In today’s digital landscape, every business can benefit from investing in local SEO, or search engine optimization. But for certain industries, local SEO can truly work wonders. National or even global SEO has become highly competitive and expensive.
As a result, small businesses are turning to local SEO as a cheaper and more effective way to advertise their products or services and reach potential customers. The experts at Pure Digital Marketing have put together this guide to answer the question, “Who needs local SEO?” and discuss industries that stand to gain the most from local SEO.
Home Service Contractors
When customers search for home service contractors, they often prioritize prompt appointments over brand loyalty. It’s not so much who helps them, but when someone can get resolve their issues. Therefore, local SEO is a prime resource for any business that helps customers with quick problem-solving, such as:
- Plumbers
- Electricians
- HVAC contractors
Most of these businesses thrive on local markets. There’s also an unlimited supply of keyword-rich educational content about solutions to everyday problems that they can publish on their websites to boost local search rankings.
Reviews can also help with local rankings on search engines like Google. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat challenging to get clients to generate reviews for home service contractors. Going the extra mile to encourage customer feedback puts home service contractors ahead of the competition when someone searches for a local service provider.
Doctors and Medical Practices
Businesses that provide medical services are perfect for local SEO, such as
- Urgent care clinics
- Dental practices
- Doctor’s offices
SEO plays a big role in referring patients to medical and dental practices that are nearby. Besides building a great website, there are plenty of other things these specialists can do to boost their rankings.
They can start by publishing high-value, informative content. Due to the highly specialized nature of medical services, providing insight through how-to manuals or blog posts is a great way to add value while improving search rankings. In addition to providing valuable content, professionals can verify and leverage their name, address, and contact information on local business directories like Yelp and ZocDoc.
Attorneys and Law Firms
Generally, when people need legal services, they’re looking for an expert nearby. Therefore, appearing in local searches is crucial for lawyers, legal services, and bail bond agents. There are several things law offices can do to boost their local search rankings.
The first order of business should be to create a Google My Business Page. Next, they need to optimize their website around relevant keywords in the area.
Another crucial factor is online reviews. Due to the stigma surrounding the legal profession, third-party validation is vital for potential clients. As such, lawyers need to be proactive in finding ways to generate client reviews on popular platforms such as Yelp and Google. Positive reviews can make a huge difference in boosting local search visibility and building brand reputation.
Bars and Restaurants
Bars and restaurants typically operate locally and serve the market in a targeted geographic area. The main goal of any bar or restaurant is to become a staple in the community. To achieve this objective, the business needs to attract new customers and encourage previous customers to return. That’s where local SEO comes in.
Customer reviews play a critical role in a bar or restaurant’s local SEO. According to a recent Brightlocal survey, restaurants and cafes are among the main businesses that people read reviews for. While good local content is a significant SEO factor for other industries, reviews take center stage in the hospitality industry. They can make or break a bar or restaurant’s local search rankings.
Pet Services
Pet services are highly specialized and almost always demanded locally. Typical keywords in this area are for things like:
- Pet sitting
- Veterinarians
- Dog training
- Dog walking
- Pet supplies
- Pet grooming
The potential for high-value content is practically limitless, and reviews play a crucial factor as well. Businesses with content on trending matters and most reviews in an area tend to stand out.
Pet owners want nothing short of the best for their pets. As such, pet-related services must produce valuable blog and website content while encouraging their customers to give reviews that will boost their local search rankings.
Real Estate
Real estate and local SEO go hand in hand. However, thanks to the emergence of platforms like Trulia and Zillow, smaller real estate agents need to invest in a hyper-local strategy to boost their local search rankings. Bigger platforms have perfected broad keyword searches.
Real estate agents have to create pages targeting specific local markets. The real value lies in the content, but smaller firms benefit from breaking things down to the names of the smallest neighborhoods in the area.
For instance, realtors can go in-depth with content describing:
- Community events
- Landmarks
- History of the area
- Local school system
Another tactic is to invest in keyword research and utilize relevant keywords to help the page rank for long-tail search queries.
Conclusion
Now that you know who needs local SEO, you can implement a strategy that works for your business. Regardless of your industry, remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. It might take weeks or even months to see results.
The trick is to be proactive in your efforts by generating keyword-rich, valuable content and providing high-quality service that will result in positive reviews. That way, your business will appear on the top results pages of google searches.
Need help with your local SEO strategy? Contact the skilled team at Pure Digital Marketing today. Call today at 813-419-7873 to schedule a strategy session for Tampa, FL local SEO services.
