What is Local SEO?

By Sani Blog, SEO Google ranking, Google search algorithm, Google's ranking system, Local SEO, Search Engine Optimization, SEO 0 Comments

Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization (SEO) that makes your company more visible in Google’s local search results.

Local SEO can benefit any company that has a physical location or serves a specific geographic area. Local SEO can help you grow your business if you search Google for any important keywords related to your business and a map with three listings appears underneath it (also known as a map pack). However, before you can understand local SEO, you must first understand how Google works.

What is the history of search engines?

Because there were few websites in the early days of the internet, navigating the web was simple. However, as the internet grew in popularity, search engines were developed to help users find the sites they were looking for more quickly.

When you typed a phrase into a search engine, it was matched to websites that contained the keywords in your query. Google took a similar approach, but it quickly surpassed the competition when it became the first search engine to use links between websites to determine which sites were trustworthy and authoritative.

To determine if your website is relevant to display as a search result, Google now considers hundreds of factors both on and off your website. Your “digital footprint” is made up of factors, each of which has a different weight or value that the search engine combines to return results. Your digital footprint determines whether or not you appear as the first result in a Google search.

What is Google’s process?

When you type a search phrase into Google, it examines the pattern of various website signals, or ranking factors, such as the relevance of your site, to return a list of sites that match your query.

Most people are unaware that when they type something into the search bar, Google does not conduct a live search of the entire internet. It’s actually looking through a backup of all of the sites that Google has found. The Google Index is the name given to this copy.

Google crawls the web with small programs called “spiders” to create the index. Each spider follows the same pattern: it begins on a single page, then follows the links on that page, then moves on to the next page’s content, and so on. The index is built as web content is crawled and stored on Google’s servers. The spiders operate on a massive scale, constantly crawling trillions of pages at breakneck speed. This keeps the index as current as possible and allows new sites and connections to be discovered quickly.

Google’s ranking system for search results

In the blink of an eye, Google ranks hundreds or thousands of websites using a variety of algorithms. Algorithms are the terms for these procedures. When you Google something, an algorithm searches the index and returns a list of websites in organic results that match your search. Those results are chosen and ranked based on inbound links’ relevance, prominence, and popularity.

To determine which websites have something related to your search, the algorithm considers a variety of on-site and off-site factors. All relevant websites are added to the list, which is then ranked according to their importance. The algorithm determines which sites best answer your search query based on various on-site and off-site factors, and those sites are listed at the top of the search results.

Improving your SEO has an impact on your website’s relevancy, prominence, and link popularity. Your site will appear higher in more search results if the right elements of its digital footprint are optimized.

Local SEO follows a distinct pattern.

What about organic search results in your area? Google discovered that people looking for specific types of businesses require results from their immediate area after analyzing user behavior during trillions of searches. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which is a fancy way of saying that when you search for a local keyword, Google considers your location (a query with local intent). Even if the searcher does not include a city name or “near me” in their query, this occurs.

For example, if you’re at work and want a pizza delivered for lunch, Googling “pizza delivery” returns a list of nearby locations in its local SERPS (search engine result pages).

However, if you do the same search at home, you’ll get completely different results. This makes sense because you need a pizza delivered from a nearby location.

Local search has been around for a long time, but it was limited due to the fact that most people only used desktop computers. Mobile search has exploded as a result of the recent growth in mobile internet access, so local SEO has become critical for the success of any business offering local products or services, as well as local marketers.

What is important for local SEO?

What does this mean for marketers who work in the search industry? While the local map pack appears in the standard Google organic search results, the main Google search results for local rankings and the local map pack results are powered by different algorithms. You have the option of appearing in both the main organic search results and the local map pack as a local business.

If you’re new to online marketing, one of the most difficult things to figure out is where to focus your efforts to get the best results.

Moz, a marketing analytics software company, has released the results of its annual Local Search Ranking Factors survey, which features the top 35 to 40 local SEO experts from around the world. Its findings reveal the most information about the factors that influence local search visibility.

Localized content and local link popularity are factors, just as they are in Google’s traditional search algorithm, so it’s critical to create local landing pages for each of your locations—especially if you have more than one—where you should include not only your business name but also details like address and phone, as well as optimize titles tags, meta descriptions, and follow SEO best practices. This should be factored into your content marketing and link-building strategy as well.

Furthermore, location-based factors such as having a Google My Business listing, local citations from data aggregators, and review signals – which should be published by your local customers – are taken into account in your local SEO rankings, and as a result, you should include them in your local SEO efforts.

It’s also worth noting that there are local SEO tools available that can assist you with everything from keyword research focused on your local audience to building citations, managing Google My Business listings, business profiles, and Google posts, and even monitoring your inclusion in local packs.

Website content is important, as it is in Google’s traditional search algorithm, but location-based factors such as Google My Business, citations, and review signals are also taken into account.

Start utilizing SEO now.

You can start focusing on signals that will optimize your site’s digital footprint in the local-oriented search ecosystem now that you have a better understanding of SEO basics and how Google ranks local search results. As a result, your business will appear higher on the results page, allowing more potential customers to find you.

There are numerous factors that affect your visibility in these searches, but keep in mind that local search is still evolving. Moz’s annual survey can help you form your strategy playbook by keeping track of which signals are becoming more important and which are becoming less important. You’ll be able to serve more people in your geographic region—and grow faster—once you start improving each important signal area.