Search engine optimization for local exposure can prove to be beneficial for a variety of businesses types and deliver several advantages over running SEO campaigns to wider audiences. The types of businesses which can benefit from local SEO include:
Startups with limited budgets – For small companies with limited funds, focusing on local markets is a great way to get started with search engine optimization. A shoestring budget, which might not be able to provide search traction on a wider scale, can score big results when the focus is limited to a specific area. The caveat here is that there must be a large enough local market to support the product or service being offered or the effort will fall flat.
Companies with a market limited by geography – A company specializing in stand up paddle boarding could be extremely successful with their SEO efforts and never venture out of the local area. While not advisable due to the possibility of saturating that market, the strategy that most companies in this situation follow is to establish their presence in local market searches and then gradually broaden their reach into adjacent geographies.
Retail Stores – Much like startups, local support, which can include tourists for vacation areas, has to be present for local SEO to work for a retail store. Realistically, a retail store without local support isn’t long for this world with or without local SEO. That being said, raising awareness of a store’s existence with the local market is usually essential for survival and employing local SEO typically compares favorably to traditional advertising methods.
One of the biggest developments for businesses trying to increase their local exposure is that the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) are supporting local search. Each search engine allows companies to list themselves in the “maps” section which sits on the front page when a search designates a city alongside the search term. For example, submitting a search term such as “widgets anytown” will return organic listings as well as the “maps” listing which lists the widget companies in anytown and pinpoints them on a map of the town. The maps show above the fold and submissions are free. An increasing number of small companies are using these platforms to replace pay-per-click efforts in order to jump start the local SEO campaigns. For more information on how a local SEO campaign can help your company’s marketing efforts.