Local SEO or Local Search Engine Optimisation is the bread and butter of modern digital marketing. With more people buying solely online (it’s estimated that by 2040, 95% of purchases will be via eCommerce), getting ranked on google and having an online presence has never been more important. When you consider that the first 5 results on any given result garner 2 thirds of the clicks, getting ranked and ranking well are crucial for any business.
How does this specifically relate to LOCAL SEO though? Approximately 46% of all searches include location and around 78% of online searches result in an offline purchase, with 28% resulting in an online purchase then and there. Now more than ever, people are starting to think more locally and support their community by supporting local, small businesses.
Ranking high in your local area is pivotal to the growth of your business. More views means more sales which means more reviews which means your business is more likely to be trusted online which in return means more sales. SEO shouldn’t be thought of as an instant golden ticket, it should be thought of as a foundation on which to build your business gradually. If you need immediate results, SEO probably isn’t for you but if you want to slowly grow your business with long term success in mind, local SEO is a cost effective option.
Local SEO also helps promote healthier traffic to your website. Other methods of online marketing may attract a quicker response and a larger immediate audience but this larger net means bigger holes and you may find that while your traffic goes up, your conversions stay the same. Local SEO aims to provide increased traffic to your website that is specifically interested in your brand and your product which should hopefully provide a healthier and more reliable source of conversions
There are many different aspects of local SEO but the key goal is always to build your company’s online presence and their rankings on Google. If you think about how you use google, the company most likely to get your money is the one near the top of the results that has the best rankings. The best way to think about SEO is to think about the end client at the end of it and present your business with them in mind.
So what does this all entail?
How is this all delivered? Our SEO strategy is typically delivered across 6 areas:
Audit – At the beginning of every project (usually during the consultation), we provide a local SEO audit for your site to see how it is currently doing in terms of rankings, technical SEO and links. This provides a measuring stick to put our work against and chart the progression of the account as well as an idea of what we should focus on. Each SEO audit also comes with a breakdown of what the numbers actually mean and how best to address any issues, this analysis from an experienced SEO manager is worth its weight in gold.
- Keyword research – Keyword research is the foundation of SEO, the place where everything begins. We provide an organised and targeted plan of up to 100 keywords to optimise towards that is focused with search intent in mind.
- Technical SEO – This is where we handle any site errors (404 redirects, broken links, image tags) as these can be a small but critical part of SEO and a major hindrance if left unchecked. Remember, SEO is all about how users access your site and if they access a broken page, that reflects badly on your business and impacts your rankings with google.
- Content Marketing – We provide content geared towards your customers’ needs and offer a range of different styles of content beyond simple text articles. To learn more about our content offering, click here.
- Link Building – Link Building is key to SEO. Creating a profile for your business and driving traffic to your website through other sites is the best way for your website to grow and it helps build trust and authority with your site and Google. We discuss our link building process more here so check that out to learn more.
- Google My Business Optimization – Google My Business is a free way to advertise your business and an easy way to gain reviews. Maintaining this account and making sure it provides relevant and correct information about your business is incredibly beneficial for attracting traffic and potential customers and we can manage this for you.
