What is the importance of a local SEO service provider?

What is the importance of a local SEO service provider?

Importance of Local SEO for local businesses

More and more people are looking for companies and service providers in their environment on the Internet. In the past, the thick yellow pages, telephone directories or yellow pages were used for the research, today it is PCs, laptops, tablets and especially smartphones. The growing number of local search queries also has something to do with the increasing use of smartphones and tablets.

In order to be found by potential customers in the search engines, companies must pursue a comprehensive strategy for Local SEO. This article is about the importance of keeping up-to-date with local search engine optimization changes that local businesses should be aware of, as well as how local searches look like on Google.

Importance of local search engine optimization

Most people looking for local suppliers in search engines already have a purchase intent.

Therefore, the opportunity for companies to win new customers over here is great. But for that the company must be found too. With local search engine optimization you want to achieve exactly this goal.

So for relevant local search queries to achieve a good ranking in the search engines . For local providers, local SEO should be a central component in the online marketing strategy.

Some facts and figures

Many studies from 2013/2014 show the increasing relevance of local search queries. 4 out of 5 consumers conduct local searches on search engines

before visiting a local store or using a local service. This means that only those who are present on the Internet

and found, most consumers can still reach.About 30% of all web searches have local references

• About 50% of all mobile searches have local references
• About 14% of Internet users search for local providers once a week (15% even daily)
• 78% of local smartphone searches end in one purchase (PC 61%, tablet 64%)% of local searches that ended with a purchase

Perhaps the most important fact, in addition to the large number of local searches, is that most local searches end with a purchase or use of a service. About Smartphone, it is about ¾ of searches.

Location of the purchase

Of the people who have chosen to buy, the purchase or service is most often made directly in the store.

Time between local search and purchase

In this graphic you can see the time from the local search to the purchase. Three out of four consumers buy after a search within a few hours or the same day. Nowadays self-employed people, freelancers and all small and medium-sized companies are no longer concerned with WHY they operate local online marketing or local SEO, but HOW.

I think that many SMEs can not afford to neglect local online marketing or local search engine optimization in the long run in order to remain competitive in the long term . Especially in highly competitive industries, good Internet positioning and visibility can be a clear competitive advantage for local companies, which can also ensure their long-term competitiveness.

Representation of the local search on Google

Google is the most used search engine in Germany. The statistics of the search engine distribution in Germany for September 2014 published by The Statistics Portal shows that Google has a market share of almost 95%

Google serves local search with the highest relevance

For searches with city names, Google often also lists local results, so-called Google Places or Google My Business entries. These Universal Search results are presented differently depending on the search query.

The most detailed form of the results is listed as either a 3 or 7 pack Google (see below graphics). But as part of research and analysis for a number of customers, I have already seen 2, 4 or 6 packs.

But even if you enter search queries without city names, such as lawyer, gym or locksmith you get packs with providers from the immediate vicinity (see graphic below).

Google determines these hits based on the IP address of your computer or GPS information from your smartphone and lists suitable companies from your environment.

Local search without city name: gym

Furthermore, a branded query (brand query), such as Eiscafe Christina (my favorite ice cream parlor in Frankfurt), displays a OneBox to the right of the search results.

This is where the company's address, phone number, opening hours, reviews, and photos of the company entered in the Google My Business Account appear.

Conclusion

As you can see from these examples, Google's local search is most relevant.

For local businesses, it means appearing in the local search to be found by both potential and existing customers.

The benefits of this are many.

Here are some examples:

• Increase visibility and visibility in local search engine results, Google Search, Google Maps, Bing Search / Maps
• The company is found by potential new customers and can thereby generate new leads (phone calls, contact requests, etc.) and new orders or sales
• Over ¾ of all local search queries via smartphone end with a purchase or use of a service (PC / notebook 61%, tablet 64%)
• A well-groomed Google+ Local site and a corporate website radiate professionalism and trust among potential customers
• All company information required by the customer can be found quickly at a glance for the user
• Fame of the company is increased
• Businesses can connect with customers and respond to reviews
• Local SEO is part of the online reputation management of a local business
• About 30% of all web searches and about 50% of all mobile searches have local references