Today local search engine optimization isn't optional. It's essential if you want your business to get noticed.

The statistics speak for themselves:

• 72% of users who searched on Google visited a shop within 8 Kilometers of where they were searching.
• 76% of users who search for something local on their smartphone visits the store within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
• 46% of Google Searches include local intent.
• 78% of local mobile searches lead to an offline transaction.
• 97% of users search online for a local service.

We could list dozens of stats, but the bottom line is that if your business doesn't appear in the local search results, people might not realize it's there.

Partner Up With The Best Local SEO Agency To Skyrocket Your Local Business

The Search Initiative is a world-class SEO company that has the experience of working with businesses of all sizes and types, from local services to large eCommerce stores.

You'll see from our testimonials and case studies that we are the real deal, with expertise in all fields of SEO. Our local SEO consultants are ready to take your business to the next level.

Send us your name, email address, website and, any other information you can tell us about your local business, and we will get back to you within 24 hours with a plan for you to dominate your local search.

Demand for our local search engine optimization services is high, and we have limited spaces available for new clients. If you want to claim your spot today, contact us now.

If you wish to explore Local SEO further, then read our guide to find out how it can translate into more sales.

Our Guide to the Best Local SEO Services

It's not mandatory to read our guide. However, a deeper understanding of what Local SEO is and what you should expect from a local SEO company will help you make an informed decision when it comes to choosing the best one for your business requirements.

What is Local SEO?

The goal of local SEO is to ensure that when a potential customer in your locality is searching for location-specific keywords related to your business, it is your listing or website that they find first, such as 'Thai restaurant in York.'

When users search for a local query, typically, Google will display the Map Pack, also known as 'The Snack Pack, ' which shows the top three relevant results. Underneath the Map Pack are the organic search results where business or service websites will be listed.

In a perfect world, you'll want to be listed at the top of the Snack Pack and the organic results.

What's the Difference between SEO and Local SEO?

SEO is the umbrella term for optimizing a website so that it appears high in the search engine results for a specific keyword, keywords, or phrases. The goal is to drive high-quality organic traffic to a site from users who type the required keywords into the search engine. Local SEO is a branch of SEO that targets users from a specific geographic location using local search.

As an example, if you were an online store that was selling dental products nationally or even globally, you might be trying to rank for generic keywords such as 'dental products', dental accessories', 'affordable dental products,' and so on. You wouldn't care if your customers were in California or Texas or maybe even Mumbai as long as you can ship to them; it doesn't matter where they are located.

But if you are a brick and mortar store in a specific area, for instance, a dentist in Miami, you don't want to rank for 'dentist' or 'affordable dentist.' Instead, you would be targeting local search terms: 'affordable dentist in Miami, 'best dentist in Miami', 'dentist near me' and so on. With local SEO, getting listed in the Local SEO 3 Pack is as essential as getting your website in front of customers.

However, Local SEO and traditional SEO share many of the same strategies, so even if you hire a local SEO company, you should ensure that they are well versed in all areas of search engine optimization.

What Are Local SEO Services and What Do They Do?

Let's start with the caveat that not all Local SEO Services are equal, and what they do or don't do will vary from service to service. It will also depend on where your business is on its online journey. It might be that you are a new start-up, or you might already have an online presence that needs to be better optimized for local search.

Usually, local SEO service will start by auditing your site and checking for any technical issues before delving deeper into other areas that might need improving. They will also track and analyze your website so that they can monitor and measure its performance as we advance.

Some of the crucial areas that a local SEO specialist will optimize and implement if needed are:

• Google My Business - GMB is a free tool that Google provides to help local businesses manage their online presence. Ensuring that you have claimed and optimized your GMB listing is vital to rank in the Map Pack and organic search results. An experienced local SEO service will ensure that everything is set up correctly.
• Competition Analysis & Keyword Research - A local SEO service will look at your competition to understand why they are outranking you and reverse engineer them. They will analyze the essential search terms in your market and the search volume to find all the relevant keywords that you can rank for.

  At TSI, we use an Ontological Keyword Research process that we have adapted for use with local websites. Using this method, we target all the best keywords within the specific geographic area for your market.

• Onsite SEO - Traditional SEO techniques such as optimizing title tags, headings, meta descriptions, images, content, and internal linking should be implemented.

  Specific local onsite SEO methods should also be utilized by your local SEO specialist, embedding Google maps on relevant core landing pages, including directions to your business, including details such as phone number, address, opening hours. Optimizing the home page for the main search phrases.

• NAP Consistency - NAP refers to a name, address, and phone number. It is paramount that this information is consistent on your website, GMB profile, on your social media accounts, in business directories, and local listings. Google relies on this business information to assess your site. Wherever your NAP details appear, they should all contain the same info regarding your business. An excellent local SEO firm will conduct a NAP audit using tools such as Whitespark to ensure that your details are as accurate as possible.
• Technical SEO - All sites will benefit from technical SEO, just like tuning a high-performance car, a right SEO specialist will get under the hood of your website, so to speak and do their magic. This means optimizing the site for crawl rate, indexing, and improving site speed. It will also entail implementing Schema markup to provide Google with extra information about your business and website.

  They will also check that your site is mobile-friendly, and visitors can navigate it easily while on the go. At TSI, we pride ourselves on our Technical SEO skills, our team of SEO mechanics enjoys nothing more than fine-tuning websites to run at their best!

• Link-Building - Building backlinks is a crucial step towards top rankings in local search. While there are many ways to build links for local websites, the two that will move the needle will be local citations and guest posting on local blogs.

  Local citations are mentions of your business online. They usually show your NAP details, while GMB is by far the most essential for your business, it is important to build citations from sites such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Angie's List, and Citysearch. All reputable local SEO services will ensure that your business is listed in the top directories, as well as auditing any existing citations and updating NAP details if needed.

  Local citations in business directories such as Yellow Pages and Yelp, as well as specialist directories relating to your business, are beneficial as some users bypass Google and go directly to the directories to find a service or business.

  Guest posting on local blogs is an effective way of building relevant, high-quality links to help you rank as well as getting exposure to your website from referral traffic. Local SEO services should be able to implement a link building campaign for local guest posts.

  There are other link building strategies that can be used for local business, but the two we have mentioned will be the lynchpin for any local search link building campaign.

• Content - A local SEO service should be able to help you update existing content or create new content that will engage your local customers as well as be optimized for SEO.

  Local SEO services that have a professional in-house team of premium content writers who can write captivating SEO optimized copy are few and far between, many agencies will outsource, which can result in the content of dubious quality.

What are the Benefits of Local SEO Services?

Before we give you a list of reasons on how your business can benefit from local SEO services, let's discuss why it is better to hire a team to do it for your rather than the DIY approach that some business owners adopt.

Let's start with the tools required for local SEO. We use Ahrefs, WhiteSpark, Surfer SEO, Screaming Frog as well as other software; the monthly costs for these will take a big chunk out of your SEO budget already if you are going it alone. But the crucial factors are time and expertise. Have you the time to not only implement the strategies that will boost your site but also learn the intricacies of local search engine optimization?

Shouldn't your role be dealing with managing your business rather than handling the Minutiae of SEO? Hiring specialists to handle your SEO will free you up for the big picture tasks while they help grow your business in the background.

Benefits include:

• Get ahead of the competition - With one in every three searches being carried out on a smartphone just before a customer arrives at a store, doesn't it make sense for your business to show up in local searches?

  You could have a better service, product, or be more affordable than your competitors, but if you aren't seen online, your potential customers will never know. They will turn to your competitors, even if they are further away - give your customers a chance to see you!

  Many of your competitors could be ranking by default; by implementing proper local search engine optimization, you can leapfrog them and reap the rewards. You can stay ahead of the pack if your SEO provider is up to date with new technologies such as voice search.

• A high rate of return with little cost - Traditional marketing methods such as delivering flyers and buying ad space in local newspapers is expensive and inefficient, a scattergun approach that is likely to go the way of the Dodo.
  

  Modern marketing is highly targeted using methods such as Facebook and Google Ads. But this can still be expensive; additionally, as soon as you stop advertising, you stop generating new customers. If you are ranking in local search, your business is always in front of targeted traffic.

• Gain more trust - Internet users these days put their trust in Google. If a business shows up in the first few listings in local search, it is seen as trustworthy. Once users know that you are a trusted and authoritative source, it is likely to result in repeat custom, positive online reviews, and recommendations.
• Multiple platforms - Local search not only allows your business listing to appear in the Map Pack and your website in organic search, but you'll also be found in local directories, review sites, and on social media. Your increased visibility means more potential customers.

  An increased online presence will result in a lot more footfall with physical customers purchasing services or goods from your business, increasing your ROI substantially.

How Much do Local SEO Services Cost?

The price of local SEO services will vary greatly depending on where you are located, the business that you are in, and of course, the local search marketing company that you have hired.

You'll also have to factor in what you need from the local SEO company, for instance, are you starting from scratch or already have a site or listing that need to be further optimized. You might be able to hire a 'local SEO expert' for a couple of hundred bucks, but unless they can prove their past performance be extremely wary.

Choosing an established SEO company with a strong history will ensure that you are going to be in safe hands. If you want to find out how much a customized local SEO plan will cost your business, then drop us a line, and we'll get back to you in 24 hours.

Why Choose Us for Local SEO Services?

Are you looking to hire an affordable local SEO service led by some of the brightest minds in the industry, highly experienced in local search engine optimization?

Are you looking for a company that has a proven track record with testimonials and case studies available?

Are you interested in a custom solution for your business, rather than an off the shelf generic service?

Do you want the capabilities of a complete in-house team at hand, including SEO technicians, professional content writers, outreach specialists, and web-design wizards?

If so, it looks like we are going to be the perfect fit!

If you want your online presence taken to a whole new level, then contact us now for a consultation. You'll hear back from us within 24-hours all we need from you is your name, address, website, and any other details you can provide us with about your business. Our Local SEO services are highly in demand, so apply today to partner with us.