Local search engine optimization helps businesses appear in Google, Yahoo, and Bing results when nearby customers search for relevant products and services. Pairing local SEO with paid advertising methods such as Pay Per Click (PPC) gives a website two routes to visibility: organic rankings built over time, and immediate traffic from paid placements.
Why local SEO matters for small businesses
Poor rankings on Google have caused many local businesses to fail. Local SEO promotes goods and services directly to local clients and prospects, and a weak local search presence usually means fewer clicks from online prospective customers. Reaching customers in the surrounding area is now an expected part of any website marketing campaign.
How local search rankings work
Local SEO is largely about building links with other websites and engaging with search engines so your site ranks higher. When a person searches for a local restaurant, the goal is to appear on the first or second page of results, where potential customers actually browse. Higher rankings put your business in front of searchers at the moment they are ready to connect.
Core local SEO techniques
Write articles targeted to your local area
Writing highly optimized articles tailored to your local area is a primary technique. Article marketing produces useful content that other websites can pick up, which in turn builds links and signals relevance to search engines.
Do keyword research
Keyword research is vital in local SEO. Search engines use keyword research tools to judge a website’s competitiveness against similar sites. Hiring a professional SEO company to handle keyword research helps ensure the site ranks highly.
Run creative local marketing campaigns
Driving traffic to web pages takes creative marketing strategies such as flyers, classified ads, and email marketing. Businesses that don’t yet have a website should start one today, since people want to be connected to the local businesses in their community. A website paired with a good marketing campaign should surface in the results of Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Adding paid advertising to the mix
Use Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising
For sites that already exist, ranking highly in search results pages can be accelerated with Pay Per Click advertising. With PPC, you pay a small amount of money every time someone clicks on your website link. Because payment only happens when a click occurs, it is more effective than paying for advertising space on search engines outright.
Invest in website promotion and original content
Website promotion is also a strong way to lift search engine rankings. Hiring a ghostwriter for content creation can draw traffic, but the content must stay creative and unique. Copying and pasting existing content, or stuffing pages with keywords, makes a website look bad and undermines rankings. Used together, local SEO optimization and paid advertising are two effective tools for creating a successful website.
FAQ
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is search engine optimization focused on ranking a business website in Google, Yahoo, and Bing for searches made by people in the surrounding area, so the site reaches nearby prospective customers.
Why do local businesses need local SEO?
Many local businesses have failed due to a poor ranking on Google and other search engines, and a weak local search usually leads to fewer clicks from online prospective customers. Local SEO promotes goods and services directly to local clients and prospects.
How does Pay Per Click advertising work with local SEO?
With Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, you pay a small amount of money every time someone clicks on your website link. Because you only pay when a click occurs, PPC is more effective than paying for advertising space outright, and it complements free local SEO methods that build the brand and lift organic rankings.
Related coverage