LOCAL SEO SERVICES

Local SEO is an optimization strategy that makes your business be more visible in local search results, so you can promote your products and services to customers and clients within your geographical area.

When gathering information for local search results, search engines like Google look for signals like local content and evidence of proximity (which is a fancy way of saying that your business’s physical location is taken into account). This happens even if the user doesn’t include a city near or request a ‘near me’ result.

Let’s assume that you’re traveling on business and want to find the best Chinese restaurants near your hotel. If you Google ‘Chinese restaurants,’ a map with three listings beneath it (also known as a 3-pack) will appear above the organic search results. These listings are for businesses with the highest ranking based on the factors that Google uses to determine local rankings.

Local search has been around for awhile, but It wasn’t until mobile search exploded that local SEO became an essential marketing tool for any business offering local goods and services. Today, it’s indispensable if you want to build a loyal clientele.

UPDATE: As of late 2020, Google is now displaying a “search by photos” display section for some of their local categories. The functionality is entirely separate from the “discover more places” and “interesting finds” photo-centric boxes sometimes included in the SERPs—the section only displays for mobile searches currently.

The short answer is: any businesses that offer local products and services! At present, nearly half (46%) of all Google searches are for local information and 88% of those who do a local search on their smartphone contact or visit a store within a day.

Business types that have found local SEO to be especially beneficial include:

• Bars and restaurants: These businesses rely on local support. Cocktail lounges, pubs, and eateries can all benefit from improved local visibility.
• Plumbers and electricians: These professionals are always needed in an emergency!
• Medical services: Urgent care clinics and dental offices are especially popular search topics in this category.
• Law offices: Legal services are a core part of many transactions, such as buying a house, filing for divorce, or fighting a criminal charge.
• Repair services: Like plumbers and electricians, repair professionals are always needed in an emergency, so local search visibility is important.

No matter what industry you’re in, you can use local SEO strategies to increase your visibility to local searchers. An outstanding Google My Business listing and company website are a must, followed by regular publication of valuable and relevant content. This includes:

• Insightful blog posts
• Social media content that your followers will want to share
• A presence in trusted business directories or industry publications
• Press mentions in local publications

Imagine that you come home at the end of a long day at the office. Being the height of summer, it’s boiling hot outside, so you look forward to unwinding in your air-conditioned condo. Except there’s no air conditioning! Your HVAC system has crashed.

Chances are that the first thing you will do is whip out your phone and search for HVAC repair professionals in your area. It’s what everyone else would do.

This illustrates why local SEO is so important. When people search for local businesses, they use their phones, not the Yellow Pages. In addition:

• 92% of searchers choose businesses on the first page of local search results.
• 72% of those who search for local businesses go on to visit locations within five miles.
• Mobile searches for “open” + “now” + “near me” have gone up by 200%.
• 12% of consumers search for local businesses online every day.
• During the holiday season, 76% of shoppers prefer going to physical stores instead of buying their gifts online.

If you want to be found more quickly and easily by your target customer base, local SEO is the way to go. Take advantage of this opportunity by contacting SociallyInfused Media and asking about our local search marketing services.

This is one of the questions we get the most. If you optimize your company’s web presence for local search, how long before you see results?

With all the factors that go into a local search ranking, it’s impossible to accurately predict when you’ll appear on page one of Google, but the following criteria will have an impact:

• The search terms you want to rank for
• How competitive those terms are
• How well-optimized your site is for those terms
• How long your site has been around
• The type of content on the site

On average, it can take three to nine months before you start seeing results. If you’re in a competitive field, you may be looking at the higher end of the timeline. However, Google My Business listing optimization can yield beneficial results, in the local 3 map pack, as quickly as two weeks (but this is entirely dependent on additional factors, such as the competitiveness of your niche).

As a general rule, sites that have been around for a while are going to take less time to rank because they have already been indexed by the search engines and probably have the quality content and backlinks needed to establish credibility. Newer sites don’t have the same degree of credibility and will take longer to achieve results, but working with an experienced local SEO agency can give you an advantage.

Strictly speaking, no. 

What do we mean by that? If someone searches for ‘polka dancing in Smallville’ and you’re the only polka dancing hall in town, local SEO could pick you up from other sources, like news stories, online phone directories, or some really great social media reviews. 

On the other hand, if you want to rank for something like ‘organic grocery in Toronto,’ there’s little to no chance that you will make it into the 3-pack without a website- or a well-optimized Google My Business (GMB) listing. 

At SociallyInfused Media, we know what goes into making a GMB listing that search engines love. By the way, if you don’t have a website yet or your existing one is in serious need of a makeover, SociallyInfused Media can build you an attractive, optimized, and mobile-friendly site that will boost your local search marketing efforts.

Absolutely! Google My Business has been described as the backbone of Google’s Local Search directory. Setting up your business listing can help you appear in the 3-pack result that appears on top of the standard organic search results. As if that weren’t enough, your business stands an ideal chance of appearing in local search results for queries related to your goods or services.

Research has shown that consumers prefer to go local whenever possible, so they use local search to find stores, restaurants, and professional services in their area. Those businesses with complete and detailed Google My Business listings are twice as likely to be considered reputable by potential customers.

Claiming your Google My Business listing, providing detailed information about your company, and keeping that information current are all imperative to both improving your organic rankings and connecting directly with your customers.

Like your website, a Google My Business listing needs to be optimized in order for your business to rank higher for relevant search terms. In this case, optimization includes the following elements.

A complete profile 

Your listing has to feature all the information a consumer would need to determine whether your business offers what they are looking for. A complete listing includes:

• The name of your business
• Street address
• Phone number
• Business category (e.g. ballet school, courier service, financial planner)
• Website URL
• Hours of operation
• Description (up to 750 characters). 
• Photos
• Depending on your industry, there may be other, additional fields to complete

A detailed description

If your Google My Business description is too brief (“full-service law firm” or “HVAC repairs), it doesn’t provide potential customers enough information to make a decision. Make it one or two sentences that highlight your best features or benefits and summarize your other offerings.

Professional-quality photos

All photos should be both high-quality and relevant. You want to give customers an idea of what it’s like inside your store, eatery, or office, so include pictures of:

• Your space from various angles
• Products and services
• What the place looks like during peak shopping or dining times
• Events that you regularly hold, such as wine tastings or web design classes 

Do not upload logos, graphics, or scanned documents like menus or specials lists. The goal is to make a positive visible impression that encourages visits.

Collect and manage Google Reviews

Ask loyal customers to leave you a good review on your listing. Those who appreciate your quality products/services and professionalism will usually be glad to do so. Each time you receive a positive review, be sure to respond with a public thank-you.

While we’re on the subject of responses, don’t ignore any negative reviews, even if the reviewer is being totally unreasonable. Make a prompt and professional response, bearing in mind that potential clients will be watching to see how you react. Another reason why a response is important is that unhappy customers can -and do- update their reviews if you’re able to solve the original problem.

Use the Q&A Section

The Q&A section lets you answer customer questions directly on your Google My Business listing. You can publish frequently asked questions and answer them yourself, or respond to queries that come in. For example:

• Is there parking available?
• Do you sell decaffeinated coffee?
• Are you open on Sundays?

The benefit of this feature is that you can publicly answer questions that affect a consumer’s decision whether or not to use your business. Since it’s online, this information can be reviewed 24-7: no one needs to wait until regular business hours to get answers to their questions.

Google My Business is a powerful (and free) tool that improves your local visibility and lets you grow your customer base. At SociallyInfused Media, we show you how to achieve results quickly and ethically, and keep your winning streak active by constantly analysing trends, doing a/b testings, and adjusting your GMB content accordingly.

For sure! When it comes to SEO, the more the merrier, as long as each category is appropriate for your business.

With local SEO, you’re optimizing your website and local search features like Google My Business to drive local traffic to your website. National and global SEO reach customers on national and international levels. All three share the many approaches for ranking higher on the search engines, including:

• Mobile-friendliness
• An optimized website
• Content marketing
• Link building 
• Engaging with customers on social media

With national and global SEO, your target audience is much wider, so you should emphasize your brand and use more general keywords (online coffee roaster vs. Toronto coffee roaster) that can be more difficult to rank for. 

At SociallyInfused Media, we can help you develop a local presence that leads to national, and global search engine exposure. This is the approach that will turns businesses from small local storefronts to huge franchises and chain stores, and it works just as well for growing your Internet presence.

Yes, and if you run a multi-location business, you should.

One of the biggest SEO mistakes you can make is putting all of your locations on one master landing page. You need to create separate and optimized pages that feature the following:

• The store or office’s name, address, and phone number
• Location-specific content like featured products, testimonials, and staff information
• An embedded Google map

Think of each location page as a microsite with its own title tags, meta descriptions, and Google My Business page. 

Technically, yes, because there are more complex steps involved in optimizing your site on the national and global level (which traditional SEO covers)., where competition is fiercer. Local keywords are also less competitive than the general ones, so if you run a Pay Per Click campaign, 

In most cases, you can achieve a high ranking by optimizing your Google My Business listing and keeping it active. Start at the bottom (like Drake did!), and you could find yourself heading up in no time.