January 13th, 2022 | Updated on January 15th, 2022
Recently, the marketing world has made a dramatic switch toward organic traffic, which is the traffic that finds you.
However, many businesses still haven’t caught on. Believe it or not, 36% of businesses don’t even have a website, let alone an SEO strategy.
Luckily, that’s great news for your business, as you’ll have an easier climb to the top, especially with some professional help. Let’s talk about how a local SEO marketing company will help grow your business in 2022!
What Is Local SEO?
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website content for search engines like Google. When performed correctly, your web pages will begin to rank higher on relevant Google searches.
While this is performed at many levels, there are some key differences when attempting to rank at the local level.
Local SEO is used for businesses attempting to reach a geographic area, like most small businesses need to do, as opposed to a blog or eCommerce giant that wants to reach a global audience.
Of course, there’s a trade-off when you’re only competing in one or two localities. For one, there’s less potential traffic. However, there’s also less competition!
How It’s Used
So, how do companies rank based on their location? Well, Google uses a few different factors for a user to determine the pages they will display, such as keywords, previous search history, and location.
However, Google will only factor in the user’s location for specific searches. If a user ends their search with “near me” or “in North Attleboro, Massachusetts”, then it will of course factor in location, but that’s not all. A search for “how to save money” likely won’t yield location-specific results but a search for “dry cleaners” will.
Moreover, Google uses location when the algorithm believes it’s necessary. If the user has their location services turned off, it will default to the user’s home address, assuming they are signed in to a Google account.
Consequently, local businesses then have to compete to be among the first businesses displayed when users search for terms relevant to their company. Companies are constantly competing for the top positions.
What Services Do Local SEO Marketing Companies Offer?
The best way to beat your competition and climb to the top is with a carefully crafted and implemented SEO strategy. Of course, the best way to do that is with professional services. Here’s what local SEO companies can do for you.
Web Design
Always choose a local SEO marketing agency that offers web design services. Google (and other search engines) use over 200 factors that are directly related to your website to determine your ranking.
Google has a job to do, and that’s to match users with quality information based on their searches. If they were constantly promoting poor websites, it would reflect negatively on their search engines, so they place a lot of stock into user-friendliness and overall website quality.
Essentially, your website acts as the foundation of your SEO strategy, and your local SEO marketing strategies build upon that over time.
If you already have a website, you could still potentially benefit from a redesign, technical audit, or some cleanup. It could be the difference between the second page and the first page of a high-traffic Google search!
Fortunately, not many small businesses pay too much attention to the quality of their websites, which means that professional web design services could give your company the edge it needs.
Building Backlinks
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, backlinks are the links from other sites to yours, and they’re the primary off-page ranking factor on Google. Backlinks are what Google uses to establish your website’s authority in your field.
Do you have a local newspaper in town? If local blogs, community organizations, schools, and other websites constantly link to their online stories, then they are establishing the outlet’s authority in Google’s eyes. You don’t just need backlinks, you need the right kinds of backlinks.
Well, there are some easy places to start that a local SEO service provider can help with. There are plenty of local directories and organizations that can offer quality links to your site. Not only does this help establish authority, but it reinforces your presence in the local community to search engines.
Keyword Research
Finally, your website content needs to be loaded with the right keywords to help reinforce the idea that you are who you say you are to Google. For example, an IT firm would need terms like “cybersecurity” or “tech support firms in Worcester, MA” and related terms throughout their website.
A proper keyword strategy will help your website and future blog content rank for similar keywords moving forward.
Ideally, you want a healthy mix of long-tail and short-tail keywords throughout your website to help you rank.
Short-tail keywords, in the context of a car dealership, would be “car”, “Subaru”, or “used cars”. These types of keywords have high traffic and high competition.
Long-tail keywords, especially in the context of a local car dealership, would be “used Toyota Corolla in Providence, RI” or similar phrases. Fewer people will search for this than “new car near me”, but the traffic you will bring in will be far more relevant.
Having a healthy combination of the two types across your website content and a general understanding of the right keywords for your business will ultimately help you rank higher both in the short term and long term.
How To Choose A Local SEO Marketing Company
Giving your company a boost to the top of the search results takes time, but once you’re there, you tend to stay there for quite some time. Unlike advertisements, you don’t need to keep pouring money into SEO campaigns to continue seeing results. Ranking at the top of one high-traffic search could keep your business afloat for years to come.
If you’re interested in giving your company that initial boost and you want some professional help, then here’s what to look for when choosing services.
Services Offered
Of course, it’s important to find a company that offers the services you require. It’s okay if you are unsure about which services you need, so it’s always best to find a company that offers technical audits, web design services, and local SEO services. Your bases will be covered.
If the company looks good on paper, try to set up a consultation and see find out what your website needs to start ranking if you’re unsure. It never hurts to ask!
Realistic Expectations
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Even at the local level, it takes a few months to start seeing serious results. However, once you do, the results tend to last.
The reason we include this on the list is that there are a lot of spammers and scammers out there who offer the moon. They’ll say you’ll receive “1,000 quality backlinks in a week” or “rank at the top of Google in 5 days”. Don’t pay any attention to them.
When communicating with a potential local SEO service provider, make sure their offers are rooted in reality and that they have the knowledge, experience, and tools to help you succeed!
Vet The Company
It doesn’t hurt to read some online reviews or testimonials from previous customers, but only if they’re offering actual feedback.
Every company has a few one-star and five-star reviews with no additional information, so it’s best to ignore them and read about previous customers’ actual experiences.
If possible, ask for references from the company. Then, you’ll be able to have any of your pressing questions answered instead of relying on what others chose to provide!
Price
Finally, when choosing local SEO solutions, you want to ensure that the price reflects your budget. Again, remember that SEO is a “buy once, cry once” type of investment. There’s little need for ongoing expenditures, so you get what you pay for.
However, we still have our marketing budgets to look out for. Luckily, outsourced services are a lot more affordable than an in-house team. Find a company that matches your budget, offers the services you need, and sets realistic goals!
Start Ranking!
Now that you know what a local SEO marketing company can do for you, the sooner you get help, the sooner you will see results. SEO takes time to develop but the market is still ripe for the taking.
Keep reading our blog for the latest digital marketing news and start ranking today!
