How local search engine optimisation services can maximise reach for small businesses
Local search engine optimisation (SEO) services from specialist search engine optimisation consultants can be a very effective method of marketing your small-to-medium sized business to local, high-value customers in your area. Local SEO can be an incredibly cost-effective form of digital marketing because it can be used to target keywords that are highly competitive, but for searches only within a limited geographical area.
If we take the example of a local coffee shop, if you employ a search engine optimisation agency to optimise your website for local search terms such as "coffee shops near Yeovil, Somerset” or "best coffee in the Yeovil area," your coffee shop business should rank well and appear very high up the results listings.
However, without local SEO, it will be incredibly hard for any coffee shop, no matter their size, to compete on a national, country, or state level. Try typing in ‘best coffee shop’ into Google and you’ll find the first few pages of results to be paid advertising from all the world’s biggest chains (Starbucks, Costa, Cafe Nero, etc.). These companies will be paying hundreds of thousands of pounds for their SEO, so it’s impossible for smaller businesses to compete with them.
The value of search engine optimisation services for small businesses
Investing in local SEO is essential for SMEs, not only so that they can compete with the largest businesses, but also to compete with other SMEs in the same niche. In fact, approximately 99% of businesses in the UK are classified as ‘small-to-medium’ sized, which means that the majority of competition is coming from similarly placed, similarly sized companies competing within the same area.
Local search engine optimisation services can be leveraged to leapfrog your competitors by increasing visibility among potential customers in your area with carefully targeted keywords and search enquiries. By optimising your website (and your content) for highly localised keywords and locations, you can attract high value traffic—that’s potential customers actively seeking the products and services you offer, crucially in your area.
How search engine optimisation consultants can actually save money
When compared with more traditional advertising channels and marketing efforts, local SEO from a specialist search engine optimisation agency offers a very good return on your investment. Why is this the case? Well, local SEO targets potential customers who are already interested in what you have to sell, so you don’t need to waste money attracting demographics that you have a very low chance of converting.
Let’s take the example of a local florist in Taunton, Somerset who engages with local search engine optimisation services to target keywords and inquiry terms associated with ‘high quality anniversary flowers local delivery, Taunton’. Users who search for this very specific phrase are demonstrating the following;
They require localised flower delivery in the area of Taunton, Somerset
There is a high likelihood that they will purchase
They prioritise high quality over affordability
The user is likely to make a purchase online / over the phone
The search term ‘anniversary flowers’ stipulates the specific product they are interested in, and are unlikely to want purchase sympathy or bereavement flowers at the same time
With the highly localised search term of ‘high quality anniversary flowers local delivery, Taunton’ targeted, the local florist can then channel customers searching for a term onto a dedicated landing page that highlights the product / service they are searching for (in this case, anniversary flowers with local delivery). This highlights the potential of local SEO to convert a web user into a paying customer.
The components of local SEO
So, when we talk about search engine optimisation, what does that actually entail, and what do search engine optimisation consultants actually do for their fee?
Firstly, your chosen SEO expert will take time to establish the niche that your business occupies and the customers that you target. Once an understanding of the demographics of your target audience has been clearly defined, your chosen SEO company will help you tailor your website and its content to meet their needs.
Keyword researching
With your ideal customers' needs and preferences clearly defined, it’s now time to conduct extensive keyword research. A local SEO expert can help you evaluate your competitors' websites and keyword strategies, looking for overused keywords and search terms to avoid while also looking for missed opportunities that you can exploit. The more competitive the keyword or phrase, the harder it will be (and longer it will take) to outperform your competition, so it therefore makes practical sense to find search terms that are used by your ideal customer but not by your competition.
Long-tail keywords are specific phrases that are typically searched less often, but that acutely have a higher conversion rate. Long-tail keywords have the potential for the highest conversion rate opportunities, so while they may be searched for less often, those who do use them are much more likely to make a purchase when they do so.
Content Creation
Once you've identified your target keywords and search phrases, they can then be input into your onsite content. This can include dedicated landing pages, web blogs, and product pages. A local SEO specialist will also be able to implement keywords behind the scenes in meta tags, urls and descriptions.
Adapt and evolve your strategy
SEO is ever evolving as users change their search intentions, and as the search engines adapt their algorithms. In order to keep up with these changes, you’ll need to evaluate the performance of your keywords. Luckily, there are many methods of doing so, and your local SEO specialist will be able to find and utilise the most efficient tool to monitor your SEO performance.
The great thing about local SEO efforts, though, is that they yield long-term results. If you wish to find out more about local SEO, speak to the experts at Web Design Quote now for a fully tailored, cost-effective SEO strategy that delivers real results.