It’s now a fact beyond debate: the vast majority of people use Google to find what they need when it comes to products and services in their area. With the rise of smartphones and geo-location technology, searching for a business in your area to answer your needs has never been easier and more widespread.

Studies have also shown that over 80% of all website traffic originates from search engines and the overwhelming majority of consumers will only pay attention to the first page of results on a search engine, and of those, over 60% will only click on the top 2 results.

In other words, if your business is not optimized for local search and ranking on the first page, you are missing out on a huge piece of the pie and your business is practically invisible to any potential leads or business prospects -that’s where local search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a specialized type of website optimization that improves your website’s ranking for local search terms (such as “SEO Company Montreal”), effectively and affordably placing you ahead of the competition. Local SEO is a highly targeted approach which will place your business in front of high value viewers: the people most likely to use your services in your area, and those who live and work near your business.

In addition to that, local results on Google appear in a special area of the page where they are displayed in addition to the regular organic (unpaid) search results. Appearing in the local search results for keywords related to your business gives you even more visibility than simple organic results alone.

Achieving High Local SEO Ranking Involves:

  • • Developing engaging, valuable content to become a local authority.
  • • Building a community around your brand.
  • • Quality versus quantity of links to your website.
  • • Integration of your site with Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
  • • Localization of your business through Google maps functionality.
  • • Paying attention to specific search keywords and user behavior.
  • • Understanding how customers use mobile devices to search.
  • • Using more informative media types, such as video and infographics.
  • • Creating listings on Google+ Pages.
  • • Adding your business to Google local business listings.
  • • Using Google local AdWords for relevant keyword phrases

And so much more!

The internet is not just a playground for faceless multinational companies; it is increasingly becoming a powerful tool for smaller, locally run businesses as well. Don’t allow yourself to remain in the technological Dark Ages when there are so many ways to optimise your business online! With the right partner in local search engine optimization, your small or medium business will prosper with a solid foundation for years to come.