8November 2023
Yes, your business does need a Local SEO Consultant to give it the best visibility online in your local areas, but there is absolutely no reason why – if you have the time – that it cannot be done by you, or by an in-house. team.
However, often businesses will choose to employ outside SEO Experts for their localised SEO requirements to both save them time and to ensure that the most up-to-date methods of effective local SEO are employed.
After all, who wants to keep endlessly researching the topic of How to manage local SEO when there are clearly experts out there who can do these things for your business quicker than you?
Here at Target Grow we are the local SEO Experts, and these are probably the most common questions we’re asked about our Local SEO Consultancy services.
Hopefully, there’s something here to assist in your endeavours to achieve awesome local SEO results.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO refers to strategies and techniques used to improve a business’s visibility and rankings in local search engine results.
The goal is to increase visibility and drive more foot traffic from local searches. This involves optimising your website and online properties so you rank higher when people search for local businesses like yours.
Why is local SEO important?
Local SEO is critical for businesses that rely on local customers. Ranking high in local search results makes you more visible and accessible to potential customers looking for your products or services near them.
Given that 50% of mobile searches have local intent, local SEO can connect you with many potential new customers.
How does local SEO differ from regular SEO?
While there is overlap, local SEO focuses more on optimising for local search engines like Google My Business rather than just national or worldwide search rankings.
Key factors include proximity, local keywords, and signals like reviews and mentions that indicate you are a trusted local business.
What are the benefits of good local SEO?
The main benefits include:
- Increased visibility to nearby customers searching for your business type
- More foot traffic to your local store or venue
- Ability to stand out from competitors in the same geographic area
- Appearing on the Local Pack in search engines for relevant queries
- Building a local customer base and reputation
How can I improve my local SEO rankings?
Some key local SEO strategies include:
- Optimising your Google My Business listing with complete accurate info
- Creating unique, localised website content using your city and keywords
- Getting more positive local reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp
- Ensuring your site loads quickly on mobile devices
- Having a local-friendly website layout and contact info
- Getting mentions and backlinks from local directories and partners
What are some important local SEO ranking factors?
Google considers over 200 local SEO ranking factors but some vital ones are:
- Google My Business optimisation
- Positive local reviews and reputation
- Mentions on authoritative local directories
- Local keywords usage and optimisation
- Fast mobile load speeds and responsiveness
- Proximity to searcher location
- Domain authority of website
How do I choose the right local keywords?
Do keyword research to find popular search terms people use when looking for local businesses like yours.
Focus on including local modifiers like city name, street, and neighbourhood along with your core services.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush and Moz Keyword Explorer can help identify low-competition keywords.
Why are reviews important for local SEO?
Positive local reviews build trust and social proof that you are a legitimate, reputable business. People trust reviews over general directory listings.
Google and other search engines favour businesses with more and better local reviews.
Aim to get reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other relevant sites.
How can I get more customers to leave reviews?
Ask satisfied customers to leave an honest review. The best time is right after a positive experience before they forget.
Offer incentives like discounts for leaving a review. Make it quick and easy by sending a review link.
Respond politely to negative reviews and fix any issues that arise. Follow up by reminding happy customers to review you.
What is a Google Business Profile and how can I optimise it?
A Google Business Profile is Google’s local business directory. Creating and verifying your free listing gives you visibility in local search and map results.
Optimising your Google Business Profile with complete accurate info on business name, location, hours, photos, services, and more is essential for local SEO.
Should I consider paid local SEO advertising?
Search engines like Google offer paid local advertising options like Google Ads that can complement your organic local SEO efforts.
Local paid search ads allow you to target geographic areas and compete for the top sponsored spots associated with relevant local search terms. This can generate quick visibility and leads.
Is local SEO something I can do myself?
You can implement some basic local SEO tactics on your own with limited knowledge, it’s not difficult and just requires an analytical mindset.
However, without the right local SEO knowledge and technical skills, it is difficult to fully optimise and compete with other local businesses.
Most companies find working with a local expert or agency for SEO consultancy services is best for ongoing success ranking high and acquiring customers locally.
Does local SEO require special technical website work?
Some important technical optimisations for local SEO include optimizing website speed, enabling responsive mobile design, adding XML sitemaps, structured data markup, local schema and hreflang tags.
While not required, having an SEO professional handle the technical details can ensure your site is set up for local search success.
Check out this brief local SEO Whitepaper from Hubspot that helps explain localised SEO further.
How long does it take to see local SEO results?
Local SEO is an ongoing process, but you can expect to see some ranking improvements within 2-4 months if you execute proven local optimisation strategies consistently.
However, it takes 6-12 months of sustained effort to significantly improve local visibility and traffic.
Patience and persistence are key.
What is the #1 local SEO mistake businesses make?
The biggest mistake is not having any local SEO strategy at all. Many businesses miss out by optimising only for national SEO.
By neglecting critical local optimisation factors, you cede advantage to savvy local competitors actively improving their local search presence and rankings.
Does my local SEO need to be different for each location?
If your business has multiple physical locations serving different cities and geographic areas, then you will want a customised local SEO strategy optimised for each unique location for the best results.
From keywords to technical setup, optimise each as a distinct local entity.
Can I do local SEO if my business is service area-based?
Definitely, service area businesses can excel at local SEO by targeting keywords and optimising for the full region, city, and communities they serve.
Focus on building online visibility and trust across the entire service territory. Your Google Business Profile caters well to optimised service area listings.
Is local SEO impacted by voice search?
Yes, more voice searches like “Find a plumber near me” means local SEO needs to factor in how people speak natural language voice queries.
Keywords spoken out loud may differ from typed search terms. Optimising for conversational long-tail local keywords can help you rank for relevant voice searches.
Does my local SEO help with maps and GPS navigation apps?
Ranking higher locally can get your business listed on relevant maps for your products and services.
Maps applications like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and in-car navigation systems pull business listings from local search indexes.
So you want to rank well to be featured.
How can I track my local SEO results?
- Use Google Analytics to monitor your website traffic sources and conversions.
- Check your search engine rankings regularly for target keywords.
- Set up tracking for calls, store visits, and customer acquisitions from local SEO.
- Reviews, clicks, and follower growth also indicate your improving local visibility and engagement.
Should I hire a local SEO company or do it in-house?
Many brands hire specialised local SEO agencies and consultants similar to Target Grow to execute and optimise campaigns.
They have the expertise and resources for maximum effectiveness. That said, some larger brands tackle it successfully in-house if they have qualified SEO staff focused solely on local optimisation.
Does my local SEO strategy need to integrate with traditional marketing?
Absolutely – your SEO should coordinate with your overall local marketing mix.
Integrate your local SEO efforts with social media, emails, partnerships, ads, events and outreach campaigns.
Alignment creates synergy where all channels work together to build local awareness and reputation.
Local SEO Consultant Strategy from Target Grow
As SEO experts, we know just how vital local search engine optimisation is for small businesses trying to connect with local customers.
While the foundations of quality content, technical SEO, and backlinks still apply, truly dominating local rankings requires mastering unique local ranking factors and nuances.
We have the specialised expertise and resources to handle local SEO at scale, freeing you up to focus on big-picture strategy.
Our dedicated local SEO specialists live and breathe local search algorithms and data. Let us complement your in-house efforts with proven local SEO all optimised per individual location.
Reach out now to learn more about amplifying your local search visibility and traffic and claim the competitive advantage over your business competitors that local SEO delivers.