Local SEO for SMBs: Everything You Need to Know

Get started with local SEO for your SMB with these resources:

• What Is Local SEO?
• Local SEO Ranking Factors
• How Much Does Local SEO Cost?
• How to Do Local SEO
• Local SEO Tips for Multiple Locations
• SEO vs. Local SEO
• What Is a Local SEO 3-Pack?

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What is local SEO for SMBs?

Often, we can get confused between local search and national SEO.

The difference lies in which search results you want your business to appear in! SEO covers a broad range of optimizations you make to your website to rank higher in the search engine results pages, whereas local SEO involves improving local search rankings for location-specific searches.

What are the benefits of local SEO for SMBs?

While local SEO requires additional time and effort, it’s worth the investment for a few reasons:

• Drive more relevant traffic to your website
• Tell your customer what they need
• Improve your local online visibility
• Increase your conversion rate
• Attract your ideal client to your site
• Build your trust and authority with your target market and search engines

How does local SEO for small businesses work?

Have you ever searched for “restaurants,” and before you can finish, an option to click “near me” pops up? Essentially that is what local SEO is, and it can help your business appear at the top of the search results in the local 3-pack, which displays products and services for an area.

Since SEO is about trust and relevancy to your potential customers, Google will rank your website based on these ranking factors too. When Google provides users with an answer to their search query, it wants to ensure it gives the most relevant result.

When search results pop up for local searches for the above search query, they will often give the restaurant’s name, the contact number, star rating, and a few more details depending on the listing’s optimization.

How will you appear on the first page of search results for your dream keyword above all the thousands of competitors in your area? There is no simple answer other than optimizing for local SEO!

How to optimize local SEO for your SMB

Think of optimization for local SEO as a marathon — it takes time. That’s why most businesses won’t see results from SEO until six months after beginning their investment and optimizing their local presence.

If you want to get started, here is how to optimize local SEO for your SMB:

Align your brand

While branding isn’t an SEO ranking factor, it’s a critical factor when it comes to keeping people on your site and becoming clients. If your website looks inconsistent, that can appear untrustworthy and result in a higher bounce rate, which can send a negative signal to Google.

So, ask the following questions about your branding:

1. Is my logo or tagline clear?
2. Am I giving enough information about the product or service?
3. Am I providing high-quality content that answers a user’s intent?
4. Am I following Google’s guidelines and recommendations?

You can spend thousands of dollars creating the perfect brand, but if you do not have the foundation set, that website could never see the light of the first page of Google’s search engine results.

Add your name, address, and phone number

Updating your contact information on your website and all your local listings is a crucial step. Google wants to understand where your business is located, and they will check through multiple directories to see if this information is accurate and consistent.

Some steps you can take to help Google understand your location include:

• Google Business Profile

Set up a free Google Business Profile to help promote your business in search results and Google Maps. The profile is a fantastic way to connect with your customers by adding crucial information about your business like your address, website, contact information, and more!

• Contact information

Make a contact page on your website and include your name, address, phone number, and operating hours. If you have more than one location, include each location and its name, address, and phone number.

• Structured data

Adding structured data to your website will present information clearly to Google and give you the chance to rank for rich snippets in Google search results. If you use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, you may have access to structured data plugins.

Produce high-quality, location-specific content

When a user goes onto the Internet and searches for something, Google will match them with the most relevant result.

When you rank on Google for a specific search term, the content on your website must give relevant information for that search. When you do this, Google sees your content as the most relevant result to give to the user.

The best way to match user intent is to understand your customer and what they are searching for. Proactively updating your keyword strategy is an important task if you want to use those terms for local searches and match your customer’s searches.

5 bonus ways to optimize for local SMB SEO

Looking for more ways to master local SMB SEO? Try these five tips!

1. Ask your customers to review you through Google Business Profile
2. Add your business to local directories
3. Expand your site with local content
4. Optimize your headings with local keywords
5. Make your website mobile-friendly

Our digital marketing campaigns impact the metrics that improve your bottom line.

See Our Approach

WebFX has driven the following results for clients:

$10 billion

in client revenue

24 million

leads for our clients

7.14 million

client phone calls

Capture more revenue with local SEO for your SMB

There are many benefits that local SEO can offer your SMB, but sometimes knowing exactly where to begin and what steps to take can be the hardest part.

Finding a professional digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and local SEO can help put you above your competitors and set you up for success.

At WebFX, our local SEO agency for SMBs handcrafts the perfect strategy for local SEO to enable you to reach more local clients and increase your revenue from the web. Already, we’ve helped our clients earn more than $10 billion in the past five years — and we’re ready to help you do the same with our SMB local SEO services.

Contact us for a free proposal today!