Choosing an effective SEO strategy depends on your goals. When evaluating whether to use local SEO vs. global SEO: Choosing the right strategy requires you to carefully consider your business structure, your customer base, and your business practices.
Businesses that aim to attract potential customers from a specific geographic area benefit the most from local SEO.
In contrast, companies that benefit from selling their products to customers around the world find global SEO beneficial.
If you’re still unsure which SEO strategy is best for your business, read on for a guide that explains the differences between the two strategies and when you should use each.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO optimizes your business’s online presence for a specific geographic area to bring them to a physical location. While a customer searches online for information about businesses near them, they are looking for ways to make an in-store purchase to meet their needs.
As the name suggests, local SEO is all about putting your business phone number list on the map so that customers near you can find your physical location.
The Importance of Local SEO
Businesses with brick and mortar stores still need a strong online presence. Local SEO helps them reach customers who are looking for information about a business near them. Even home-based businesses can benefit from local SEO.
Other examples of businesses that find local SEO useful include the following.
- Doctor’s offices
- Restaurants
- Cafe
- Salons
- Shops
- Law Firms
- Marketing agencies
- Contractors
While you can post ads online to connect with customers, local SEO will benefit you more in the long run. Here are the most compelling reasons to consider local SEO if you have a business with a physical location.
- Visibility: Google claims that 46% of all searches are for local services and places. If you’ve done your part to build online visibility in your area, you’ll have a chance to attract this audience.
- Targeting the community: You can pinpoint who your audience is if you tailor your online presence to your community. This can increase conversion rates because it becomes clear where and how you do business.
- Competitive Advantage: Not many companies china business directory focus on local SEO, meaning you will have a competitive advantage over others in your industry if you make it a priority in your marketing.
- Long-tail results: You will have to prepare your online presence for local search engines in advance. But once this work is done, you will see results for months and years. This provides long-term results that you can count on.
Elements of Local SEO
Now you know why you need local SEO. Learn the “how” to start seeing results from your efforts.
1. Optimize your Google My Business profile
Go to your Google My Business profile and review the information. Make sure it is complete and accurate. Try to include as much information as possible in your profile to get the best results. Update your information regularly. Try to add sales and updates to your profile when necessary to keep it fresh.
2. Local Keyword Optimization
Learn about the keywords that are most commonly searched for in your area to find products and services related to your business. Take the time to understand search intent to ensure that your site can address these queries for customers. Incorporate these terms into your site to give search engines more information about your location.
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3. List your business in online directories
Find the most popular directories in your area. Then list your business in these directories. Be very careful to use the same name, phone number, and address in all your listings. This will make it easy for search engines to match you with them.
4. Encourage online reviews
Businesses with more reviews tend to rank higher. Not only that, but once you show up in search results, customers will be more likely to visit your what to do if you fall victim to a phishing scam? business because they know you are meeting their needs because you have met the needs of other customers.
5. Write local content
You know your neighborhood and local area like no one else. Showcase that expertise with local content that resonates with your audience. Consider different types of content, including blogs, social media, videos, and podcasts.
6. Develop location pages
If you have multiple locations, you may find that having location pages helps you get better results for your business because it will make it easier for search engines to understand why they are seeing multiple locations for your business. This will help bring those locations to the forefront of your SEO strategy.
What is Global SEO?
While local SEO is important, it is not suitable for every business. Global SEO, also known as international SEO, helps optimize your website to accommodate visitors from all over the world. You can offer your website in multiple languages to people of different nationalities.
Global SEO is ideal for companies that offer national or international trade. If your products or the content on your site attracts people from all over the world, you can focus your efforts on global SEO.
The Importance of Global SEO
Companies with a customer base that extends far beyond their brick and mortar location or physical address find that global SEO benefits their business.
Some reasons to consider global SEO include the following.
- Wider Reach: When you want to go beyond your business’s physical location to reach a larger audience, you’ll find results with global SEO.
- Expansion: Grow your business with a wider customer base. You can gain greater visibility for your products and services if you expand your reach to other geographic areas.
- Diversification: Whether or not you have a physical location where you receive customers, gaining a large online audience for your products will help you diversify your business into new audience segments.
Elements of Global SEO
Now you’re ready to reach a wider global audience, here’s what you can do to improve your global SEO.
1. Create your website on country-specific domains
Using country-specific domains will help you promote your business in those countries. You can tailor your content to the specific audience of that country so that it resonates with your customers.
2. Use Hreflang tags
They tell Google what language the content on each page of your site will be presented in. This way, you can present content to different audiences in their native language.
3. Conduct international keyword research
Conduct keyword research in different languages to target the countries you do business in. This way, you will ensure that your site is relevant in the various locations where you want to serve your customers.
4. Develop local content
Incorporate local content into your marketing plans. This way, you can include cultural elements and information for the different audiences you serve.
Find Local and Global SEO Experts
SEO is a complex process that requires constant work to achieve the desired results. And if you stop working on SEO, the results may diminish over time.
New Light Digital offers a team of experts in everything from SEO to content to help your content resonate with your audience and achieve your goals. Schedule a free consultation to learn about our local and global SEO services.