A Complete Guide to Local SEO for Small Businesses

Local SEO (which stands for “local search engine optimisation”) refers to the optimisation of a website to appear in the results of local searches on Google. Local SEO is crucial for small businesses, as 46% of all Google searches have local intent and 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases within a day (Source). If you want your local business to be discovered by local customers, then you’ll need to master local business search engine optimisation.

Recent studies show that 86% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps and 76% of people who search for something nearby visit a business within a day (Source). It means, that if your business isn’t optimised for local search, you could be missing out on valuable customers who are ready to shop in your local area.

What is Local Business SEO?

Local SEO is all about increasing search visibility for businesses that serve their communities with physical locations, like restaurants, clothing stores, hair salons, grocery stores, or service-area businesses that operate throughout a certain geographic area, such as plumbing companies or electricians.

Local SEO involves optimising your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches on Google and other search engines. It is the same as organic SEO, but with an added geographical area component. If you have a local business, like a store, restaurant, or agency, you want your web pages to rank for specific search queries performed by local users. Statistics show that 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases.

Local SEO is dependent on searchers looking for a product or service in a specific geographical area, making it essential for attracting nearby customers ready to engage with your business.

Local Pack vs Organic search results

There are various types of search results displayed on SERPs like paid ads, pack results, and organic results. Local SEO enhances your online visibility significantly through the \’Local Pack\’, sometimes called the \’3 Pack\’ or \’Snack Pack\’.

To improve website traffic, local businesses need visibility in the ‘Local Pack’. These Local Pack results appear at the top of Google’s search results, above the organic listings, and include key business details such as contact information, business hours, and star ratings.

Organic results appear below the Local Pack results as blue links without additional business info like business hours and contact details. Statistics show that the Local Pack gets a significantly higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to organic search results.

The 3-pack section displays specific details about each business, including their contact details, business hours, and a star rating. Businesses featured in the Local Pack have a better chance of attracting customers due to the enhanced visibility and detailed information provided.

How to Optimise Your Website For Local SEO

If your business operates in physical locations, it’s imperative to your marketing and SEO strategy that you continuously optimise and update your website for local SEO. Investing your energy and time into a local SEO marketing strategy is one of the most lucrative methods that businesses can use to grow online. B2B companies that take advantage of this process will reap the benefits of staying ahead of their competition and securing qualified leads online.

There are several best practices to optimise your website for local SEO:

• Keyword Research: Identify and use local keywords that your target audience is searching for. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs can help you find relevant local keywords​​.

 

• Google My Business: Ensure your Google My Business (GMB) profile is fully optimised and regularly updated. This includes adding high-quality photos, updating business hours, and responding to customer reviews​​.

 

• Local Citations: Maintain consistent Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) across all online directories and platforms to improve local search visibility​​.

 

• Add Local Reviews to Your Website: Showcase positive local reviews on your website to build trust and improve local search rankings​.

 

• Add Schema Markup: Implement local business schema markup to provide search engines with detailed information about your business, improving the chances of appearing in rich snippets​​.

 

• Add Your Business to Local Directories: List your business in local online directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local Chamber of Commerce websites to enhance local SEO.

 

• On-site SEO: Optimise your website’s content, meta tags, and URLs for local search terms. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed​​.

The Google Local Search Algorithm

Local SEO is one of the top practices to generate leads online and convert them into customers. The competition is getting harder day by day and Google is updating the algorithm consistently to ensure that the best match for the user’s query shows up at the top of the SERPs.

Have you ever thought about how the Google local algorithm works? The Google local algorithm focuses on three key aspects: relevance, prominence, and proximity.

Relevance

Relevance is an important factor in both local and traditional SEO. You want to make sure that you are targeting the right keywords and queries to ensure that search engines such as Google see your business as relevant to be appearing in relevant searches.

For example, if you own a coffee shop in Sydney, you want to make sure that Google relates your business with keywords like ‘coffee Sydney’.

Create business listings such as Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yahoo Local listing, and let the Google local algorithm know that your business is relevant to certain queries.

Prominence

Prominence refers to how well-known a business is and how it stands out from other similar businesses. It shows that your traditional SEO and brand awareness are directly correlated to local search visibility. Keep in mind that your brand should have a solid online presence.

You’ll achieve this in several different forms such as directories, reviews, blogs, etc. Google considers the overall presence and activity of your business online to determine prominence.

Proximity 

Distance, or how close your business is to users, is the factor that separates local SEO from traditional SEO. This only depends on the latitude and longitude of the searcher’s location and the distance between their location and your business address.

You can’t change your business address to rank on SERPs, but you can optimise your Google Business profile and use localised keyword phrases on your website to expand the radius for a particular search query.

Three ways a user can perform a local search:

• Geo-modified searches: Use location-specific keywords (Ex: Italian restaurants in Sydney).

 

• Non-geo-modified searches: Do not include the location (Ex: Italian restaurants or best Italian restaurants).

 

• ‘Near me’ searches: Users adding the words ‘near me’ or ‘nearby’ (Ex: Italian restaurants near me or Italian restaurants nearby).

The Benefits of Local SEO for Businesses

Any business that is local and serves local customers can benefit significantly from local SEO services. Here are some of the key benefits:

• High Positions for Local Queries: Local SEO helps your business achieve high rankings for local search queries, making it easier for potential customers to find you when they search for relevant products or services in your area.

 

• Improve Visibility: By optimising your business for local search, you increase your visibility in search engine results, ensuring that more people in your area see your business when they search for related terms​.

 

• Increase Traffic and Sales: Higher visibility in local search results leads to more website traffic and, consequently, more sales. Local SEO targets potential customers who are actively searching for the services or products you offer, increasing the likelihood of conversions​.

 

• Increase Trust and Authority: Appearing in local search results and receiving positive reviews from local customers can boost your business\’s trust and authority. This helps build a positive reputation in your community and attracts more customers.

 

• Strong Local Community Outreach: Local SEO helps you connect with your community by appearing in local search results and local directories, strengthening your presence and relationships within your local area.

 

• Exposure to Local Listings: By optimising your business for local SEO, you increase your chances of being listed in local directories and listings, which can drive more traffic to your website and physical location.

 

• Appearance in Google’s 3-Pack: One of the most significant benefits of local SEO is appearing in Google’s 3-Pack, the top three local search results that appear prominently on the first page of search results. This visibility can drive a significant amount of traffic to your business.

 

• Local Reviews: Encouraging and managing local reviews can enhance your online reputation, making your business more attractive to potential customers. Positive reviews are a strong indicator of trust and quality​.

 

• Bypass Your Competition: Effective local SEO strategies can help you outperform competitors who are not optimised for local search, giving you a competitive edge in your market.

Ready to get local?

Investing in local SEO is the best way to put your small business in the limelight and attract all the relevant customers. Local SEO not only helps in increasing your online visibility but also builds a stronger connection with your local community.

We design local SEO strategies to improve your visibility on Google and other search engines when people close to your physical location perform a search or when a search includes a specific location. Utilising tools like Google My Business, local keyword optimization, and managing online reviews can significantly boost your local search rankings.

Boost your local SEO and monitor how your website performs within your local community. Regularly track and adjust your local SEO strategies to stay ahead of the competition and meet the changing needs of your audience.