What Is Local SEO and Do You Need It?

In 2016, a Nielsen Company audience report found that individuals spent an average of 10 hours per day on some form of a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Within a year, that is 500 hours spent navigating the web or talking utilizing a smartphone or tablet. Local business searchers account for a high number of those hours. Local SEO will help your business stand out in the SERPS. Local ranking factors such as name, address, phone numbers, and customer reviews of a business can be helped to rise to the top of the organic results so that the business comes up in the first five search results in many cases. This is an optimum way to drive clients SEO.

You Can’t Ignore Local SEO

Here are two of the main factors that you can’t ignore when considering local SEO

1. Half of all Google searches are for local businesses. Go-Globe found that 50 percent of all consumers turn to their smartphones to look up local businesses and then visit it physically within 24 hours. They went on to report that at least 34 percent of consumers also used their computer or tablet to run a local business search.

2. Ultimately, 78 percent of all local mobile searches end up in an offline sale.

So Where Does Your Business Rank?

Check it out with our free local audit

If the results have you concerned then you are probably wondering what you can do to achieve a higher search engine ranking. Well, your first step is to start SEO optimizing your Google business page today.

• Complete All Business Information: Google will ask you for a wide array of business information and it is important that you take the time to accurately complete it all. The data that you provide makes it easier for a would-be customer to find out about your company.
• Regularly Check your Google My Business Dashboard: Anyone can input data and changes into your listing by clicking on the ‘suggested edits’. Unfortunately, many edits are not ideal so you will need to frequently check in to remove unwanted changes.
• Frequent Updates: Keeping your business page fresh by adding photos, a call-to-action (CTA), and even including a link to another relevant or related page or website all help refresh your business listing.
• Reviews: Positive reviews also help push your business higher in the SERPS.

Create a Local Pack Ad With Your Search Adword Campaign

Pack ads make the most of your AdWord Campaign. They expand your local reach and drive more traffic to your site which means increased business. Your Google My Business Dashboard and your AdWord account must be linked. Ideally, all businesses in your Google My Business should be labeled. This makes importation easier. This will allow you to create a campaign and sync them using a location extension that can be found under, ‘Opportunities’ and then, “Ads and Extensions”. Once you click “Ads and Extensions” you can set up the location extension that is required to have pack ads.

• Labels: Using labels is typically easier when setting up pack ads because business names can change.
• Targeted Keywords: Use targeted keywords
• AdWords Ranking: If your business ranks in the top three on a local search due to your AdWord keywords then you stand a good chance of having three-pack ads show. You must have the location extension set up though. Remember, it has nothing to do with the keywords and everything to do with the location and where the user is located.
• Keywords: Keywords in a business name can be beneficial so if re-branding a business should consider making sure their business name contains keywords.
• Location: Location ads are based off a users location and not keywords.
• Radias: The location ads are normally within a 5 to 10-kilometer radius of the user.
• AdWords/AdWords Express: AdWords must be used and not Adwords Express
• Pack Ad Prices: Call for clicks on pack ads are cheaper.
• Tracking Phone Number: You must add a tracking phone number in the Advanced Settings section of Google My Business site’s Local Extensions section to track your pack ads.

Ultimately, having pack ads is inexpensive and will drive more traffic to your business.

Contact us today to discuss your local SEO needs. We will be happy discuss the importance of local SEO, your current business rank, and go over how pack ads are highly beneficial to your business.

Remember, you can also check your local SEO with our free audit.