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Localization has seemingly taken the backseat to many other worldwide marketing efforts, a fact which many new businesses are beginning to quickly change to adhere to local markets and potential customers who reside closer than ever. Small businesses should love local SEO for multitudes of mitigating reasons which are heavily described below.
Expand Existence
Heavier consideration is now given to businesses with localized Google, MSN and Yahoo business pages, since they are more exacting to researchers looking for new businesses locally. Having local search features turned on in Google can help consumers purchase goods right from their own back yard. For example, customers looking for ‘model trains’ would find they can drive three miles to find them as opposed to ordering from the United Kingdom and paying shipping. This is the very reason Google adjusted their algorithm to heavily favor localized existences.
When new businesses create Places pages and optimize them for great visibility within their city, they are exemplifying the very reason Google opened their doors to searching over a decade ago: to find the exact item or service they’re seeking, and in a more exacting fashion. Knowing this piece of information, creating localized Manta, Google, Yellow Pages and other business listings will make SEO even easier than before. Stop fretting over Facebook advertisements – localization matters in search engines which are used to find businesses like yours.
Grows Content Marketing Efforts
If you spend a great deal of time optimizing content for search visibility, you can slow down and optimize content for readability using local SEO. Since your business page will clearly define categories, your business name and what you do, writing content no longer relies too heavily on latent semantic indexing, keyword co-occurrence or semantic connectivity, as your content, provided it’s written within your category and service offering, will naturally rank along with your business. This means greater concentration can be placed on writing useful tips relevant to products sold, as opposed to farming positions from Google keyword optimization.
Validity For Your Business
Organically ranking keywords, along with creating exact-match domains, seems like an easy way to build noticeability for any business relatively fast. In fact, it builds momentum quite expediently when trying to spend less on marketing efforts. However, does the effort in organically ranked keywords truly validate the business’ existence? We know it doesn’t.
Nothing screams ‘valid’ louder than having local contact information, video testimonials and address verification through geo-mapping available when your business’ primary keyword is searched, an excellent reason for adjudicating local SEO over globally organic rankings. Trust has become a decisive factor in who does business with whom; build that trust by truly putting yourself locally ‘out there’ and inviting local business, from which great testimonials can be written to enhance that local authority. When I go online and find my search term matches a local business, I immediately call them and take solace in knowing that my needs are just a quick jog away. Validating local business is also a much easier path to tackle than gaining the trust of customers 1600 miles away.
On The Go Access
The diatribe of mobile searches slowly defeats internet-based queries every month and will eventually take over the realm wholly. Since mobile users can search for businesses and utilize click-to-call features, having the element of localization will grow your business naturally since Google and Apple record permission-based localities when logged in your mobile phone.
If you’re passing through town and want Stromboli for lunch, your business is 100 times more likely to appear on the first page should you have spent the time in creating targeted local business pages to support your local business; since that customer was hungry and you provided an excellent sandwich, requesting testimonial and star rankings upon leaving your establishment will further grow that local ranking. And it all happened because you spent the time in localization through Google Places and Google Plus, profiling your business instead of trying to organically rank a restaurant food that has national competitors.
Increased Conversion Rates
To put it in layman’s terms, you simply cannot convert leads accurately on a local level through national advertising campaigns which pit your small business against larger corporations. If I am searching for ‘wood glue’ and simply want to know who is selling this locally, I am turning off RON (Run of Network) searches and opting for localization instead. Through my efforts, I can now find businesses who sell my glue needs so I can jog on over and pick it up.
People are attracted to places around them, whether they know exist prior to searching or not; by optimizing your business presence with localized SEO efforts, you’ll tap into higher conversions since searchers are more likely to click around them. This fact reverts back to mobilized SEO, having that spiced up business presence will convert mobile, internet-based and even tablet searching customers, since it’s quicker and clicking to call your business is what seems to be easier these days anyway. Google literally holds up a sign that says “We’re helping you rank higher and convert more leads.” It would behoove you to take the handout while it’s still cheap to acquire.
Simpler Than Ever
Facebook is becoming the best crowdsourcing platform around. Google Plus is gaining momentum for businesses who produce quality videos, pictures and content. Pinterest is increasing pictorial awareness of local businesses selling physical products. If social media is well-engaged, your Google Places presence is amped up and prepared to accept local searches, and non-customers are converting through social suggestion, you just whacked 85% of your advertising expenditure in favor of word of mouth, the simplest and most effective means to put your business on the map.
New startups are clinging to any piece of marketing candy they can since budgets are tight; receiving their fair share has never been easier since Google passes out low-cost localization methods, and social media gives them away free through interest targeting. Customers are simply more apt to circulate currency locally, since it gives a deeper feeling of economically stability, the very reason why any lifeline businesses are given should be taken cordially, including local SEO through Google, Bing, Manta and other business pages that are heavily regarded when local searches are performed on mobile or even internet-based devices.
Go Local Or Start Packing
Sooner than later, local SEO will be imminent and overrule the optimization world because trust, ease of use and contact information increase the relevancy of exact match keyword searches performed by individuals seeking product or service offerings closer to them. Since creating Google Pages and Plus profiles is almost too easy for anyone to spend the time preparing, your SEO marketing professional will definitely spend a lot less time, and money, in assisting your business in receiving the visibility it deserves when you’ve created a localized aura of excellence around your small business. Pretty soon, you’ll either go local with your search engine optimization efforts, or Google will send you home packing. Take that extra preemptive initiative in localization before your business is lost in translation.
About The Author:
Tim Wilson works as content manager at HostPapa, a website hosting company serving over 100,000 customers around the world. Since launching in 2006, HostPapa has offered reliable, budget-friendly, easy-to-use web hosting solutions for small to medium-sized businesses.
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