What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is exactly as it sounds. It’s the practice of optimising your online presence to increase search engine visibility with local users. 

Let us give you an example. At VIMAR we helped multiple businesses become number 1 for a specific keyword in their county. 

Why is local search important? 45% of all Google searches are for local businesses[1]. 

A study done by Forbes showed that 95% of people use their mobile devices to perform local searches. Out of which 61% called, and 59% visited the business. 

Although we couldn’t find the specific data on local SEO for Ireland, we know from previous experience that Ireland internet users have similar habits.

Another study showed that 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours[2].

Google’s ‘Local Pack’ is the holy grail of local search marketing. You’ve seen those three businesses that appear in the box at the top of the search page along with a map and dropped pins… Well, unsurprisingly, they get more clicks and more customers than any links that appear lower down the page. 

So, how does a business manage to get into the top three? It’s all part of a robust SEO campaign, and it’s not easy.

It all starts with understanding local SEO, how it works and how to play the game.If you’re looking for advice and help with improving your Local SEO, VIMAR can help. VIMAR is a Portlaoise based Digital Marketing agency offering straightforward, no-nonsense ranking results. 

If you want to up the tempo on your competition, make your business visible and vivid, then contact us today.

Why is Local SEO Important? 

Local SEO helps your business stand out. Even if you don’t have a website, it still helps drive more traffic to your premises through online leads. 

These leads are from people who are specifically searching for products or services that your business offers. They are also likely to give you a high conversion rate.

Searches with local intent are on the rise, with 4 in 5 consumers now using search engines to find local information.

Local SEO also helps drive people’s decisions in favour of your business. The more information they have about your business before they visit, the more trustworthy you are in their eyes.

Vimar Local Seo

Who needs Local SEO?

As a small business owner, local SEO is indispensable. It does not matter how insignificant you think your business is. As long as you have a website, you can apply local SEO to your business and increase your revenue. If your business matches any one of the conditions below, you need local SEO.

  • You have a local company
  • You are a local small business owner
  • You have a company with specific service areas.
  • You are a franchisee or franchise owner.
  • You want more traffic, leads, and sales within specifically designated market areas (DMAs).
  • You want to shore up your listings across online directories.
  • You want your company to show up on maps and navigation apps or in Google’s local pack.

5 Tips to improve your Local SEO

Create and Optimise Your Google My Business Account: To get started, you need to claim your business on Google My Business. This establishes your presence for free on the search engine. Also, your business will show up on Google Maps. If Google authenticates your business as legitimate, it could also surface in the valuable sidebar space of a Google search.

When updating your Google My Business listings, or other maps feed, always provide deep links that take the searcher directly to the details for the location they’re interested in, rather than dropping them on a high-level page or homepage where they would have to search again for details.

Build Your Citations: A citation is any reference to your company’s name on the internet. Citations represent the unique online footprint of a business, helping potential customers find information about you. Search engines often rely on NAP consistency to determine your location and deliver accurate results to users.

Ensure your site features on citation sites and online business directories. This will help customers find your business. A complete citation will include your company’s name, address, phone number, and website URL on citation sites. Adding extra information to business directories will help improve your search rankings.

Take Your Reviews Seriously: Get your customers to write honest, positive reviews about your business. This will encourage more local customers to buy from you and also optimise your Google My Business presence. BrightLocal research shows that 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.

74% of consumers say positive reviews make them trust a local business more. Research also shows that 84% of searchers trust online reviews as much as a personal reference. This shows that website visitors will trust a random stranger’s opinion of your company as much as a trusted friend. Therefore, the better your reviews, the better your local SEO.

Optimise Your Website For Mobile: You have to optimise your website for mobile to be a major player in local SEO. A study from Acquisio revealed that 75% of all local mobile searches actually produce offline visits to the store within 24 hours.

50% of mobile users will abandon a page if it doesn’t load in 10 seconds and 60% of them will not return to that site. Shoppers on mobile devices make up to 30% of retailers’ site traffic, so a fast website optimised for mobile users is crucial to a good user experience. You don’t want to lose out on the lucrative online and offline traffic from mobile users so optimise your website with mobile users in mind.

Publish And Optimise Localised Website Content: If you only have one location, create an “About Us” page that focuses on local, relevant information. For example, if you have a beauty salon, your “About Us” page can talk about your salon handling the hair and makeup of the town’s local pageantry. If you have multiple locations, endeavour to create unique content for each page.

Is it necessary to hire a local SEO company?

Oftentimes, business owners feel they can manage their businesses and the behind-the-scenes Digital Marketing and SEO operations that come with it. With time, they find out it is too much to handle. Search engines update their local search ranking factors all the time and you need to educate yourself so you don’t fall behind the competition. Balancing your SEO training with running your business, day-to-day issues, and family time is no easy task. Why not leave it to the professionals?

At Vimar, we are a professional Digital Marketing agency. We can boost your business before your competitors catch on. We have expert knowledge and industry insight to analyse your company needs, evaluate your website and local online presence and formulate a winning strategy to increase your traffic and marketing locally.

SEO Services at VIMAR Digital Marketing

If you’re a small business owner, getting web visits and leads from users in a different city, county, or country won’t be as significant as getting leads locally. When it comes to building your business, local SEO can increase traffic from consumers in your specific service area. This means you’ll get a higher visit-to-sale rate. Hiring Digital Marketing professionals is the most efficient and reliable way of boosting your local SEO.

VIMAR Digital Marketing has over 15+ years of professional SEO experience. We help businesses around Ireland rank higher on Google and thus, generate more website visits and leads. If you would like to learn more about SEO services at VIMAR, you can visit our Search Engine Optimization page[3].