Most of SEO deals with the vastness of the internet. On a world-wide web, one small site has to work hard to be noticed. Search engine optimisation strategies focus on grabbing as much attention from that vast world as possible. Most of the time of most businesses is spent on boosting their site up various different ladders so that it is visible to the right people at the right time.

While SEO can benefit all websites, the world-wide approach won’t work for all businesses. A garden centre, for example, is unlikely to want to attract traffic from another county, much less than another country. Local businesses require a local search engine optimisation focus.

The two approaches are very different, but use similar techniques. The main difference lies in the focus of your SEO campaign. While an across-the-board SEO strategy will necessarily have its own geographical focus, local search involves different search techniques to general search. It has its own limitations, but it has its own advantages as well. There are also broad areas of cross-over.

For example, every business can take advantage of Google’s local search functions, to some extent. There are SEO advantages to fostering reviews in the Local Search section, which is featured for many keywords when a user searches in Google Maps. Local businesses likewise can’t afford to ignore broader searches completely, and need to attempt one or two keywords that have a global application.

An approach to local search requires just as much work as general SEO, if not more. With such a specific focus for the SEO campaign, professional help is even more worthwhile for a local business than for general SEO. If your business needs a local SEO approach, you can talk to us at SEO Consult.

Local search rankings need to be approached on several fronts, just like any ranking. First, your business needs to determine the keywords for which local search applies. Google has offered more and more local results over the last two years, but there are still many keywords for which local results do not appear. Careful research is necessary to uncover the keywords for which your business can compete. Happily, the field of competition is smaller, giving you a better chance of success.

After an on-page strategy has been formed, off-page techniques need to be considered. One of the bonuses of local search is local reviews. While, as noted, any business can use local reviews in their SEO strategy, local businesses have more reason and are more likely to garner natural reviews. A local search strategy needs to find a way to foster local reviews, and have a way to answer reviews when they’re posted. Careful use of reviews can result in inbound links and boost the general rankings of the site.

General SEO needs to be a part of a local strategy. When plotting out your keywords, take a few broader keywords into account, if only for your home page. While local search is growing, most users still rely on general search for their results. Being aware of the limits of local search is essential if you are to maximise what you get from it.

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