What is Local SEO?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means making your website or online presence more visible in searches related to your specific location. It’s essential for businesses that have a physical store in a particular area and want to attract local customers. The main aim of local SEO is to improve how your business appears in local search results, like on Google Maps, Google My Business, and other local directories. Different strategies are used to do this, such as using local keywords on your website, getting mentioned in local directories and other websites, making sure your business name, address, and phone number are correct and consistent everywhere online and interacting with customers through reviews and social media. The ultimate goal of local SEO is to get more people in your local area to know about your business, visit your store, and make more sales. Local SEO helps in generating more business online.
Facts & Data About Local SEO
Some of the most important facts and data about local SEO and Citations
- Fact 1: Normal” SEO Still Applies With all that said: Google’s traditional ranking factors still 100% apply to local.
- Fact 2: 28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase.
- Fact 3: 29% of all Google SERPs contain a local pack in the results (RankRanger).
- Fact 4: 46% of all searches in Google have “local intent” (Search Engine Roundtable).
- Fact 5: 76% of consumers who search for something local on their phone visit a store that day (Google).
- Fact 6: 78% of people who search for something nearby on their phones visit the business within a day.
- Fact 7: According to Safari Digital’s local SEO report, Google Business Profile signals, including keywords and backlink profiles, are top-ranking factors.
- Fact 8: According to one panellist who participated in the study: “ Reviews (along with an owner’s response) show that consumers trust a business, and trust is a foundational factor in ranking.”.
- Fact 9: 13% think the same for map pack rankings.
- Fact 10: 16% believe they’re the most important factor for map pack rankings.
- Fact 11: 6% believe it’s important for the “regular” organic results.
- Fact 12: Google Maps searches for “shopping near me” have grown globally by more than 100% yearly.
- Fact 13: According to a report from HubSpot, 72% of local searchers visited a store within a five-mile radius from them.
- Fact 14: Click the “KD%” column to sort the table by keyword difficulty.
- Fact 15: And “where to buy” + “near me” keywords by more than 200%.
- Fact 16: Beyond rankings, Google states that customers are 70% more likely to visit businesses with a complete Business Profile.
- Fact 17: Only 5% see them as most important for regular organic rankings.
- Fact 18: Especially for competitive industries (legal, dentistry, etc.).
- Fact 19: For example, this is what it can look like for someone on a mobile device: Optimizing your Business Profile is one of the most important local SEO tasks, according to Google.
- Fact 20: General information such as name, address, and contacts Available payment options Business description, brand keywords and logo Opening hours for working days and holidays Photos, videos and social media profiles Easily manage directories Achieve 100% of Profile Completeness by adding all available listings.
- Fact 21: Here are a few Business Profile tips: Set detailed business hours (including holidays). Select various attributes to describe your business (like outdoor seating, Wi-Fi, etc.) Upload photos and videos regularly (promotes engagement and boosts rankings). Further reading: Google Business Profile Guide, Get Local (NAP) Citations. NAP citations are places that mention your name, address, and phone number (NAP) online.
- Fact 22: Here are a few NAP citation tips: Keep all your citations 100% consistent (same exact name, address, phone number). Submit your information to popular directories in your local area and industry. Submit to big players (like Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook, etc.) Encourage Online Reviews, Reviews, and testimonials to build customer trust.
- Fact 23: According to Google: 30% of all mobile searches are related to location.
- Fact 24: Keep Everything 1000% Consistent Regarding GMB, consistency is HUGE.
- Fact 25: Like this: The tool also lists your directory listings with specific errors (e.g., wrong phone number, wrong address, etc.).
- Fact 26: Local Voice Searches According to Google, 20% of all Google searches done on mobile are now voice searches.
- Fact 27: Local and mobile searches go hand in hand (61% of all Google searches are performed on mobile).
- Fact 28: Local search is powerful for small businesses: 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information.
- Fact 29: Mobile searches for “store open near me” also grew by over 250% in a recent two-year period.
- Fact 30: Online reviews matter. Up to 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to BrightLocal’s 2023 Local Consumer Review Survey,.
- Fact 31: Over 75% of consumers in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom use Google when looking for business information.
- Fact 32: Run a NAP Audit. You want your NAP data to be 100% consistent everywhere. You need to hire a local citation building services agency.
- Fact 34: They’re also 50% more likely to consider buying from them.
- Fact 35: This is huge – especially when you remember that 86% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps – so I wrote an entire post on how to optimize your Google Business Profile page.
- Fact 36: What SEOs say BrightLocal’s 2021 study shows that 17% of SEOs deem reviews the most important ranking factor for map pack rankings.
- Fact 37: What SEOs say BrightLocal’s 2021 study shows that 7% of SEOs think citations are the most important ranking factor.
- Fact 38: What SEOs say BrightLocal’s study shows that 31% of SEOs deem links the most important signal for ranking on regular organic searches.
- Fact 39: What SEOs say BrightLocal’s study shows that 34% of SEOs think on-page signals are the most important factor for regular organic search.
- Fact 40: What SEOs say In all, 36% of SEOs think your Google Business Profile is the most important ranking factor for the map pack.
- Fact 41: Write Unique Content for Every Location. You probably already know you want to write 100% unique content for every page on your site.
- Fact 42: For optimal display in location-based search results by Google, your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) must be presented as crawlable HTML text on your website.
- Fact 43: 97% of users search online to find a local business. This shows how important it is for businesses to have a strong online presence and be easily found by potential customers.
- Fact 44: 78% of local searches on mobile result in an offline purchase. This highlights the importance of optimizing for mobile devices and making it easy for customers to find your business information and take action.
- Fact 45: 62% of consumers will disregard a business if they can’t find them online.