Search engine optimization (SEO) and local search engine optimization (Local SEO) both have the same goal: to increase visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). However, their approach is quite different.
As digital marketers understand, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a powerful tool for driving traffic to websites and thus increasing sales. However, there is another type of SEO that can be even more effective when targeting a local market—Local SEO. The difference between the two types of SEO is often not properly understood and this article will aim to clear up any confusion.
At its core, SEO is all about optimizing digital content so that it appears higher in search engine results pages—SERPs—for relevant terms or keywords. This includes strategically placing keywords within a website’s content, titles, meta descriptions and other areas. SEO also involves making sure links are healthy and direct users to appropriate URLs on the website. All of these tactics come together to make sure that when people search for certain words or phrases related to what the website offers, it appears near the top of SERPs for those searches.
Local SEO takes this concept one step further by specifically focusing on local customers and clients as opposed to a broader national or global audience. The goal of Local SEO is to get your business to appear in local searches made by potential customers who are located in close proximity to your place of business. To do this, the same principles used in traditional SEO must be utilized with certain additions tailored towards an audience based on location.
One major difference between traditional and Local SEO has to do with using geographical locations throughout your site’s content, titles and metadata tags. When discussing specific areas where you offer your services, make sure you include your city name in the copy as well as alternate spellings like Boulevard vs Boulvard). Additionally, try including keywords along with common abbreviations such as “attorney at law” instead of “lawyer” if you are trying to target those sorts of searches in a particular city or region. By doing this you can help ensure that someone searching online from the same area will come across your website prior to seeing any competitors due to geographic relevance involved in Local SEO strategies such as these.
Another key factor when it comes time for setting up Local Search Optimization tactics is ensuring that all citations or mentions of your business have consistent NAP (name, address & phone number) information across all sites referencing your business (Google My Business Listing etc.). Ensuring this accuracy helps Google recognize who you are so they can put more trust into featuring your site prominently on nearby SERPs than if they were unsure who was actually operating behind it all!
In conclusion, while traditional and Local Search Engine Optimizations do share some similarities they also each have their own unique set of nuances when it comes down to maximizing visibility with potential customers in specified geographical regions versus larger national audiences respectively. Understanding these differences can prove invaluable when looking at both short-term success rates plus long-term sustainability goals so don’t forget about how important localized strategies may be when deciding which type of optimization best fits with whatever strategy currently being employed!