<\/span><\/h2>\nMore people are scrolling straight to Google Map Results for pretty much everything, so ensuring you\u2019re consistently in the top 3 increases your chances of bringing a lot more traffic to your site.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOptimisation in Google Maps can be so effective that people will inquire directly. For example, if you are a restaurant and you want to be ranked as \u2018Local Restaurant in Manchester’, if you are in the top three, you are most likely to attract between 30% and 40% of clicks from the average daily search.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTo get to those top 3 positions, you have to ensure your product or service is appreciated by previous customers. This is the same if your information is correct and consistent with the details you have on your website but there is a lot more that goes into ranking in the top 3. These are just some of the basics you need to keep on top of. One could argue that ranking first in the map results is preferable to ranking first organically in the regular search results because it places you above all of the organic rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Structured Data and Rich Snippets<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nEven though structured data has been around for a while, many websites, companies, and even SEO agencies still largely underuse it. Structured data is what you’ve seen if you’ve ever searched on Google and then received a box with a list of questions and answers underneath, or if you were shown movie times, a recipe, a menu, etc. Here is one instance:<\/span><\/p>\nBefore they scroll down the page, rich snippets are a great way to get users to click through to your website. To put it another way, people prefer speedy responses and convenience. Similar to how Google Map results are helpful, they also generate clicks before the user has a chance to scroll down the page with the results.<\/span><\/p>\nThe setup and optimisation of rich snippets can be challenging, depending on the design of your website so you might have to hire them out of house.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Why is Local SEO Good For My Small Business?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nHere are several reasons why small businesses should take advantage of local SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Increases Local Brand Awareness<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nAs mentioned above, you are getting familiar with the local area, and for you to eventually expand your business, you need to at least have the local area a fan of your brand. Optimising your company’s online presence to gain exposure on local search intent and engaging with your target audience through popular social media platforms will help you build your brand image and expand your visibility naturally.<\/span><\/p>\nCreating locally relevant content in ways that your audience will appreciate will help you build relationships with your local community and foster customer loyalty. You will be building the foundations of your brand if you ever wish to expand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Increases Local Traffic<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nThe main goal of local SEO is to drive more traffic to your website, which overall increases the chances of sales and brand recognition. Local SEO specifically targets those who are looking for your service or product, which likely brings in qualified buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Improves Conversion Rates<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nConversion rates are the percentage of customers who completed a desired action like an inquiry or a purchase, etc. If your traffic is high but your conversion rate is really low, this might be because of your business type. For example, if you are a luxury jewelry brand, you might attract a lot of traffic to your site from product ads but fewer conversions due to the price. You have a small target audience and usually fewer qualified buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Staying Ahead of Competition<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nLocal SEO tactics that work give small businesses a competitive advantage. Increasing your online visibility and differentiating yourself from the competition can be achieved by optimising your site for local searches. Your company will become more competitive in the market if you can make sure it reaches your target audience.<\/span><\/p>\nResearch will also keep you ahead of the competition; this way, you can find out Google algorithm updates and find out what Google is rewarding with high rankings. This way, you can stay consistently at the top of the local competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Cost-Effectiveness<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nLocal SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy that enables you to get familiar with your community. You can track the keywords that bring people to your website and find out which ones they use by using tools like Google Analytics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe primary benefit of local search engine optimisation is its capacity to lower marketing expenses through website customisation and optimisation, online resource utilisation, and the avoidance of pricey print or ad campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nOverall, local SEO is critical and should not be overlooked by any large or small businesses. It is a great way to start your SEO journey. Whether you want to do it independently or hire out of the house, you will reap the benefits. It\u2019s important to note that there is a lot that goes into ranking so research is your best friend, ensuring you\u2019re following what Google says. Additionally, this isn\u2019t something that happens overnight so patience and consistent maintenance are crucial.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local search engine optimisation (SEO) offers small businesses a chance to improve their visibility on maps and draw in local clients due to the increase in map-based searches. According to Backlinko, 86% of consumers find local businesses on maps, underscoring the importance of local SEO in helping businesses reach their intended market. This is a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[202],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendsoftoms.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}