Local SEO services are one of the most underrated strategies to grow your business.
Why?
Local SEO is a great way to get your business in front of the right people in your local area.
With local SEO you can:
But the thought of adding SEO to your marketing list can feel pretty overwhelming. So how can you take advantage of local SEO without putting in all of the time and effort needed?
Simple:
You hire reputable local SEO services to take care of it for you.
I’m about to tell you everything you need to know about local SEO services and what they can do for you!
What Will I Learn?
They are services for any business that has a physical location and serves a specific geographical area.
Local SEO helps your business rank in Google Maps and in the search results. This means that your business website will get:
…From people who live in that area.
In other words…matching you with the right customer in your local area.
In most cases, ecommerce SEO is at the complete end of the spectrum.
Serves businesses that usually have a physical location or at least serve a specific geographical area.
The core goal of local SEO services is to increase leads and even have people physically visit the business’ location.
With local SEO, you are targeting keywords in your local region.
Are for businesses that mainly sell products online and often have no physical location at all.
Ecommerce is also not confined to a small geographical area. You are often targeting customers on a national level.
And some ecommerce sites services customers globally.
Although ecommerce SEO may also involve some local SEO, this is usually an add on and not the core focus.
Local SEO services work similarly to classic SEO. The difference is that the target area they work on is much smaller in size.
To rank in the local search results your business must have three things:
This trifecta of these must-have things are known as NAP – Name, Address, Phone number. Getting these right is one of the most important aspects of local SEO.
When you sign up with a local SEO service provider, the first they will do is make sure that your NAP is exactly the same on your:
This provides the foundations to rank your website and business locally.
There are a ton of benefits to ranking your business locally.
In fact, if you have a local business that relies on customers physically visiting your location, local SEO is one of the best investments you can make.
The best time to reach new customers is right when they are searching for your product(s) or service(s).
This is exactly what local SEO services do.
When people make relevant searches for your products or services within your target geographical area, you show up. You meet the person right at the time they need you.
What’s more?
72% of local searches result in a person visiting a location within 5 miles of the user. When people search and find local businesses, they often end up visiting.
Local SEO is one of the best ways to attract new local customers.
Here’s the truth:
Quality local SEO services not only increase traffic to your site but also increase conversions.
Let me explain… There’s no point bringing tons of people through your door if they don’t convert into customers.
Naturally, when people search on Google for products and services you offer and find you, your conversions will increase.
Why?
Because you are solving their search query. You are providing what they want. By default, this should increase your conversion rates.
It doesn’t get any simpler than that!
Local SEO services should be hyper-focussed on increasing:
After all, you’re investing in SEO because you want to increase your sales right?
There are a lot of SEO factors that go into ranking a site locally on Google.
They boil down to sending the right signals to Google to get rankings in the search results and Google Maps.
Here are a few things you can expect local SEO services to take care of.
This is one of the first things an SEO agency will take care of.
Google My Business (GMB) is like Google’s own local business directory. It’s important because Google shows the top three GMB listings directly in the search results.
Your Google My Business listing has the potential to drive tons of customers directly to your front door.
Google’s algorithm for ranking local GMB listings doesn’t just consider where the search was done and its relevance. It also factors in activity and quality of information.
An optimised Google My Business listing:
…and more. These factors send the right signals to Google showing you are a quality business that offers great products or services.
This helps Google understand your business which helps increase your rankings overall.
This almost goes without saying.
If you want your website to rank in the top spot for local searches, it must be optimised.
On-page SEO is important because many of Google’s signals to rank web pages come from on-page SEO factors.
This is even more true for local sites.
SEO agencies will ensure that your website is relevant for:
Citation link building is sending out consistent and accurate information about your business.
This is done by submitting the exact same business details to high-quality local directories and sites.
This all comes back to your NAP which shows search engines & humans…
…to find your local business.
The more Google finds the exact same details of your business on trustworthy directories, the more likely you will rank higher in Google Maps.
You can also place a link from these directory sites back to your website, which can help you rank higher in the Google search results.
Citation link building is something that all quality local SEO services will take care of.
What does Google care about most?
Providing quality search results for their user. Nothing speaks more about quality than lots of positive 5-star reviews from customers.
That’s why Google uses reviews to signal whether or not your business is providing great services to customers.
Depending on the local SEO service you choose to hire, they may help you acquire new 5-star reviews.
At the very least they will provide you with some strategies to get more reviews.
Social media can play a significant role when it comes to SEO- especially local SEO.
Think about it:
So much sharing and communication happen on social media. Nowadays, people connect on all the major social media platforms to:
This is also true for people connecting with businesses.
It would make sense then that businesses with more engagement on social media platforms probably provide better service to customers. In that case, they would be worth recommending.
This is why local businesses need to engage with customers and potential customers on social media.
You increase your visibility online and send the right signals to Google that your business is worth showing to their users.
With local SEO services, you get what you pay for. Good local SEO results don’t happen overnight.
Local SEO is a long-term strategy that requires a significant investment in time. What should you be looking for when hiring local SEO services?
Here are six things you need to look at.
A reputation is formed from results.
If an agency has provided good results for previous clients they will have a reputation that backs it up.
You can get an idea of a local SEO agencies reputation by asking these questions:
Each of these will give you an idea of the reputation of the agency before you contact and/or hire them.
There are no two ways about it:
Good local SEO requires a team of talented local SEO experts to execute the work.
Quality SEO agencies have to hire the best talent because they often service many different clients from many different niches.
Local SEO involves a number of different people to execute successful campaigns.
So, make sure the local SEO services you hire have a skilled team known for delivering great results.
When it comes to SEO…
…you are putting a lot of trust in the agency. You need to make sure that they have rock solid methods that won’t land you in any hot water with Google.
All quality local SEO agencies will have a documented process that they use to get results.
If they don’t, this is a huge red flag.
Good local SEO isn’t about hacks and tricks that magically rank your site. Good local SEO is about using:
…methods to get results over time.
Before hiring local SEO services, test them to see if they can clearly explain how they’ll improve your website’s SEO.
If not… look elsewhere!
SEO is constantly changing.
Every time Google makes a major update, SEOs need to adapt their current strategies.
You don’t want your SEO agency using a strategy that is out of date and may even negatively impact your website.
Ask prospective hires what strategies they use for SEO.
Any quality local SEO service should comfortably explain why they choose to use a specific strategy.
They should also be able to explain:
Previous results will almost tell you everything you need to know.
If an SEO agency has achieved great results for previous clients, there is a high chance that they will do the same for you.
The best way to find out about an agency’s past results is to ask them directly.
Ask them about:
Quality local SEO agencies will comfortably be able to answer these. They will be completely open and transparent in providing the information you need.
Hear me loud and clear-
Why?
Because when it comes down to it, every agency is at the mercy of Google.
If a local SEO service makes unrealistic promises (such as high search traffic, guaranteed Google rankings, etc), don’t stick around to see if they can deliver.
Agencies (usually cheap SEO services) that make big unrealistic promises do that because they are just trying to tell you what you want to hear.
If an agency makes a promise that doesn’t sound right to you, ask them for proof to back up the promise.
Quality SEO agencies don’t need to make big unrealistic promises. They have the results and reputation that speak for themselves.
Looking for local SEO services you can trust?
To help you get started, here are the 5 best local SEO services that I can confidently recommend.
WhiteSpark isn’t just a quality local SEO service.
They also offer a range of both free and paid local SEO tools to help execute campaigns.
WhiteSpark really shines with their:
They have a great team that is used to working with bigger and smaller businesses.
WhiteSpark is explicitly dedicated to local SEO services and has a large client base worldwide.
Looking for local SEO services with a reputation for quality?
SearchLogistics is a specialised SEO agency known for getting good ROI for their clients.
They have the highest number of published case studies of any SEO agency.
SearchLogistics also has a dedicated team used to handle complicated projects that require a range of different strategies.
SearchLogistics works with clients all over the world across a range of industries. With years of experience, they have very:
…for executing campaigns.
WebFX is the big agency on the list.
They don’t just offer SEO but also provide an extensive range of digital marketing services.
WebFX has over 300 staff members, both in-house and remote. They also have a total of 8 offices throughout the United States.
Like SearchLogistics, WebFX takes a very strategic approach to local SEO. They have very detailed processes that are tailored to meet each client’s needs.
From small businesses to large companies, WebFX has a strong reputation for delivering quality results.
SEO is a long-term strategy.
SmartSites provide custom local SEO strategies that are built for long-term success.
SmartSites is really known for their customer support.
They have a dedicated team that takes the time to understand your needs and provide quality results that help grow your business.
SmartSites transparent approach to SEO means that you can feel confident with the work that they are doing.
Ignite Visibility is a full-service marketing agency.
They offer premium local SEO services and have years of experience serving local businesses all over the world.
Ignite Visibility’s approach to SEO is what makes them stand out. Their SEO strategies are designed to drive traffic and increase the brand authority of their clients.
They also have a reputation for providing excellent customer support.
Local SEO offers a lot of benefits for local businesses.
But it also requires a lot of skill, time and energy to execute.
The best way to get local SEO working for your business is to hire quality local SEO services to do it for you.
If you are looking for a local SEO service you can trust, start with WhiteSpark or SearchLogistics.
Or, if you want to outsource it, check out my review of the top link building services.
Remember:
You are putting a lot of trust in the SEO service you hire. Make sure that you understand the methods and strategies they are using to get results.
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