Local SEO refers to search engine optimizing a certain local area, such as a city or a state, instead of a global search. This type of search is often associated with the term “local” and is meant to target and local audience, which is much more receptive to online marketing and advertising than a global audience. Local search engine optimization, like global optimization, is a technique affecting both the visibility of a site or a specific web page on the first page of the paid search results, often referred to as the “organic” or “unpaid” results. The only real difference between local search optimization and global search optimization (which is sometimes also referred to as organic SEO) is the degree of local impact.
In the past, online marketers and advertisers had focused almost exclusively on driving local traffic to their websites. The assumption was that if an advertiser could reach a certain geographic audience, he or she would have a higher return on investment than with a broader, less targeted audience. Today, this approach is no longer true. While there are still some individuals and businesses who target only certain geographical areas, the local audience is now one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the overall audience. As a result, the need for businesses to fully embrace local SEO is growing rapidly.
Local SEO involves optimizing a site or a page within the local area in which the business operates. Unlike global optimization, which considers a site or page globally, local SEO focuses on local search results, or searches that are performed within a certain geographical area. For example, Bing currently ranks “food stores” as the 3rd most popular search term on the internet, while Google ranks them number one. Obviously, one would not expect a pizza shop in Denver, CO to rank as high as Google or Yahoo! However, a pizza shop in Sarasota, FL would rank higher, because it could easily be found during Sarasota’s local search.
The most effective method of local seo today involves several different techniques. The most important factor is the creation of a map pack rankings strategy. A map pack rankings strategy involves the creation of at least one, but ideally several high quality maps that are focused on a particular region. In addition to having maps that target key phrases and geographic areas, they should also have maps that target specific individual businesses within those regions. Map pack rankings are much more effective at boosting a business’ search ranking in local use searches.
Another factor involved in optimizing for a local audience is the creation of local content. As previously stated, many search engines today favor local content. Because of this, SEO professionals are now focusing their efforts on creating content that will be favored by both regional and local audiences. This means that while they may optimize for a global audience, they should also optimize for a local audience. This will allow for greater effectiveness when optimizing for those particular markets.
The creation of local content also includes the use of geo-targeting techniques. Geo targeting involves using certain keywords and searching terms in order to promote a business according to its location. This is considered to be more effective than simply optimizing for a national audience.
Finally, many local SEO firms are working towards building links to their clients’ websites. In fact, this is considered to be even more important than local content optimization. Link building provides businesses with another element that helps increase their search rankings. While link building does not provide immediate impact, it can help to improve the ranking of a business over time. Therefore, many search engines will consider businesses that have built several links to their sites as more trusted and respected companies. In addition to helping optimize for national and global audiences, good link building can also help businesses gain credibility in their local community and increase their customer base.
As SEO professionals see it, the most effective way to optimize for your business is by developing a complete internal linking structure inside of your website. However, even if internal linking structure is present, it is not always enough to gain top rankings. Instead of optimizing for just the meta description and title tags, you should optimize for every page within your site. This includes every landing page, contact us page, and any other page within the site.