than 50% of all searches come from searchers using their mobile phones
- 50% of smartphone searchers purchase within 60 minutes
- Over 30% of searches from a smartphone are for local companies, e.g., ‘tattooist in Leeds’, or ‘tattooist near me’
What is local SEO?
It’s local marketing, just like in the pre-internet days of the Yellow Pages, except it’s all online. It involves putting a local business in front of local customers who are ready to buy.
However, the techniques are different to ‘national’ SEO which looks to achieve high rankings on the search engines.
Rankings are important in local SEO but, as we shall see, they aren’t the be all and end all.
The power of Google listings and customer reviews
One of the main things to realise about local search is that Google presents the results in such a way as to make it so easy for the user to act on the results. Take a look at this graphic showing the results returned for our ‘tattooist in Leeds’ search enquiry:
If the searcher is using a PC or tablet they can click on the links to the businesses website or get directions to the tattoo studio.
However, if they are searching on a smartphone, they can tap the phone number of the business and book an appointment there and then. How powerful is that?
Another feature to note is the star ratings and reviews. These are incredibly important and immediately build the users trust in the business.
Note how the results under the map (these are called Google + Local listings) are given much more prominence than the organic listings.
Also, note how Rude Studios at the top of Google+ Local listings has a very good rating from over 20 reviews. Now, look at the business in the number one spot in the organic results. It has no star reviews. If you’re looking for a tattooist in Leeds who are you going to call?
Is your website optimised for local SEO?
If your business isn’t appearing on the front page of Google for local search terms with good reviews you are missing out on traffic and sales. We know local SEO and Google + Local inside and out.
With our help your website can start to rank and, more importantly, convert searchers to buyers. Call us now on 01302 965385, or complete the brief form below, and we will be delighted to provide more information on just how we can turn your website into a local traffic magnet.
