New York is a modern city, and like any city, it moves forward. So its market is always changing, but one reality is that everything nowadays is handled through the internet, as there is greater accessibility to multiple types of information. So it is not surprising that you see them on top of Google search results, this happens through Local SEO services in New York. Which is an essential activity if you want your business to thrive.
Statistics indicate that up to 90% of the population base their route when searching for businesses previously through their phones on a daily basis, and through this 80% of these people visit the business within a week if it is not more than 8 kilometers from their location, although it depends on the popularity of the place and the type of service they offer, of course. But through this study, we can notice the great importance of Local SEO to make you relevant among Internet users and that your business can sell more or be a little better known.
But if you still don’t understand what we are talking about, don’t worry. Below we will explain in detail this process and how you can be part of it to make your business thrive. Without further ado, let’s get started!
What is local SEO?
Table of Contents
SEO is broken down into multiple techniques that a SEO professional uses in order to optimize the online presence of a website or web business to increase its sales success. In short, we could say that SEO is based on attracting the largest number of Internet users interested in your services or products to your page so that they can interact with you and make a sale.
You see, Google positioning is not something natural. The pages that appear among the first ones of the search engine have a reason and a previous process to be there, it is not a coincidence at all. And if you want to be successful, your page should be among the first pages of Google, which are the ones that people visit before choosing a service.
Have you ever searched for a word and you go to the first page that appears where the definition is usually found? Well, there are many other pages that could also have given you that result, but since it is the first and it is the easiest, you will go for that one. And that is exactly what you need, to be that first option when the customer searches for “Restaurants near me” in Google.
Local SEO can only be achieved if you methodically take care of your online content, the words you place, the quality of your website, how well you research your customers or your target audience and a lot of other things that you can’t do alone and without experience, so you probably need a website development and SEO expert to create a successful website.
Benefits of SEO positioning
Having a local SEO in a city as big as New York can bring you the possibility to increase the visibility of your business, increase sales and be able to have much more confidence in your brand. In addition to generating a customer base and a community through well-organized marketing strategies.
Although you can apply the basic knowledge of SEO if you already have your page, it is best to leave it in the hands of a professional who knows how to reach the target and can avoid bans, because believe it or not, Google recognizes your intentions but if you do not comply with some rules, your efforts will simply be in vain.
As we explained before, it is most likely that the user will only look at the first three results when doing a search. However, this is not always the case, but we must try to get as close as possible to the first positions because even if we have what the customer wants, if he does not notice our existence, it is useless.
But what really benefits from Local SEO is the possibility of creating a community and a portfolio of customers based on your location, because there is nothing more satisfying than finding what we need near our home.
Methods to improve the Local SEO of your business.
Define your business on Google:
You need to have a real organization with your business. Having an official name, logo, colors, tone of voice, way of interacting with the public, all this is fundamental for you to create a website and increase SEO in the content.
Start determining what your target audience is and how to reach them, you can do this by doing a general assessment of the phenotype of people who visit your store and what they are interested in.
Competitor analysis:
Everyone in any niche has competition, so the first thing before applying an SEO strategy is to analyze what the competition has and see if you can learn something without the need to copy you.
The idea is to get an idea of the things you could adapt to your content without the need to be a plagiarism, because what will give you success is your originality, not being a copy of another company.
Results studies and maintenance:
It is essential that every now and then you check how you are doing with the content and techniques you are using, because sometimes it is necessary to change the strategy and go for new horizons. And even check which ones are working and which ones need to be maintained. This whole process even with professionals is a trial and error, do not stress if it does not work as you want at the first time.
Why Local Search Matters
What’s the difference between regular organic SEO and local SEO, and what do you need to know about it for your marketing strategy?
Local search is an integral part of any SEO strategy targeting customers in a specific region, city, or neighborhood.
Simply put, local SEO is where you focus to improve your rankings and visibility in local search results such as Google’s Map Pack/Local Pack.
Organic SEO is how you improve webpage rankings in organic search. How your website ranks in those organic results can positively influence your Local Pack rankings, as well.
Organic listings are another great opportunity for your local business to appear in front of motivated searchers when Google determines that the query has local intent.
So, although local and organic SEO are interconnected in these ways, each requires a unique strategy with different optimization tactics.
Let’s start at the beginning – what is local SEO and why does local search matter?
Why Local Search Is Important
Here are a few stats that prove how important local search continues to be for businesses:
According to Google, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
30% of all searches it processes are related to location, also according to Google.
61% of consumers said in a recent local search survey that they search locally every day.
A recent local SEO survey found that 82% of consumers read online reviews for businesses during a local search and spend close to 14 minutes doing so before making a decision.
86% of people rely on Google Maps to find the location of a business.
Yelp appears in the top five search results for SMB searches 92% of the time.
Worldwide, 74% of in-store shoppers who performed their search before physically arriving at the store said they searched for things like [closest store near them], [locations], [in stock near them], and other types of hyperlocal information.
More than half of Internet users worldwide use a mobile device for their local searches.
83% of searchers use Google Search to learn more about nearby businesses; 55% use Google Maps, 44% Apple Maps, 39% turn to Yahoo, and 31% choose bing.
How Google Determines Local Ranking
Google keeps its organic search ranking algorithms a closely guarded secret but is much more open about what it takes to rank in local results.
The three main categories of local ranking factors, according to Google, are:
- Relevance.
- Distance.
- and Prominence.
“Relevance refers to how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for.
Add complete and detailed business information to help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches,” Google states in its help resource on how to improve your local ranking.
Google defines distance as “how far each potential search result is from the location term used in a search. If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, we’ll calculate distance based on what we do know about their location.”
And prominence in this context refers to how well-known Google considers that business to be. This is perhaps the most complex of the local ranking factor categories, as search algorithms try to factor offline prominence into the equation, as well.
According to Whitespark’s ‘2021 Local Search Ranking Factors’ survey, these are what local SEO experts believe are the top Local Pack ranking factors:
- GBP primary category.
- Keywords in the listing title.
- Proximity of the business address to the searcher’s location.
- Physical address in the city of search.
- Additional GMB categories.
- High numerical star ratings.
- Completeness of GBP listing.
- Quality and authority of inbound links to the associated domain.
- Keywords in native Google reviews.
Improving Your Local Search Presence
As you can see, local search is an essential channel for businesses of all kinds that serve local customers – franchises, retail chains, so-called Mom & Pop shops, financial services brands, service providers, enterprise brands, and SMBs alike.
With a top level digital marketing agency in New York you’ll get:
- Top local ranking signals you need to know and why they matter.
- Creation of a winning local SEO strategy.
- Tips and a process for analyzing the competition in local search results.
- Accurate NAP information and user experience for local SEO.
- How and where to find the best local link building opportunities.
- Review management services – and how to make the best possible use of them.
- Completely optimization of your GBP listing.
- All of the different attributes you need to know to help your GBP listing stand out and convert customers.
- Local SEO and listing management tools to save you time and improve your performance.
- And a lot more.
Why Is Local SEO Important for Small Businesses?
Nearly half of all Google queries today are local searches. Even when someone performs a typical daily search, the chances that Google shows local businesses nearby remains high.
Why is that important for small businesses? Well, from 2017 to 2019, Google reported a 900% increase in searches that involved the phrase “near me today/tonight.” In an attempt to best meet the needs of its searchers, Google started providing more results for geographically-related searches based on:
- Proximity
- Relevance
- Prominence
That means, if your business is close to where someone is conducting their search, offers services or products they may be searching for, and has optimized local business listings, then you’re more likely to be found by potential customers online.
What Are the Benefits of Local SEO?
In addition to getting better visibility in Google search engine results pages (SERPS), investing in local SEO has other advantages for small businesses.
A Cost-Effective Marketing Solution
While it requires time and effort to manage your business information in online directories, you can typically set up local business listings across the web for free with tools like Google My Business and Facebook, which makes local SEO a more cost-efficient option for online advertising.
Helps Local Customers Find You
72% of consumers who search for a local business visit a store within five miles. So if you’re being found in local search results or in Google Maps, there’s an increased chance of capturing new leads for your small business.
Reaches Customers Who Are Ready to Buy
A whopping 80% of local searches that are performed on mobile devices convert into sales. This can be attributed to the fact that local SEO puts you in front of the customer at the exact moment they’re searching for a product or service, making them much more likely to purchase or at least inquire for more information.
Delivers More Qualified Search Traffic
Local search can help weed out searchers who aren’t likely to contact your business. This isn’t because search engines are making a concerted effort to shield businesses from customers, but because they want to provide relevant local results based on proximity and intent. So someone who’s 50 miles away probably won’t see your HVAC company pop up in search, but one who’s just five miles away would.
If you need a professional Local SEO service in New York for your business there are many possibilities out there. But what you really need to check when making your choice is the competitive analysis, keyword research, GMB research, what SEO tools do they use, their past results on organic SEO and more.
