In simple terms, a local search is when someone searches for a product or service which is local to them, Local SEO is about increasing search visibility for businesses that serve their community face-to-face. These are usually brick-and-mortar businesses that get most business through people in their area.
Local SEO includes everything from listing your business on local directories to making sure your business ranks high for local searches on Google. It also extends to getting and managing online reviews, local social media engagement, and more. With good local SEO, you can improve organic traffic from searches made by customers in nearby areas.
To gather information for local search, search engines rely on signals such as local content, social media profiles, and links towards your website. All this information helps ensure that search engines are showing the most relevant results when it comes to local searches.
Why Is Local SEO Important?
Local searches can be very useful for businesses. Particularly for brick and mortar businesses where location matters. A study performed by GoGulf discovered that 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Not only that but SEO Tribunal found that 88% of consumers will either call or visit a business within 24 hours of making a local search. For more stats on Local SEO check out our blog on 5 Statistics that Prove the Importance of Local SEO.
Local SEO can be tricky if not done by the right people. This is why you should invest in getting a Professional Local SEO Team to make sure your website is ranking high for local searches.