Why Local SEO Is Crucial For Brick and Mortar Businesses?
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Marketing Published on: 10 November 2021 Last Updated on: 08 November 2024
In today’s digital age, all businesses need some sort of online presence, and this applies especially to brick and mortar businesses. People are using online search platforms such as Google now more than ever, with 97% of people turning to the internet to discover local businesses. With the popularity of online searches for your business, there are even more ways to benefit you, like listing optimization, which is being used to drive more traffic to your site, creating more sales and advertisements.
Having an online presence is essential, but the only way to ensure you garner the most traffic to your business’s website is with the help of local search engine optimization (SEO).
According to Dental Marketing Guy, an SEO expert specializing in dental search engine optimization, while both traditional and local SEO aims to improve your website’s ranking within online search results, local SEO differs slightly from traditional SEO, as its focus is to garner viewership from viewers local to your business. Below, we’ve put together five explanations about why local SEO is crucial for brick and mortar businesses.
Improves Online Visibility
The websites that appear on the front page of Google account for nearly 71% of clicks received from browsing users and can get as high as 91%.
These numbers prove how important it is to make it on to that first page. The benefit of applying local SEO, in this case, is that being found in local searches will garner many more customers than competing on a search page with a business from across the country.
By getting yourself into the top results utilizing local SEO, you are sure to get more traffic from the community around your store. Using local SEO is a great way to get traffic from visitors, who likely will use the interest to search for shops or things to do in your town as well.
Encourages Local Customers
People are much less likely to travel far for goods and services now due to the pandemic, and many people prefer to support local businesses rather than large chains. It’s important to take advantage of this by utilizing local SEO, so your site can gather more traffic from those searching in your surrounding area.
Once a local customer knows your store is there and has had a positive experience, they’re sure to return and encourage others to join them, but the only way they’ll know to come is ensuring you’re at the top of their recommended search results.
Builds Community Trust
The truth is that when a site makes it to the first search results page, and the top of that page, people are more inclined to trust the company. Therefore, if people are searching keywords for your site, and you don’t appear until page 4, chances are you’re going to have a poor in-person turnout.
Be sure to create a Google My Business account, where you can input your business information and your business will appear in searches that match.
Keep in mind that this google tool is just that, a tool, and works with the local SEO content you provide on your business’s website. That’s why it’s important to use local SEO for details, such as your location and hours. It’s even a good idea to provide a section for comments from previous customers to provide online browsers with consumer feedback.
Creates More Relevant Traffic
Being highlighted amongst the top searches on sites like Google and Yahoo will direct more relevant customers to your site. Customers with relevant interests are much more likely to engage with your website or come into your store directly. According to Hubspot’s most recent data on local SEO optimization, 72% of local business searches within a 5-mile radius resulted in an in-person visit to the brick and mortar store.
Just by adding local SEO, you’re creating the opportunity for more in-store foot traffic, as well as online traffic to your site. As we said earlier, more and more people are turning to their search engines on their phones to find local businesses. If you are not utilizing local SEO you might be missing out on customers who are living around the corner but just don’t know that you exist because, in their online world, you don’t.
Increases Sales
By focusing on garnering local consumers, there’s a strong chance for an increase in sales. People are more likely to come back to a store and buy something they had their eye on if the store is nearby and accessible to their routine. It’s also a great way to stay competitive with the local businesses. Even if you aren’t selling the same items, it’s important to have relevant space in online searches to ensure you can keep up with the local patron’s need for businesses to evolve with the times.
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