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Putting your company online means you can reach out to people almost anywhere whether they’re in your neighborhood or across the globe. What many companies don’t realize, though, is that reaching out to those in our own backyards is just as important as reaching out to those across the country or even across the world.

Local SEO services offer a reliable way to do just that, and if you have yet to consider your approach to local SEO this year, there’s never been a better time to do exactly that. 

The Difference Between Traditional SEO and Local SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a way to build your visibility online and attract search traffic. You probably already have an SEO plan in place to help with digital marketing. SEO, though, is different from local SEO because the goal of local SEO is to promote your products, services, or location to customers within your area. 

This matters because now, more than ever, people searching online are looking to connect with a variety of local businesses from nearby sushi restaurants to plumbers who serve certain areas to movie listings for theaters close to them. In fact, Google suggests nearly 46% of all searches now have local intent, so reaching out to those potential customers is absolutely a must to help them reach from your website to your location. 

A Closer Look at Local SEO

Imagine you live in Miami, Florida and your sink drain is backed up. To find someone to work on it, you might grab your smartphone and type in “plumber in Miami, FL.” Your results, then would naturally be a list of plumbers in the area. The chances are good that you wouldn’t just put in the service you need - plumber - but instead the service and the area where you need it. 

Optimizing your site for those who need to reach out specifically to you when they’re in a given geographical area can help them find your company and your business specifically. That can only happen when you leverage the right keywords to draw the attention of local customers who are interested in your business vertical.

Why it’s Important to Hire Local SEO Services

Wondering why this matters in 2021? Why hire a local SEO expert? Everything has changed this year, and individuals looking for nearby businesses has dramatically increased. Here are 7 good reasons to get your local SEO marketing off the ground this year. 

1. They’re Already Looking For You

No matter what vertical you’re in, customers are turning to Google to reach out to companies like yours. Take a look at these stats:

• 46% of Google searches are local.

• 50% of mobile searchers are looking for local business information.

• 64% of customers use search engines as the primary method of finding local businesses.

• 96% of PC owners search for local businesses/services.

And don’t forget this one: 78% of local mobile searches lead to an offline purchase. They search online, and buy in person. When you turn to professional SEO services to help boost your appeal to local customers, you’re ensuring that they’re going to find you before they find any of your competitors.

2. Local SEO Means Real Time Results for Those Nearby

When people are searching for local companies, they’re doing so because they need a solution right now. 

Many search for a specific provider without any one company in mind, so enhancing your local SEO plan means providing those right-now solutions for people who need your help fast.

3. Local Online Directories

Whether it’s Yelp or Angie’s List, local directories have quite a bit of influence over those searching for help in a given area, and if you appear on the first page of local results, it may be from one of those lists. 

Part of the goal of local SEO is to enhance your listings in those directories, and that can mean people clicking in from one of those or just from the search engine listing for your business convert at far higher rates.

4. Your Business Listing is Free (and Possibly Unclaimed)

Nearly every company today has a Google My Business listing. It’s free, and when you claim it, you’re far more likely to show up in the search engine results for those looking for your company. 

Much of the aim of local SEO is to make your business more prominent in spaces like Google, so step one is often claiming that listing to help enhance the number of people coming directly to you.

5. Traditional Media No Longer Holds Real Power 

Local newspapers have lost as much as 80% of their traditional readership over the past twenty years. People are looking online for businesses with which they can connect, and the best way to do that now is to reach out online.

6. Peer Recommendation Are Powerful

People are looking for businesses that they trust, and today, the best way to build that trust is through a solid local SEO presence. Today’s local SEO services can help build ratings and reviews that create trust and generate the necessary traffic for you to build your online presence.

7. The Powerful ROI May Prove Helpful

Not all of your digital marketing efforts offer a solid ROI, but local SEO absolutely does. Once implemented, you’ll begin to physically see the return on the investment you made thanks to the foot traffic through the door. 

Choosing the Right Team to Help

Including local SEO as part of your digital marketing strategy is an absolute must, and using an experienced agency means the difference between guessing at the right strategy and keywords and knowing exactly what to incorporate, where to list your business, and how to reach those who might be searching for you. 

Professional teams understand the algorithms of the major search engines and know how to leverage “near me” searches on those platforms, as well as a variety of other techniques to help you land in the top three results. By hiring a local SEO team, you’re delegating the task to someone with experience and expertise so you get your strategy off the ground immediately. 

Let us help you do more with local SEO in 2021, contact us today!