Why Local SEO Is More Important Than Ever In 2022
As a small business owner, you probably already know at least a little bit about SEO. But the importance of this marketing strategy has grown even more in recent years, and for good reason: it’s an effective way to reach your target audience and get your business noticed without paying for advertising space online. If you’re not using local SEO as part of your marketing plan, here are some reasons why you should start right away:
Local SEO is more important now than ever before.
Google recently revised their algorithm to give more weight to local businesses in the searcher’s immediate area. This means that when someone searches for a local business, the map listing will be the first thing that people see – but now, the listings will be very different depending on where you’re searching from.
If you’re still not convinced, let me ask you this: does your website show up in the first three pages of Google results? If it doesn’t, chances are good that potential customers aren’t finding your website at all! That’s because according to multiple studies online, at least 70% of consumers start their search on Google. Almost all of the other 30% also start their search online, on another site like Yelp or Facebook, and THEN make their way over to Google.
The majority of people looking for a local business will search online first—and on most search terms for businesses like “plumber near me”, maps listings will be the first thing they see—so showing up higher on that maps listing, makes all the difference in whether someone is going to call up an unknown company.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a way to show up in local search results, such as Google Maps, Yelp and others. Local SEO is an important part of your digital marketing strategy because people are 70% more likely to buy from a company that appears on page one of a search result compared with those who don’t appear until page two or beyond.
Local SEO is an important part of your digital marketing strategy because it lets you control how customers find you online based on where they are physically located (like their address). You can also control where customers contact you from by directing them to call or email your business directly through website links and calls-to-action rather than leaving them to navigate through several pages before reaching an actual person at the company.
Why is Local SEO Important Now?
Google has changed the way it ranks local results, making it harder for businesses to rank without optimization.
Local SEO is now focused on proximity to searchers more than ever, making it harder to get your business in front of the right audience without a solid strategy.
That said, we’re still seeing that businesses who invest in their local SEO see great results with organic leads coming in from Google.
So How Do You Do Local SEO?
- Use the right keywords in your website content
- Create content that focuses on those keywords
- Build relationships with other websites to create backlinks
- Optimize your information & photos on Google business profile for what you do
Get Local SEO tips from our Grand Rapids marketing experts!
If you’re a small business owner in Grand Rapids, we have some good news for you: local SEO can help your business grow. There are many benefits of local SEO that make it an attractive option for any business, but especially those with a smaller budget or limited resources.
Local SEO can be beneficial because it allows businesses to target specific geographic areas and improve their visibility among people who live nearby. This way, they don’t have to compete with larger companies who have more money and brand recognition. In addition, local search visitors are more likely to become paying customers than those who visit from other countries or states outside Michigan.
If one of your goals as a small business is getting more customers in the Grand Rapids, and keeping them coming back again and again, then our Local SEO partnership may be exactly what you need!
Conclusion
As a small business owner, you probably don’t want to spend too much time on the technical aspects of your website. You should focus on getting customers and growing your business.