Searching for business information on Google is used by more than

75% of Americans, Germans, and British consumers.

Local SEO is a game-changer when it comes to boosting your online presence and getting your business in front of the right audience. It's like making sure that when someone in your town looks up a bakery, your bakery pops up right at the top of the search results. These searches take place on Google and other search engines.

For example, you're a local charming bakery business nestled in a cozy corner of the city. You want the whole town to know about them. That's where local SEO comes into play.

Local SEO is to optimize your online presence so that people in your area can easily find and discover your bakery when they search for things like "bakery near me" or "best Bakery in [your city]." It's like making sure your bakery is right on the map, attracting the attention it deserves.

How does local SEO work?

Google's local search algorithms take into account three key factors: relevance, distance, and prominence. 

• Relevance - It refers to how closely a Google Business Profile matches the words a user includes in their search query. It's all about finding the most relevant businesses for the user's needs.
• Distance - Google estimates the user's proximity to a business when they perform a search. It wants to provide results that are conveniently located for the user. After all, finding a local business is all about convenience and accessibility.
• Prominence - Google evaluates how important a business is to potential customers. It considers factors like online reviews, citations, backlinks, and overall online presence to determine a business's prominence. It's like Google's way of identifying the shining stars in the local business world.

Google presents two types of results for local searches: the local pack and organic results.

Organic results - Organic results are the familiar blue link search results that we often see on Google. They appear based on how relevant they are to the words we search for. 

Local pack- It is also known as the map pack, is a special feature of Google that displays the top local business listings alongside a map. The local pack is a powerful tool for businesses to get noticed and stand out in local searches.

A few more statistics prove how important local search remains for businesses:

• 50 percent of people who did a local search on their phone went to a physical store within one day.
• 60 percent of American adults conduct searches for local services or product information on tablets and smartphones.
• 78 percent of local-based searches on a mobile device end in purchases being made offline.
• 1 in 3 searches on a smartphone was conducted just before arriving at a store.

Why Local Search Matters? 

Local search matters for many reasons. 

1. Targeting the right audience: Like, when people search for products or services online, they often include location-specific keywords like "near me" or mention their city or neighborhood. This way your website will be displayed by Google to those people who are actively looking for what you offer in your specific area.
2. Increased visibility: When someone searches for a product or service in their area, search engines display a map with local listings and relevant businesses. By optimizing your local SEO, you increase your chances of appearing in these prominent local search results, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
3. Improved customer experience: When they search for your business and find accurate information about your location, phone number, and operating hours, they can easily visit or contact you. This convenience enhances customer satisfaction and builds trust in your brand.
4. Competitive advantage: Local search provides an opportunity for smaller businesses to compete with larger, national or international companies. While bigger brands might dominate broader search results, local search allows local businesses to shine and showcase their unique offerings within their specific area. 
5. Mobile usage: Local search is particularly crucial for mobile users who are looking for nearby businesses. When you optimize your local SEO, you're able to reach out to people who are using their mobile phones to find solutions to what you offer while they're out and about in their daily lives.
6. Community engagement: When people find your business through local search, they're more likely to feel a connection with your brand and become loyal customers. Engaging with your local community through events, partnerships, and initiatives further strengthens your brand's reputation and fosters customer loyalty.
7. Voice search: People often use voice search (Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant) to find local businesses and get quick answers to their queries. Optimizing your local SEO ensures that your business is voice search-friendly, increasing your chances of being recommended by these voice assistants.

What matters for local SEO?

Local SEO is a blend of optimizing your Google My Business listing, incorporating local keywords, building citations and online directories, embracing online reviews, and engaging in local link building.

1. Local content and local link popularity play significant roles in local SEO. This means creating dedicated local landing pages for each of your business locations, ensuring they include crucial details such as address and phone number. 
2. Google My Business, ensuring your business listing is accurate and up to date. Acquiring local citations from data aggregators and encouraging your local customers to leave reviews are additional factors that influence your local SEO rankings. 
3. Customer reviews also play a vital role in local SEO. Positive reviews from happy customers not only boost your business' credibility but also encourage others to choose your business over competitors. You can ask your satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or Facebook.

Now that you understand local SEO, understand its importance, and learn how to optimize it. Local SEO is a technical beast that takes time and expertise to conquer and integrate into your business strategy.

How can Qortechno help you with local SEO?

If you don't have enough time or expertise to handle local SEO on your own, Qortechno can help. As a full-service SEO agency, we specialize in crafting powerful local SEO campaigns that drive a steady flow of traffic to your business. If you're curious about how Qortechno can help you improve your local SEO campaign, feel free to contact us online. We'll gladly explain how our services can generate more traffic and revenue for your organization.