What is Local SEO?

What is Local SEO and Why Does It Matter?

Local SEO stands for Local Search Engine Optimization. Local search engine optimization is similar to SEO in that it is also a process affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results often referred to as "natural", "organic", or "earned" results (wikipedia).

Local also refers to your immediate area which includes your region, city, neighborhoods and communities within your immediate area.

When someone comes to your city as a visitor and are seeking for a specific restaurant, they will start with Google. In Google, they will find a series of results.

All of the possible search result sections:

Google Adwords
Google Map (Google Business Profile)
Featured Snippet
"People Also Ask" section
YouTube Videos
Websites, Webpages, Social Media Profiles, Directory Listings, etc
"Related Searches" section
Google Adwords

You won't see all of these on the first series of search engine results.

The most common search results sections:

Google Adwords
Google Map
YouTube Videos
Websites, Webpages, Social Media Profiles, Directory Listings, etc
"Related Searches" section

Local SEO is getting your Google Map to rank through optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP), ensuring that your website has pages that coincide with the most common searches for your business category, type and products or services.

For Example, if you type into your Google Search Bar: "Lawn Care Hayward Wisconsin", you will find our Lawn Care company, Three Bears Lawn Care ranking first in the Google Maps section.

There are a couple of reasons for this.

Google Business Profile: Our Google Business Profile is properly optimized for the category, "Lawn Care Companies", and our location is set for Hayward Wisconsin
Website Design: The website is structured to satisfy the top 10 searches for lawn care nationwide, however, our lawn care company will not show nationwide, it will be optimized to show locally, as we have the most keywords matched to the top searches for lawn care in the Hayward Wisconsin area.
Customer Reviews: Customer reviews play a factor in getting your Google Map section found. A few factors include the number of reviews, and the number of great reviews.
Proximity: Google's job is to dish up the best possible results for people searching in Google, therefore the best possible match would be the highest rated with the most reviews, most clicks on the website, and most content that meets the 3 Rs (real, reliable, and relevant).
Backlinks: Three Bears Lawn Care has been featured in numerous media sources because of the business model, therefore the media sources are providing a link back to our website in the press release and article. These backlinks play a role in the rank position of the Google Map.
Content: The website has content specifically related to Lawn Care, there is nothing about landscaping, tree service, gutters, snow removal, etc. It's specifically lawn care, and there are 15 articles/blog posts about the commonly asked questions in Google related to Lawn Care Services.

Why Local SEO is Important

Local SEO is important because it is specific to your location. It takes into consideration the number of businesses competing for the same internet traffic, and the company that has put work into their website and online presence will typically earn the higher ranking.

Local SEO isn't just keywords, Local SEO includes all of your internet-based assets. Internet-based assets includes images, videos, social media profiles, press releases, local directory listings, content, and any mentions of your business from high-authority websites. These all play a large part in getting a website to rank.

Why Do Website Rankings Matter?

There are a wide range of reasons why getting a website to rank in 2023 and beyond matter more than ever. In a survey completed by Search Engine Land with over 200k respondents, the respondents reported the following:

78.6% use Google to search
58.8% search more than once a day
32.9% will immediately start a new search if page one doesn’t have what they’re looking for
45% of respondents feel like Google ads are less likely to meet their needs than non-ad search results.
43.3% wouldn’t scroll down the first page for additional results.
56% would rather try something else than click on page two.

In a digital world where the new buyer, Buyer 2.0, has become more self-researched, and self-educated they turn to Google for initial topics to learn more, click on an average of 5 websites to find the information and answers they're looking for. The end results is they pick the best result they find that meets their needs. This is why Local SEO is important.

Buyer Intent Plays A Large Role

Google has become the go-to search engine for almost every search. When a visitor clicks on your website they're looking for information to validate their decision,. They're exclusively turning to Google to find a solution to their challenge. That challenge could be, they're hungry and want to find a family-friendly restaurant that isn't loaded with local tavern-goers for a rowdy night with foul language. They do want great food, a great environment, a great experience for a reasonable price.

That journey stars with a Google Search.

That google search includes the following steps:

Search --> Topic + Location (Example: Fine Dining Hayward Wisconsin)
Google Map (check your reviews, images, and location)
Website (looking for videos or images of your food, happy customers, and view of your restaurant environment)
Social Media (they'll check your Facebook page, and Instagram for more info)
Decision (They either make a reservation, or place a call to confirm seating)

This process is pretty thorough, but it is simple. All of this was completed with a Google Search. Now, if your website isn't displaying on the first page for your primary business category in the Hayward Wisconsin area, you're not getting those customers - plain and simple.

Buyer intent plays a large part in visitors using Google to find answers.

What Kind of Businesses Need Local SEO?

Any business that would benefit from someone going to Google to find a local business. However, the most effective results for businesses come in the form of:

Restaurants
Taverns & Pubs
Specialized Retail Locations
Fishing Guides
Rentals (Boats, ATVs, Snowmobiles, etc.)
Hotels and Lodging
Lawn Care Companies
Tree Service
Landscapers
Plumbers
Electricians
Tow Companies
Locksmiths

This is just a short-list, but the gist of the list (haha) is to identify businesses that are either home-based on not located on the main street with a higher level of competition in the local marketplace. You want to be found ahead of them in a Google online search, you want to have more reviews, more images, more testimonials, more videos, and a great story to tell them, making them want to do business with you.

While every business can benefit from Local SEO, it's recommended that a business with a high level of competition would benefit from Local SEO.

If you're the only Contractor in town, you likely won't need to compete with anyone else. If you're the only coffee shop in town, you likely won't need to compete with anyone else. If you're 1 of 28 in your town for your industry, you will definitely want to compete and beat your competitors online to get that first initial call, click or customer.

Does Local SEO Work in Hayward Wisconsin?

Local SEO has worked for various companies we have worked with. We love to work with one business per industry, per city/region. This is optimal to ensure that we are helping out clients outrank their competitors on the first page of results. We help our clients get into the Top 3 on the Google Maps section, include the website, one article from their blog section, and at least one of their social profiles will display on the first page.

Each page displays just 7 results, and if we can get 4 of those, we technically dominate the Google search engine results page. In some instances we had generated 5 of the 7 with a YouTube video, and in other instances we had filled the page with all 7 of our clients online internet assets.

Our family grew Three Bears Lawn Care entirely through Local SEO, by spending $0 on advertising, promotions, signage, etc. We strictly started writing content, creating images and videos, submitted our story to media sources to get an internet and press release, and writing our own press releases. All of this work resulted in Three Bears Lawn Care becoming the highest rated lawn care company in Hayward Wisconsin (less one review that isn't from a customer).

Conclusion

Local SEO is a very cost-effective solution that allows you to track every single activity. This includes any internet-based offers with a specific checkout code, or bringing in an item for a local food pantry, or filling out a form to get contact information to redeem an offer online. All of these are extremely helpful in tracking the effectiveness of your online offers to help you measure the amount of customers, increases in revenue, and compare that to your online activity (clicks and calls).