If you own a small retail or service business, then local search engine optimisation (or local SEO) is the perfect way to get your business in front of new and existing customers searching for your products or services in your area.

But just what can local SEO do for your local business? Well, here are some of the benefits that local SEO is delivering to our local business clients:

1. Improved ranking on Local, Directories, and Maps sites

Today, most people use their mobile phones at home as well as out and about to find nearby services. By using local SEO strategies effectively you will be able to rank for local keywords and location-related keywords on sites like Google and Bing whenever potential customers are searching for the products and services that you offer.

2. Be found by customers searching for your specific products and services

When customers are searching with specific queries such as 'plumber near me' or 'italian restaurant clapham junction', they want to see local businesses among the results that provide those services close by and are quick to respond – but if they don't know where you are, how can they find you? By optimising your business website, local customers will be more likely to find you and discover the services that you provide.

3. Local SEO is an extremely cost-effective marketing strategy

Compared with traditional marketing strategies such as local newspaper ads, local TV or even local radio, local search engine optimisation offers more targeted traffic at a fraction of the price – which means increased ROI (return on investment) and greater financial savings for local businesses like yours. Done well, local SEO can continue to drive results way after the activity - unlike paid adverts which tend to only generate enquiries while the campaign is running.

4. Brand Awareness  

Local Search Engine Optimisation helps small businesses build up brand awareness in an extremely targeted way - this is especially good news for new business owners who cannot afford national advertising campaigns but want to establish themselves in their field quickly and efficiently. Local SEO is also a great way to remind your existing customers that you're there!

5. Generate more leads from your website with local SEO

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from local SEO, as it's a very effective way to drive highly targeted traffic to your website. In fact, local businesses that implement local optimisation strategies rank higher in local search results, and those at the top of the search engine result pages (SERP) can generate more leads.

6. Social proof means better conversion rates

Social proof is important for local SEO as it encourages local customers to make an informed choice about the local business they choose. Whether your objective is more calls, emails, in-person visits or sales, a great way to encourage new customers to choose your business is by showing them how much other customers appreciate you. Building your online reviews not only helps improve your local search ranking but also provides the evidence that potential customers need to persuade them to get in touch.

6. Improved Referral Traffic

As a small business we already know that referrals are extremely valuable to small businesses, which is why proactively increasing your brand's referral traffic with local SEO is an excellent tactic to boost overall sales, engagement and customer experience by attracting more customers who are already familiar with your product or service.

7. Content for search means content for social

Creating great content for your website that shares your industry expertise, and talks about your products and services will inevitably include plenty of keyword-rich content, ideal for search engines. The added benefit of really good on-site content means plenty of content to share on social media.

Local SEO makes sense for just about any business that requires their customers to visit them, or that needs to visit their customers. We're seeing amazing local SEO results for businesses including restaurants, accountants, solicitors, agencies, architects, builders, plumbers, barbers, hairdressers, therapists, beauticians, holiday rentals, co-working spaces, fashion boutiques, florists, and more. Whether your objective is increased brand awareness, increased enquiries or greater footfall in-store, or just more sales, our local SEO service can help. Get in touch to find out more.