Local SEO helps small businesses show up in nearby search results and pull in organic traffic. More than 60 percent of mobile searches come from phones, and a site tuned for local search can raise your rankings and bring in more traffic. Below is what to cover when getting started.
Why does location matter for your business?
Local searchers are highly targeted and tend to run searches tied to their area. If your business does not appear on page one, you are missing a large pool of potential customers. The same on-page and off-page tactics you would use for any site can be applied to a local one, so the work you put in general SEO carries over directly.
How do you match your website to local search criteria?
Start by making sure your website reflects your city, state, or region. Search engines use that location data to decide which results to show for nearby queries, and a site that clearly states where it operates has a better chance of showing up for the people who live there. Depending on the size of your business, targeting a single city or state can outperform a strategy aimed at a much larger region.
How does local SEO actually work?
Local SEO improves a business’s visibility in search results so it picks up organic traffic from nearby searches. It pulls together local signals such as inbound links, social profiles, and citations to gather the information needed to rank for those queries. Done well, it puts your products and services in front of prospects and customers who are already looking for them locally.
How do you keep improving after the initial setup?
Once your site is optimized for local search, the work does not stop. Search results shift as competitors update their own sites, so continue refining your pages, links, and listings to stay visible.
FAQ
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the practice of improving a local business’s visibility in search results so it attracts organic traffic from nearby searches. It uses local signals such as links, social profile pages, and citations to rank for location-based queries.
Why does location matter for SEO?
Local searchers are highly targeted and tend to search based on their area. If your business is not on page one of those results, you miss out on a large pool of potential customers.
Should a small business use local SEO?
Yes. Depending on the size of your business, optimizing for a specific city or state can be more effective than paying for an SEO service aimed at a larger region, and it positions your products and services in a local context for nearby prospects and customers.