{"id":3879,"date":"2021-06-18T15:25:33","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T15:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmbgorilla.com\/?p=3879"},"modified":"2022-08-29T22:20:20","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T22:20:20","slug":"local-seo-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmbgorilla.com\/local-seo-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost With Local SEO? Use My 2022 Guide!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local SEO Audits Time-Saving Local SEO Guide<\/b><\/h2>\n

Want to learn about local SEO, but don\u2019t have a lot of time? This is the Local SEO Guide<\/b> for you. Learn from a local SEO expert how you can be successful – in less time.<\/p>\n

What follows is 10+ years of local SEO knowledge and experience in a guide you can read in 20 minutes. Put the insights gained from 1,000+ local SEO audits<\/a> to work for you today!<\/p>\n

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Local SEO Guide Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
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  1. What is Local SEO?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Why local SEO is important<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. What is the difference between SEO and Local SEO?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How much does Local SEO cost?<\/a>\n
      \n
    1. The short answer<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. Local SEO Consultant<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Local SEO Agency<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. DIY Local SEO<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. Local SEO Software <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    6. How to do local SEO<\/a><\/li>\n
    7. Start with a local SEO audit<\/a>\n
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      1. Conduct keyword research<\/a><\/li>\n
      2. Analyze the current SERPs<\/a><\/li>\n
      3. Claim and optimize your Google My Business \/ Bing Places<\/a><\/li>\n
      4. Fix any technical SEO issues with your website<\/a><\/li>\n
      5. Optimize existing pages and add new ones<\/a><\/li>\n
      6. Promote your website (aka link building)<\/a><\/li>\n
      7. How long does it take? <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

        What is Local SEO?<\/h2>\n

        Oh no, more lingo! Learn what is meant when people say, \u201cLocal SEO\u201d (Don\u2019t worry it\u2019s easy to understand!)<\/em><\/p>\n

        SEO, short for search engine optimization<\/strong>, is a set of search marketing strategies and tactics that make it easier for potential customers to find your website when they search for something related to it (I.E. what you do, sell, or offer). SEO is one of the most popular ways to generate traffic to your website, and of course get more leads, sales, and revenue. This is because unlike advertising, you do not pay for every click or impression.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Local SEO is a subset of search engine optimization (SEO)<\/strong>. Local SEO is a set of strategies and tactics that help ensure your website appears highly for localized searches. It has become more important in the last five years as search engines have introduced new search engine result page (SERP) layouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Google and other search engines recognize that for many search queries (I.E. healthcare providers, home and professional services, hospitality, restaurants, etc) customers typically want a provider that is close to their home. As a result, Google et al have changed their search engine results pages (SERPs) to cater to these types of searches by showing results consisting of nearby businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Localized search results are visually characterized by the appearance of a map, and a listing of three to four businesses underneath, at the top of the page (usually below the Google Ads).<\/strong> This area is commonly referred to as the, \u201cmaps and local pack,\u201d respectively by Local SEO Consultants. Achieving higher rankings and visibility in this area requires a different set of strategies from traditional SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n

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        \nThese localized results also show traditional organic search results. For many of these queries the results return links to websites in the intended geography. This means that important organic search tactics such as link building are still important for local SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n

        A good example of this is to go to Google and search \u201cRestaurants Near Me\u201d or \u201cDentists Near Me\u201d to get an idea of what a localized SERP looks like<\/strong>. Even product searched return results showing products that are available from a nearby retailer!<\/span><\/p>\n

        Now to really experience what your customers are doing, type in your industry or specialty and see what appears! This will give you a great idea of what your potential customers are seeing. Also feel free to search your brand or trade name. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Why local SEO is important<\/h2>\n

        These are the major reasons why local SEO is important to you and your search marketing efforts.<\/em><\/p>\n

        Similar to the search you just did for yourself, instead of pulling out the yellow pages, or asking a friend for recommendation when in need of a solution, your customers are turning to search engines to find a business like yours when they need them.<\/span><\/p>\n

        The largest of the big three search engines, Google is the main starting point for the majority of customer discovery online (outside of ecommerce, where Amazon can stake a claim as the starting point for finding products).<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"\"
        \nFrom 2015-2017 there was a 900% increase in \u201cnear me\u201d searches on Google.<\/strong> This explosion was brought on by the continued increase in mobile phone usage. A major cause for Google shifting the SERPs to show the local pack and maps, as well as nearby businesses in the organic results. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \"local
        \nToday almost half (46%) of all Google searches are looking for a local business.<\/strong> It seems customers want a pizza place in their neighborhood; not one five states away. Google knows this and has adjusted their results to reflect what the majority of customers want (and don\u2019t forget what benefits Google).<\/span><\/p>\n

        What\u2019s more, the majority of customers visiting your website don\u2019t come from paid ads, social media, or referrals. Believe it or not, well over 90% of all Internet users conduct a search at least once a week. This means they\u2019re heading to Google first and probably seeing your Google My Business (GMB) profile or clicking on a search result for your website before actually typing in your web address.<\/span><\/p>\n

        In fact, an average of sixty-four percent of your potential customers online come from organic search results, meaning they typed a search term into Google, and your website appeared in the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

        This makes local SEO one of the largest drivers of new customers for businesses.<\/strong> It\u2019s also one of the marketing channels with the highest ROI since you can often front load your efforts and enjoy longer term benefits with minimal maintenance (although this is starting to change as SEO continues to get harder and Google takes over more of the screen real estates with ads and their own properties).<\/span><\/p>\n

        What is the difference between SEO and Local SEO?<\/h2>\n

        SEO can be confusing. Here\u2019s what you need to know about these two search marketing channels.<\/em><\/p>\n

        The difference between local SEO, and regular SEO, is that with local SEO, search engines like Google take in account a different set of ranking factors in determining who is #1. In the past, appearing highly for search phrases required you to focus on having a well optimized, modern, website that had high quality backlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n

        As a result of the switch to showing localized SERPs for those queries that indicate a nearby solution is desirable, Google et al are using a different set of factors to determine who ranks #1 on the map and the local pack. These local SEO ranking factors include:<\/span><\/p>\n