Evolution of Search Engines and Why Local SEO Benefits Businesses

With the expansion of the internet came search engines that allow users to locate sites they were looking for more easily. A user types in a phrase and the search engine will match them to websites that include the keywords in the search phrase. Google used this approach but quickly dominated other search engines when they began using links between sites that are an indication of more trustworthy sites with authority.

When a user types a search phrase into Google a pattern of various website signals or ranking factors is checked. It will look to see how relevant your site is to the search phrase and return a list of sites to the searcher that includes your contact information if it matches. Google does not perform a live search of the entire internet each time a search phrase is entered. When a search phrase is entered, Google searches a stored copy of all the sites it has discovered, or what is called the Google Index.

The Google Index is formed by small programs known as ‘spiders.’ The spiders crawl the web starting on a single page and following links on that page to search for content on the next page. As they crawl the web, what they find is stored in Google’s servers and thus the index is built.

Google spiders work at a phenomenally fast scale as they are able to crawl trillions of web pages in extremely fast paces. This speed is necessary to ensure the index is up-to-date and that new sites with their connections can be discovered quickly.

After analyzing trillions of searches and the behavior of users, Google learned that consumers look for certain types of businesses and want results from their specific area. This analysis showed Google that a local search algorithm needs to include a proximity or distance factor. This factor has Google take your location into account during a search phrase.

While local search has been in use for years, it previously was limited to those using desktop computers. A growth in mobile internet access has mobile searches exploding, making local SEO more important to a business’s success if you want to offer local products or services to local consumers.

How Local SEO Benefits Your Business

Local SEO has a lot of advantages and benefits for your business if you are seeking to improve your digital marketing strategy. These are some of those benefits:

Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy

Local SEO will allow your business to target customers in your area as well as track its effectiveness. You will be able to monitor your website’s traffic and learn which keywords are driving customers to your site. The biggest benefit of local SEO is the ability it provides you to lower your marketing costs. Local SEO tailors and optimizes your website as well as leverages your online resources. This strategy will prevent your business from having to use costly printed materials or ad campaigns.

Local businesses thrive on a local audience and oftentimes invest in advertising through pamphlets, banners, and local TV ads. These types of advertising cost a lot of money. When you optimize local SEO, your business will save a lot of money on your marketing strategy. Searchers have been shown to use the ‘near me’ option on their smartphones more than 80% of the time when looking for a specific company. Therefore the use of local search intent can reduce your advertising costs.

With the increase in smartphones and other mobile devices to make online purchases, it will be important for you to optimize your site for these. You will want to ensure the navigation process on your site is simple. If a potential consumer visits your site, they are more likely to purchase if it has been a good experience navigating through your site.

Keeps Your Business Ahead of Competitors

When local SEO is used effectively, it will allow your business a competitive edge. Your online presence for local searches will increase your visibility and put your business ahead of the competition. Local SEO ensures your business reaches your targeted audience in a very competitive market.

Today, most searches for a service or product are done by using a search engine. Consumers will pick a solution to their needs by picking a business that appears on their search results. Local SEO enables your business to achieve a long-term competitive edge to put it ahead of your competition.

Earn More Local Reviews

According to studies, more than 85% of consumers will read online reviews before they complete a purchase through a local business. If your products or services are good, customers will love to give you a positive review, which in turn will result in more customers.

Your business cannot receive these positive reviews if you are not using local SEO. With the execution of local search intent, you will earn more local reviews. Receiving more positive reviews will require you to respond to the feedback received and help you achieve a higher ranking on search engines. Responding to reviews tells Google you provide a better customer experience.

Improved Conversion Rates

The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action is known as a conversion rate. This rate measures the number of visitors to your website who go on to purchase your products or services. Increased traffic to your site does not guarantee a higher conversion rate. According to one study, 28% of local searches result in sales.

When you use local SEO, however, you are targeting potential customers who are more likely to convert. This marketing strategy attracts relevant traffic, thus increasing the likelihood of sales and improved conversion rates. This form of SEO brings in those interested in your product or service and the opportunity for more successful conversions.

Local search intent can present you as an expert in your area to local consumers who are ready to make a purchase. This image of your business enhances your odds of becoming an anchoring spot for future sales. Searchers on the internet like to understand businesses in their area rather than searching for businesses miles away.

Retain Long-Lasting Rankings

SEO results provide your business with a longer-lasting impact as compared to traditional marketing strategies. You will need to maintain and update your information to optimize your SEO, however, after you’ve reached high rankings in SERP (search engine results pages), your business is likely to retain that position for a long time.

Google customizes its search results to meet customer requests. When you target a specific local audience, it can result in long-lasting SERP standings. How your business ranks on the first page of a search result is critical for creating trust with your customers and driving your web traffic.

Increase Brand Awareness

When your business’s online presence is optimized through local search intent and engages with your targeted audience through social media, you will attract more customers as you increase your brand awareness. By creating relevant content for your area through social media updates and blog posts, you show those in your targeted area that you have a tie to the community.

Showing this tie to your community not only increases your brand’s awareness but will build customer loyalty. When your business appears in local search results, you are much more likely to attract local customers and gain credibility, especially if you receive positive reviews. These targeted consumers are also encouraged to not only visit your website but to personally come to your place of business.

Being a local business allows you to build a stronger community where you are located. Consumers love to support their local community by making purchases through local businesses. Make sure your potential customers understand your business is within easy reach of them.

Gain Credibility and Build Trust

By appearing in your local market search, your business gains credibility and builds trust with your targeted audience. With the use of local search intent, local backlinks are utilized, links from other businesses in your area and sites that will direct searches to your website. Backlinks are a method of cross-promoting services and products from your neighboring businesses.

Backlinks show search engines your site is authoritative and trustworthy so your brand’s awareness and reputation are further enhanced. By appearing in local search results, your business will gain more local backlinks and demonstrate your credibility and reliability to potential and current customers.

Increase Local Traffic to Your Website

The main purpose of local search intent is to bring more traffic to your website so your sales increase and your brand’s awareness grows. This SEO will specifically target pertinent traffic from your local area providing you with visitors who are more likely to respond to your content.

Localized traffic is more likely to connect with your ads and content. When you use this type of SEO strategy, by creating localized content, you gain targeted consumers and traffic from your desired customer base. The outcome of this strategy is that your sales prospects grow. More sales means you’ve gained interested customers needed to build the growth of your business.

Google’s 3-Pack

Google’s 3-pack goes to the top of more than 92% of searches with a local intent. The 3-pack differs from the 7-pack as it displays more information about your business, such as hours of operation, description of your business, address, and more. Google’s 3-pack could be exceptionally beneficial to your business’s marketing strategy.

Statistics Showing Benefits of Local SEO

These are a few statistics to show you the benefits of using local search intent for your business:

• According to Google, more than 30% of searches processed are related to location
• One survey found that more than 80% of consumers using local search optimization read the online reviews for a business before making a purchase. It also showed these consumers spent about fourteen minutes reading this information before making their decision.
• Google states more than 75% of consumers who conducted a local search on their mobile device visited the business within 24 hours. Of those searches, about 28% completed a purchase.
• A recent survey found more than 60% of consumers perform local searches for their needs every day. 
• More than 73% of in-store shoppers report they completed a search before heading to the physical business for information on which business was closest to them, what was in stock at the business, and other types of local information. 

These statistics show why using local search engine optimization helps your business become and stay more successful.

How Local Ranking is Determined

The organic search ranking algorithm is closely guarded by Google, but it is much more open to explaining what it takes to rank in your local results. There are three categories to determine local ranking factors, which are:

• Prominence
• Relevance
• Distance

Prominence refers to how well-known Google considers your business to be. This is the most complex factor in local ranking as the search algorithms also consider offline prominence in the equation.

Relevance is how well your local business profile matches what consumers are looking for. You will want Google to have detailed information so it understands your business and matches your profile to relevant searches.

Distance is how far each search result is from the location term used during a search. If users do not specify a location in their search, the distance is calculated based on what Google knows about your location.

Improving your SEO will impact these three factors for your website. If you use the correct elements for your site’s digital footprint, your site will show up higher in more search results.

According to a 2021 study, these are some of the key points experts believe are the top-ranking factors:

• Google Business Profile (GBP) tells Google and searchers what type of business you are such as a bank, pet store, restaurant, or other. The more complete information provided, the better for ranking
• Keywords in your listing title
• Your physical address within the city searched
• The proximity of your business to the searcher’s location
• Google Business Profile (GBP) category to help your profile display relevant searches in Google Maps so potential customers are able to locate your local business during a localized search
• High numerical star ratings

Who to Contact for Local SEO for Your Business

BullsEye Internet Marketing is an internet marketing specialist serving Canada, the United States, and the UK. It is our mission to get your phone ringing with qualified potential customers who are looking for your products or services.

BullsEye Internet Marketing knows how to turn on the most beautiful word in the internet market: traffic. We use a custom strategy for your business through worldwide technology so your business can expect more traffic to enter your world. More targeted traffic will mean more dollars for your business.

The SEO services provided by BullsEye Internet Marketing focus on driving potential customers to your business so you are able to provide them with all they need. We will create a plan to suit your business that can include on-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page SEO. This service will allow you to attract the customers most valuable to your business and save you hours and dollars in other advertising strategies.

We will make sure your business’s information is uniform, accurate, and consistent throughout your listings. This process will eliminate duplicate listings and help you rank higher in SERPS (search engine results pages.) By using our innovative local SEO strategies, we will help you take your business to the next level. Your information will get in front of prospective customers and make sure you never have a problem with ranking on search engines again.

Local SEO helps make your website position itself through enhanced local pack visibility so your business builds trust among potential customers. It will provide your customers with more information about your business to help them make an informed purchase through your online services.

Put your business on the map through BullyEye Internet Marketing services so every customer looking for your business can find you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to learn more? Below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers!

If you don’t see what you need, contact our team at www.bullseyeinternetmarketing.com for more information on optimizing your Google Business Profile!

 

How do I optimize my business Google profile?

Take advantage of all the features the Google Business Profile platform offers to boost your appeal to potential customers and set your business apart from the competition. Adding photos, messaging, reviews, and more is a huge part of your success. 

It’s essential to be detailed in your descriptions and use keywords. These profile features help Google connect you with more customers and demonstrate to your audience that you have a service or product that they want. Read our article above for a complete list of ways to optimize your business profile. 

What does it mean to optimize Google My Business?

Optimizing Google My Business means carefully going through each section of the platform to showcase your business’s characteristics. It creates a bridge between you and your potential and current customers by clearly communicating with them and staying up to date on everything you offer. It displays the what, where, and how of what you provide so people can identify if you have what they are looking for (and make that all-important phone call to your business)!

How do I get more views on Google My Business?

There are a few ways to get more views on Google My Business. The quickest and easiest way is by keeping your information complete and up-to-date. It’s also important to utilize and maintain relevant keywords. Lastly, inviting people to leave a review and responding to each one (positive or negative) is another excellent way to improve your visibility. 

Want to learn more about BullsEye Internet Marketing? 

We help businesses like yours make money, and we’ve been doing so since 2006!! We know that internet marketing is the most cost-effective way to gain new customers other than word-of-mouth – and we’re the experts at how to best promote your business online. 

We have decades of experience in the online marketing space, making us pioneers in the industry. This experience enables us to help our potential clients identify and utilize the best route for internet marketing. 

We are a one-stop shop with the expertise to handle all your Internet Marketing needs. Click on a service below to learn more.