Local search results let people find whatever products and services they want and then follow turn-by-turn directions straight to the front door of the business. Craving something to eat? Simply search for restaurants near your location. Need some fun and excitement? Look no further than escape rooms, arcades, or other entertainment outlets in the vicinity. Looking for anything else at all? Just enter a few keywords into the search bar and you’re good to go.
So, if you want to get more people in your store, local search is a must & for that, you should enlist specialized services from a creative digital marketing agency. Otherwise, competitors that are already tuned into this powerful resource will leave you behind and outmanoeuvre you for potential customers.
If you are someone looking to start your eCommerce business and take your business online, you must check out these SEO practices for optimizing your Shopify store.
And if you are wondering how to begin then we have all the answers to the question of: “Local SEO: Why does it matter?”
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO or search engine optimisation is one of the key ways for business owners to improve upon the reachability or accessibility of their brand to their customers through local searches. These searches incorporate keywords that indicate an individual is looking for a nearby restaurant, store, or other physical establishment.
The most relevant results are listed at the top as a map pack, allowing users to quickly and easily locate what they’re looking for. And if they want more options, additional listings appear below so that customers can have an array of choices when it comes to navigating their way through brands’ websites.
Read about the future of SEO & learn how optimizing your videos for search engines is a trend of the future & hop onto it.
Why Local Search Matters?
If you don’t optimize your business for the appropriate local search terms, your company won’t show up on top of the map results and might even be disqualified from being considered. Consequently, you will inevitably miss out on potential foot traffic to rivals who have better visibility due to their higher placement in the rankings.
So, here are a few stats that prove the importance of the local search for businesses:
- Google indicates that a substantial 76% of individuals who look up local services on their phones visit the business within twenty-four hours, with 28% leading to actual purchases.
- According to Google, roughly 30% of all searches it deals with are location-based.
- A staggering 61% of consumers revealed in a recent study that they are actively searching locally daily.
- A recent survey uncovered that 82% of consumers read online reviews when performing a local search, and they spend close to 14 minutes examining these reviews before making their decision.
- With an overwhelming majority of 86%, the public relies heavily on Google Maps to locate businesses.
- An overwhelming majority of big corporations utilize third-party content writers, representing 75% of them. Content writing services ensure improving your local search results.
- Astonishingly, over half of those accessing the web around the world are now using their mobile devices to search for local services.
- Google Search is the go-to source for 83% of online searchers to acquire information about local businesses. Google Maps, Apple Maps and Yahoo follow respectively with 55%, 44%, and 39%. Bing comes in last place at 31%.
Do not forget to enlist free SEO tools to maximize your online presence locally.
Expert Tip: Tracking your insights is equally important when it comes to optimizing your performance to SEO metrics. To have a better understanding of how this works, check out this article about How can businesses benefit from using analytics on their website.
Now that you have a better grasp of the fundamentals of SEO and how Google ranks local search results, it’s time to focus on signals that will improve your website’s online presence for localized searches. This way, when people are looking for businesses like yours in their area, they’re more likely to find you first, increasing your visibility and leading to far more potential customers finding out about what your business has to offer.
With local search continuing to evolve and expand, you need to be aware of the multiple elements that contribute to your visibility. To increase your reach among your local customers you can reach out to an SEO outsourcing company in India for forming an effective local SEO strategy for your business. As soon as you begin optimizing every significant signal area, more people in your target location will notice – paving the way for rapid growth!