What is Local SEO? | Is it different from National?

Local SEO compared to National

If you havent read my blog “What is SEO?” then click here. It will help to understand this blog 🙂 https://tysanseo.com/2020/04/18/what-is-seo/

All of the factors of National SEO, such as keywords, backlinks and content apply when it comes to local SEO. There are a few additional steps when it comes to local SEO that shouldn’t be overlooked though.

In some ways local SEO can be more difficult to rank than national because the audience is smaller and you are still competing with the national players a lot of the time as they sell to your customers as well.

I will break down some of the main factors of local SEO below.

Google My Business

Google my business is the most important difference when it comes to local SEO. Setting up a google my business account and filling it out completely and correctly is incredibly important in Local SEO.

The screen capture at the beginning of this page is a search for local coffee companies. Each one has reviews, location, type of business and services offered. Google chooses what information to show people based on the search term so having all your information will help insure you show up in more searches.

Other Factors

Citations

The more places Google sees you listed the more legitimate they feel you are. This is why it is important to sign up with directories such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and any other directories that apply to your business.

Reviews

Reviews are a big ranking factor with both local and national SEO. The biggest difference with local is that you have more chances to interact with customers face to face. This means there are more opportunities to get reviews and therefore more search traffic and more customers. Believe it or not customer interaction at the time of purchase will end up affecting your SEO.

Keyword and Content Format

The way that keywords and content are formatted are a little different for local SEO but the same general factors apply.

Local Community Involvement

Being involved in your local community and other businesses is helpful in building backlinks to your website from local professionals. Physical community involvement is a much larger part of local SEO than national.

Contact me with any other questions or to get a free website analysis and consultation.

Phone: 541-301-1968