How to Build the Right Local Small Business SEO

The right local SEO for a small business can make a significant the difference in organic traffic.

A localized SEO strategy for a small business isn't right for every business, but it can be one of the biggest factors to success for those where it is. Local SEO allows your neighbors to know you exist, appearing not just to your audience but on the map as well. When it comes to local SEO, here are three tips to build the right campaign for your small business.

Is Local SEO the Right Strategy for Your Small Business

This is a vital question to answer, and it really comes down to two words: "near me". When you're thinking of your geolocation on google, you'll want to know the best services that are nearest to your current location. Local SEO helps build this, and knowing the right reasons to use it can make a huge difference for a small business.

If I Googled "best restaurants near me", I would want to find the good locations in walking or driving distance. If I searched for "best restaurants," then I might get the best restaurants across the world. If you want your small  business to stand out in a to potential customers in your area then the right SEO strategy makes all the difference.

How to Target Localized SEO

Localized SEO is about contextualizing your pages, post, listing so they are relevant to a local audience. There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to local SEO: proving your proximity to your audience, finding out how notable your small business already is, and determining how your local SEO is working relative to competitors.

Being able to identify and reach your audience and educate them on how  your company can help them is a huge deal, and is maybe even more true during COVID's ongoing influence over small businesses, as this article from Yoast explains.

Knowing your audience and what they need is fundamental to any successful marketing effort.  

Optimizing Your Small Business Local SEO

Optimizing your business's content and site for a localized SEO campaign can be time-consuming but is often necessary. Brainchild Studios shares their thoughts, but I wanted to highlight some of the most important tips:

1. Make sure you've claimed your Google My Business page
2. Check that your metadata reflects your location on localized web pages
3. Get to know your local community over social media
4. Appear on local directories

In other words, build your SEO around the places that you can be found. It doesn’t make sense to target your local community but not to build the campaign around them.

Things to Remember

Local SEO works wonders for the right small businesses. Here is what to remember when you consider localizing your SEO:

1. If you are appealing to a local market, then a Local SEO strategy will serve you well.
2. Remember that local SEO is all about standing out in a narrower landscape, so your search presence is more pronounced to a local audience.
3. Keep in mind some of the places that people look for local small businesses, then make sure you are there. It can be helpful to see where businesses like you are listed, and you may be surprised by what you find.

Also, any of the best SEO companies can help you. We are proud to be one of them.