The Importance of Local SEO

If you have a website, run a business or have used the internet (or any mix of the three!) then you will have probably come across the term SEO.

It’s a commonly used term in the world of the web BUT like many terms, has a tendency to sound like jargon and we totally understand that! We are going to help you understand what it is and why LOCAL SEO specifically, is so important to you and how it can help your business thrive!

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is essentially what we do to elevate your website’s ranking on search engines (predominantly Google - it controls over 90% of the search engine market! compared to something like Bing which only has a 2.4% share of the market), to make sure that you are one of the first results people see.

The concept might sound reasonably simple but there are many techniques and skills involved in doing this and even more in doing it well. You probably receive daily emails from companies offering SEO services (we certainly do, ironically!) and are justifiably sceptical. Many of these services will promise the world and unfortunately simply not achieve it, which can be expensive and frustrating for you.

Doing SEO well can have an incredibly positive impact on where you appear on the SERP (another jargon word which stands for Search Engine Results Page – often meaning the first page of Google, though you may not be listed there, if your SEO isn’t up to much).

Okay Then, What is Local SEO?

We’re so pleased that you asked and that you’re still paying attention!

Whilst any web page can be optimised one way or another, local SEO is a method of doing it so that your business shows up in search results for what you do in your local area. Many businesses have a physical premises or serve a certain area.  This means that local SEO is often far more beneficial to them, as if someone is searching for what you do in your locality, you will come above your competitors on the search engine results.

You can also optimise things on a national level BUT it is a far more competitive market and very often most companies only work in specific areas. This means that energy is better spent optimising for where you actually work.  Especially as 46% of people are searching for results in their local area and 97% look online to find a business that’s local to them!

Okay but what does this mean in reality?

A good question.

If your business does a specific task or has specific words that relate to it, for example if you are a beauty therapist or plumber, we can optimise your web pages to relate to those words in the location you serve.  E.g. if you’re a beauty therapist in Eastbourne you may have search terms like: ‘Beauty Therapist Eastbourne’ or ‘Leg Waxing Eastbourne’, or for a plumber in Bexhill: ‘Plumber Bexhill or ‘Shower Installation Bexhill.  Local optimisation will mean that if people search those terms, your business will come up at the top.

We know what you’re thinking: can you just add the keywords (like the phrases above) and jump to the top of the Google search? In a word, ‘no’. Unfortunately, it is not nearly as simple as that (we wish it was) BUT that being said, we have the experience and knowledge to get you there, so if you want to get to page one of Google, we would love to hear from you, so contact us today.

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