These days competition in the local search marketing space has grown as more businesses realize its importance. It’s easy to see why. Local search results and SEO have the potential to catapult a business to success if correctly utilized. They form a bridge to the places where target consumers live, work and make most of their purchases.
Today’s local marketers cannot afford to ignore the power and potential of local SEO. Many surveys and researches have been carried out to give a glimpse into this industry. The findings from these studies as well as my own observations have enabled me to identify opportunities in the market and advise my clients by coming up with strategies that work for their businesses.
Here are 5 key things I have observed in the local SEO industry:
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We must be versatile to succeed.
Local SEO is a constantly changing field and marketers must adapt if they want to be successful. You must learn to not only cater to your customers in the real world but also pay attention to the small details in the online world such as the questions in the Google knowledge portal.
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Most people have a poor understanding of local search.
Having worked extensively on digital marketing campaigns for various local and national businesses, it’s become increasingly clear that most don’t fully comprehend the importance of local search. With SERP becoming more complex every day, it’s up to us marketers to become great communicators so our clients can understand the role of local search in their businesses.
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There is much more to local marketing than just search.
Additionally, we marketers must learn to identify opportunities beyond search engines. You have to broaden your scope of work to explore things like email campaigns, word of mouth promotions, etc. to make companies stand out from the competition.
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Proximity to searcher matters most to local rankings.
An interesting thing I’ve noticed is that proximity to searcher strongly influences whether businesses show up in local search results. While this is good news for businesses located in highly populated areas, it does have some drawbacks. For instance, it favors location over quality meaning poor quality businesses often outrank better ones because of the proximity factor, sometimes leading to poor experiences for customers.
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Google is rapidly becoming the new local business homepage.
Since Google now displays more information on their own interface searches, customers are increasingly avoiding business websites. While websites still remain vital, it’s crucial for businesses to also prioritize all other elements of their Google presence e.g. their business information reviews, photos, etc.
Schedule a consultation with me today and let us work together to help you take advantage of local SEO to grow your business.
