Take Advantage of Local SEO for Your Business

Local SEO is an effective way to reach potential customers in your area. Optimizing your website and content for local searches can ensure that your business appears in the top results when potential customers search for services or products related to your business. As a result, local SEO can help you increase visibility, reach new customers, and ultimately grow your business.

Why Is Local SEO Important?

Google handles an incredible number of searches daily—eight billion, to be exact. Half of the search requests are performed by people looking for products and services in their local area. If businesses do not have a local SEO strategy, they will miss out on many potential online customers. Having a solid SEO strategy is an opportunity that business owners cannot ignore.

Local SEO is optimizing a website to increase its visibility on search engine results for locally related search queries that people make. A solid Local SEO plan includes the following:

• Optimizing content
• Setting up local business listings
• Ensuring that the website is appropriately indexed and listed in local directories.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, searching for local businesses online was a common and successful way for people to find what they were looking for locally. In addition, if a customer searched from a mobile device, the chances that they would call or even visit the business within a day were even higher. These trends are essential for any business that relies on local customers, as having good local SEO can make a huge difference in their success.

Google's 3 Criteria for Local SEO

It is essential to consider conversions when assessing success. Still, the likelihood of getting conversions is slim if your business isn't popping up on the first page of search engine results. Generally, conversions and rankings go hand in hand. To optimize your local SEO, focus on boosting relevancy, proximity, and visibility. In addition, make sure to update your Google Business Profile to draw in local customers.

Relevance

Relevance is the degree to which the information presented on your website and business profile matches the online search query. The search engine is trying to determine if your business provides what the user is searching for. Therefore, giving clear and comprehensive information on your website and company profile is vital to meet these criteria and enhance your relevance.

Proximity

Proximity is a measure of how close a business is to the person who is searching. If someone searches without specifying a specific location, Google will use their IP address to prioritize the options closest to them. Including location in a search query will produce similar results. To be included in such search results, a business needs to ensure its location information is accurate and up to date on its website and Google listings.

Prominence

Prominence is how well-known a business is online and in the real world, also referred to as reputation. Google uses a combination of online presence, such as reviews, website popularity, and offline information, to measure a business's level of prominence. To improve your reputation, you should increase the number of quality reviews for your business and respond to online ratings.

Conclusion

Local SEO is an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes and types. It can increase visibility and improve the overall online presence of a company, leading to more potential customers and increased revenue. Implementing local SEO strategies and engaging with customers through social media and other digital channels can help businesses maximize their online potential and reach their target audience.

Farewell Media is Bend's leading web design agency specializing in responsive small business websites, search engine optimization, and web hosting. Your website is the foundation of any successful digital advertising campaign. We'd love to be your partner whenever you're ready to build your web presence and grow your business. Get in touch with us for local SEO services in Bend, Oregon!