5 Key Reasons to Hire Local SEO Services in 2018

Local Seo Services

What’s your SEO strategy?

It’s a question that many business owners have heard, but few know how to answer. Maybe the idea of SEO is overwhelming and you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’ve been burned in the past and are hesitant to put your hard earned money back into marketing.

Don’t let your fears hold you back. As we move deeper into the digital age, SEO is becoming more important than ever for small businesses. In fact, 68 percent of online experiences now begin with a search engine.

It’s 2018 and SEO is changing fast. Keep on top of current trends and blow your competitors out of the water by enlisting the help of local SEO services. Read on to learn more about why should invest in local SEO.

What is Local SEO?

By now, you’ve likely heard all about SEO. But what about local SEO?

Local SEO differs from SEO in that it aims to promote businesses locally. SEO might work on improving your rank for national search. Local SEO, on the other hand, places more value on area-specific keywords and local business directories.

Local SEO services can help businesses target the right audience and position them above local competitors. It’s a way to target consumers at the exact moment they are searching for your services.

Online Directory Growth

Online directories have changed the way consumers find and connect with local businesses.

Think about how much has changed in the last 20 years. In the old days, people would find businesses through word-of-mouth or a phone book.

Now? They use online directories. Sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Citysearch are helping people evaluate businesses like never before.

Consider this: 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

You can no longer ignore online directories. Their meteoric rise has made them a fundamental part of modern business practices.

Local SEO services can set up and maintain consistent online directory pages. They can make sure that all business information is accurate across these platforms.

This helps Google validate your information and. In turn, this helps to strengthen search engine rank.

Schema Markup

Schema markup is one of the best-kept secrets of SEO experts.

Schema markup is HTML tags that are added to a business’s website code. The tags can give search engines more information about the business. Google likes businesses that use this feature, as it helps them better evaluate site content.

Businesses can also add schema rich snippets. These snippets might be things like business hours or pictures. It’s relevant information that further strengthens a site’s search engine rank.

It also makes listings more attractive to customers deciding whether or not to click on a site. Schema markup is also one of the easiest ways to get a leg up on the competition. Many businesses don’t know how to add it or even that it exists.

Local SEO services can help you add this valuable tool to your website.

Mobile

It doesn’t take an SEO expert to understand that mobile is on the rise. Smartphones have a greater presence in our lives than ever before.

But you might be surprised to learn just how important mobile is to local SEO. In fact, 55 percent of purchase-related conversions occur within one hour of initial mobile search.

Think about the way consumers are searching for local businesses on their smartphone. Let’s say someone searches for a “barber in Los Angeles.” There’s a good chance that this person is looking for a haircut, is in Los Angeles, and is on the go.

This is a highly qualified lead that is ready to spend some money. Local SEO services can help you target mobile-friendly search terms to increase your conversions.

Google has also realized the importance of integrating mobile search. They made a mobile-friendly update to their search algorithm in 2015. The idea was to give mobile compatible sites an advantage over their competition.

Google’s update and local search preferences have made mobile a huge part of local SEO. Mobile is only going to get bigger in the year’s to come.

Algorithm Changes

Mobile search wasn’t the only thing affected by Google’s algorithm changes.

Google is constantly updating their algorithm to improve their search results. They want to provide consumers with the best search results possible.

While these changes are improving Google’s user experience, they’re making it difficult for small businesses to keep up. Google has already had several algorithm updates in the last few years.

It’s crucial for businesses to adapt to these changes. Ignoring them could leave you with poor traffic or worse – a costly penalty.

Local SEO services can help you understand and adjust to these algorithm changes. You can follow Google’s new best practices to help dominate local search.

Authority

Age isn’t just a number. Older websites with more authority have a much easier time attracting local search.

Google looks for websites that it can trust. One way to build that trust is to have authority.

Authority is built over time. You have to have a steady number of high-quality links to and from your website. You also need to have consistent content over a number of years.

You might have great traffic now. But if you stop paying attention to your content and links, you’ll eventually pay the price.

On the other hand, building authority can be challenging for business owners. Trying to earn Google’s trust can be daunting for even the savviest of web teams.

Local SEO services can help you build authority, earn organic traffic, and continue to dominate search for years to come.

Your Local SEO Services

SEO is a full-time job. It can be daunting for business owners with hectic schedules to get started.

Fortunately, running a business and dominating local search is possible. Use local SEO services to get your web presence back on track and to stay ahead of the competition.

Are you interested in pursuing local SEO? We can help. Contact us today to get a free quote on your project.

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