If you are a small business and have a website, you’re probably familiar with SEO and how it helps in search rankings. But did you know you could be targeting customers in your area through local SEO?
Local SEO employs slightly different strategies to get you to the top of the search results page for the customers you want to reach in your area.
Learn what local SEO is and how you can optimize your website to reach local customers.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search Engine Optimization, in a nutshell, is simply optimizing your website for the purpose of getting on the first page of Google search results. Ideally you want to get into the first five website listings on the first page, as 68% of all clicks go to this coveted position.
But how do you get there?
The Google algorithm, which determines the ranking of all websites on it’s search engine, if chock full of ranking factors that determine who is on top, and who is banished to the dreaded page 2, or 4 or 103. In fact, Google has over 200 ranking factors it uses to determine the order of their Search Engine Results Pages, or SERPS.
These include things like site speed, backlinks and keywords. With over a billion websites on the internet, there is a lot of competition for the first page.
How to Get Local SEO Traffic Near Me
If you’re a restaurant in Chicago, you don’t really need to worry about getting to the top of SERPS for someone searching in Florida. You want to be on the top for your area. Especially since 80% of local searches convert to sales. This is where local SEO comes in. The concept is the same but the strategy is a bit different.
If you search “Best restaurant in Chicago” Google will return search results which include maps and reviews. Google pulls this information from it’s Google My Listings profiles. This is a separate part of the Google-verse, similar to the Yellow Pages.
If you are a local business, it’s very important to have and verify your listing. It is also important to optimize your website with local keywords, photos from your area and backlinks from local websites.
Reviews are also a big ranking factor for Google in determining who gets on top of local results. Earning and maintaining positive reviews can be the deciding factor on whether you are #1 in results or #15.
How to Improve Local SEO
Our affordable local SEO services have helped Chicago businesses rise to the top of SERPS and expand their businesses. Our web developers can optimize your website and Google listing to target customers in your area and increase foot traffic to your business.
As one of Chicago’s premier SEO agencies, we know the uniqueness of its residents. Just as you wouldn’t want to come up on another city’s search results, why wouldn’t you want Chicago SEO services from people you can call neighbors.