Local SEO Is More Important Than Ever

Google’s launch of its proximity-based search technologies has changed the SEO game. The search engine giant can now detect a user’s location and returns local search results based on that geographic data. So, when someone in Chicago downtown searches for an ‘Mexican restaurant,’ for example, Google presents that person with a list of choices nearby. The restaurant that is best optimized for local search will appear on top of the list—and will likely get more customers than the rest.

How does your website rank locally for your niche?

Local SEO ensures that your website makes it to the top of the heap and gets maximum attention. Without it, you are essentially invisible—and your competitors are getting all the customers.

In order to understand the value of local SEO and significance of ranking high on the top result page, it is important to look the facts mentioned below:

Google reports that almost 46% of searches through its search engine have a local intent.

Words such as ‘Near Me’ are more relevant today as local searches around these two words have multiplied by almost 500% in the past few years.

SEO stats reveal that as much as 80% of local searches materialize and convert.

Almost 50% online visitors, searching online for a local business, service provider will visit a brick-and-mortar store within a day of their search; provided the business is ranked up to the fifth position.

This effectively means is that if your brand is high on a result page, there are very high chances that a customer looking for a relevant business like yours will get in touch to know more. If the local search is done using a smartphone, there are even more chances that the online user will visit your business in the next 24 hours. This is because 76% smartphone users, who look up local businesses have been found to visit the top results within a day.