Nearly half of internet searches conducted nowadays are for local services. People may be searching for a dry cleaner, a lawyer or a pizza nearby, and local SEO ensures that relevant businesses show up in results.
With nearly half of all Google searches conducted being for local services, it’s no wonder that Google is placing more and more emphasis on the user’s location when determining results rankings. Not to mention, it’s becoming harder to rank higher based on expertise or reputation alone – now, geography is a crucial factor.
For example, a common local SEO strategy is listing your business in local directories to promote products or services within a specific neighborhood, zip code or zone. This narrows down businesses’ potential audience to the most relevant segment, it actually proves incredibly effective – producing up to 50% higher conversion than non-localized service searches.
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Local SEO involves a set of strategies to enhance your business’ local visibility, meaning your appearance in search results originating in your area, and/or is designed to boost your business’ search engine ranking. Among these, you’ll find some ‘classic’ SEO techniques such as content marketing, link-building, promoting keywords that include geographic area, and more.
Search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo rank internet sites according to several parameters, and when it comes to local searches (for instance, those ending in “near me” or a zip code), geographic location climbs to the very top. The parameters are meant to ensure that the results presented are of maximum relevance to the original search query, which is why a result for a barbershop in downtown Seattle would be out of place if one were to search for a barber located in Flatiron, New York City.
Pinetree’s professionals are extensively experienced in both generalized SEO and local SEO, designing a strategy that enhances discoverability for relevant customers, wherever they may be located. Smart campaigns optimized for the right keywords also ensure maximizing conversion, not just increasing traffic, due to the higher relevance of the audience to your product or service.
Best of all, just like SEO, results of local SEO campaigns tend to be longer lasting and yield higher ROI compared to other tactics such as Social Media, e-mail and PPC.
Significantly outnumbering any other channel.
Local SEO happens to be one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your business or services. Many directories are actually free to join, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google Maps, and potential customers are on them 24/7.
For businesses that don’t have the budget to tackle the internet at large, the solution is usually to build a better connection with local buyers, and it’s not a bad strategy at all. With 46% of Google searches being local in nature, placing your business in the eye line of people in your city and surrounding areas, ensures that you’re reaching the largest segment of potential customers possible. After all you’re not just looking for clicks, you’re looking for conversions.
46% of Google searches are for local services.
SEO is the best inbound traffic strategy in terms of ROI (return on investment), beating Social Media and driving 3x higher conversion.
Unlike generalized searches without a specific location, 88% of local searches from a mobile device place a call to a local business within 24 hours, and over half of those who search for a service “near me” pay a local visit.
Local customers who conduct searches tend to rely even more on reviews than general internet audiences, with 92% of them actively seeking and reading online reviews by fellow users before deciding to contact a business.
93% of internet users exhibit a preference for local businesses, choosing them over a provider that’s farther away. Moreover, 50% of mobile searchers seeking a local business will pay a visit to the physical location or store within a day.
Local searches are important on any devices - laptops, tablets and smartphones. However, they’re even more central when it comes to mobile users, driving 50% higher conversion than desktop local searches - which, as you saw in benefit #2, is already 50% higher than non-local searches. Moreover, local searches tend to be more popular with younger internet users (18-34) who tend to also be heavier mobile users. 58% of people in this age group conduct a local search once per month, compared to 26% of those over 55.
Pinetree specializes in all aspects of online marketing, including the art of conversion optimization. This includes a set of methods that, when applied, greatly increase the likelihood your audience will convert in the way you want (subscribe, complete a form, complete checkout, etc). We implement conversion rate optimization best practices in every site building project we take on.
AnalyzeWe begin by taking a look at historical campaign data and site performance metrics, using a variety of powerful analytical tools.
PlanBased on the findings from our analysis, we build a plan that includes various online marketing tactics including, but not limited to, SEO, PPC, Social Media and content, e-mail marketing and product innovation.
ImplementAfter reviewing and approving the proposed plan, we manage implementation according to priority, in conjunction with your team. This includes A/B tests in areas we’d like to evaluate.
Measure & AnalyzeStarting in as little as one week from implementation, we begin a rigorous recording and measuring process of every aspect that could potentially affect the campaign’s ROI. Armed with performance statistics of our initial plan, we conduct a thorough analysis of new learnings, comparing it to our original evaluation.
Analyze Adjust & monitorWith the knowledge of how our initial tests performed, we come up with new tests and a clearer pathway to profitability, all while continuing top performing campaigns (with proper monitoring) and nixing unsuccessful testing variation as soon as statistical significance is reached. Then, we leave only the cream of the crop - the highest ROI-yielding campaigns - to monitor continuously for relevance and any signs of decline - indicating the need to repeat the process.
