Local search engine optimization is a critical component of establishing a strong online presence for expanding your organization. The internet business environment is becoming more competitive each day, especially for small businesses. To continually compete in the online world, affordable SEO services for small businesses are an important requirement.
Local SEO for small business is one technique to boost your visibility in organic (non-paid) search results for certain keywords and phrases related to your business. You’re more likely to reach and engage your target audience if you produce consistent traffic from search engine results pages. This might result in more sales, leads, and conversions.
Although building a foundation of SEO for small businesses might take months, even with an expert small business SEO consultant. It’s because Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a long-term process that improves your website’s ranking in search results.
But it’s never simple for a startup or small firm to compete with huge corporations. Because of the limited number of staff, small business owners frequently do not have the time to study SEO, which is understandable.
We have curated this article to help you better understand the importance of SEO for small businesses and save valuable time.
But before we go into the details, we will discuss what a small business is and how it’s different from a medium and large business.
Let’s start!
What are Small Businesses?
We are surrounded by small companies. They’re on every other street and corner. Small businesses provide about half of the items we buy. Small businesses are self-owned enterprises that require less money, fewer employees, and little or no machinery.
These enterprises are well-suited to operating on a small scale to serve a local community while also profiting the owners.
Although a business can be classified into multiple categories like micro, small, medium, and large level enterprise. To differentiate them from one another the Indian government has set up some criteria in monetary terms:
- For micro-level business
If the investment cost is not more than 1 Crore and turnover is less than 5 Crore
- For small level business
If the investment cost is not more than 10 Crore and turnover is less than 50 Crore
- For medium level business
If the investment cost is not more than 50 Crore and turnover is less than 250 Crore
- For large level business
If investment cost exceeds 50 Crore and turnover exceeds 250 Crore
Apart from this small business is different from medium and large-level organizations in terms of employee numbers and infrastructure also.
Is SEO Service Worth For Small Business
Gone are the days when people used to go to physical stores because now consumers look for goods and services online. So it makes sense for businesses to invest in SEO services, especially local businesses.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) assists companies of all sizes to develop a strong online presence for their brand. Many small company owners believe that SEO is expensive and only works for huge corporations, but that’s not true.
One of the most significant advantages of having affordable SEO services for small businesses is that it helps establish a smooth, fast, and user-friendly website for both mobile and desktop users.
As per a report by Google, 76% who search for a local business on their mobile visit the shop within 24 hrs, so as a small business owner, you must ensure that your website is visible when someone searches Google.
And having a mobile-friendly website is necessary because 53% of users leave the website, and it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Not only this SEO for small business has multiple advantages like:
- Help create a user-friendly website
- Help attract more customers
- Help rank better in SERP results
- Help in improving conversions
- Help improve user experience
- Help build brand awareness
- Help attract more organic traffic
Ways To Improve Local SEO And Boost New Business
Affordable local SEO service for any small business is critical because they work on a minute scale and help you reach your target audience. And having good SEO will help you scale your business and attract more customers because local search engine optimization is more beneficial in helping your business appear on SERPs in a specific demographic.
Consider this targeted strategy as a technique to help you compete more successfully against larger national companies with infinite resources. By focusing on particular local-SEO tasks, you may offset the advantage of larger businesses that frequently optimize for broader keywords and depend on brand awareness rather than value propositions to drive traffic.
To help you improve your local SEO for small businesses, we have pointed out some ways you can improve your SEO services for local businesses:
- List your business on Google
- Ask customers to leave online reviews
- Use the right keywords
- Make your website mobile-friendly
- List your website to local directories
- Have a social media presence
- Update your name, address, and phone number correctly
- Have high-quality links to your website
- Update your business URL and Meta tags
You can easily use these methods in your local search engine optimization strategy and take your business to new heights. You can use multiple tools that will help you improve your SEO game.
Best 5 Tools to Improve Your Local Search Rankings
According to a report by Databox, 70% of marketers state that SEO helps them generate sales better than PPC campaigns. SEO for small business is one of the most crucial digital marketing abilities for increasing website traffic. To make the best of local search engine optimization, you can utilize these SEO tools:
1. Moz Local
Moz local SEO software is one of small business SEO consultants’ best and most widely used tools. This tool aims to help you enhance traffic, ranks, and exposure in search engine results. The tools offer features like auditing your website that help you identify any red flags. You can also track your website ranking with Moz local tool.
Another great feature that your business will benefit greatly from is the keyword research tool. This feature will help you target the right keywords and reach your target audience. Overall this tool will help you generate content for your website that is fully SEO optimized.
Key features:
- Real-time update
- Analytics update
- Easy online listing
- Geocoding
- Response management
2. Listing Management Tool by Semrush
Listing your business in multiple online directories so customers can find your business/service easily is very important. Because more than 50% of “near me” searches online result in a store visit.
The listing management tool by Semrush is yet another great tool that you can utilize to up your local SEO game. This tool is built in collaboration with Yext. With this tool, you can edit all the information at once and have consistent and proper business data in all directories simultaneously.
Also, by utilizing the listing management tool, you can save your business from duplicate listings and keep track of negative reviews. You also get performance reports on your listings and track how frequently your business was searched online.
Key features:
- Multiple pricing options
- Easy voice optimization
- Multiple pricing models
- User-friendly dashboard
3.Yext
Using the first two tools, you can manage the keywords and list for your local business. And now, with Yext, you can easily manage your online data in a better manner and provide your customers with all the information they search for.
Yext is an online application that allows companies to effortlessly publish and/or amend company listings throughout the web. The Yext network consists of directories, maps, and even applications, making it simple to locate the items you want to manage.
This tool has amazing features of automation and constancy. The technology makes it simple to generate business listings and ensures that listings throughout the network match in terms of NAP information, which is critical for increasing a company’s online trust.
Key features:
- Easy duplicate suppression
- Easy review monitoring
- A/B testing feature
- Customer-centric UI/UX
- Ad hoc reporting
4. ReviewTrackers
Online customer evaluations are crucial for local companies since they determine when people decide where to dine or buy. According to a survey conducted by power review, 30% of shoppers under the age of 44 read reviews before purchasing.
ReviewTrackers is a software platform that assists organizations in tracking, managing, and collecting consumer feedback. Because internet reviews affect local buying decisions, ReviewTrackers makes it simple to keep track of what people are saying about your business on numerous review sites.
ReviewTrackers collects client feedback from all major review sites, such as Google, Yelp, etc. Using this tool is also beneficial because instead of monitoring each site individually, you get all of the information on one dashboard.
Key features:
- Corporate reporting
- Sentiment analysis
- Social media monitoring
- Social media management
- Easy to use dashboard
5. Whitespark
Having online reviews on your website is an important aspect of local search engine optimization, but so are citations. These are important because they help in building better links for your website. WhiteSpark is an online SEO tool that specializes in developing genuine citations.
As a result, WhiteSpark is more than simply a collection of SEO analytics tools because it searches the whole Internet to discover where your rivals are effectively advertising themselves. So you can bring in more traffic, leads, and customers without worrying about the complexity of SEO.
Key features:
- Reputation builder
- Local rank tracker
- Citation building
- Citation support & monitoring
- Google place optimization
Local SEO Is A Must For Small Businesses in 2022
Local search engine optimization is always evolving. Local companies have frequently gotten away with not understanding the current trends in local SEO in the past but not anymore. Because almost every firm is now online, and the competition is more fierce than ever.
Customers now look for any product or service online, and if you are not utilizing the benefits of SEO services for local businesses, then you are missing out on potential clients. According to a report by Safari Digital, 46% of searches on Google include a local intent.
Also, national SEO focuses more on searches across nations. At the same time, small business SEO consultant utilizes local search engine optimization to prioritize appearing on SERPs based on specific regions. Also, SEO service for local businesses helps promote the brand’s products and services to local customers and leads.
When you optimize your local SEO, you gain more traffic, leads, and eventually, more conversions as the approach becomes more relevant to your local clients. This allows you to compete with larger national brand competitors more effectively and efficiently, providing you an edge while you concentrate on specialized local SEO methods.
And in 2022, local search will be more focused on the consumer experience. That includes things like voice searches and mobile site optimization. So make sure your small business SEO consultants take this when optimizing your site using local search engine optimization.
FAQ
- How do local SEO services help your business grow?
Local search engine optimization helps your business rank better in search engine results. Also, with the right strategy, keywords, etc., you can reach your target audience at the right time and place. All this will lead to more conversion and sales.
- Why is local SEO important for your business?
Local SEO is important for your business because it helps you target a specific demographic. Also, this leads to better brand awareness among the local people and helps in getting more online reviews. This, in turn, will improve your website rank in SERP. According to Social media today, 46% of searches on Google are for local information, and 97% of users search online to find a local business.
3. What are the benefits of local SEO services?
- Help build brand awareness
- Help reach more target audience
- Better SERP ranking
- Help build trust and authority
- Increased sales and revenue
- Help in website optimization
