There are probably many people who would like to know more about “Local SEO”.
You want to create an article that will appear at the top of search results using
SEO
, but it can be mentally painful if it doesn’t appear at the top of the search results.
Also, there are many people who want to use SEO measures to increase traffic, but want to quickly get their website to the top of search results without putting in that much effort.
This article explains local SEO, which is the key to easily displaying articles at the top of search results, including the benefits and specific measures.
Please refer to it if you want to get your articles displayed at the top of search results with little effort.
What is local SEO?
We will explain local SEO, which is one of the measures to display at the top of search results.
Local SEO overview
Local SEO is SEO that specializes in locality, optimizing your site so that it appears high in search engine results and map searches when searching for a specific location.
Specifically, it refers to a program that is optimized so that related areas and stores are displayed at the top when searching for a combination such as “area name + keyword”.
In general, businesses that operate stores and facilities such as restaurants, beauty salons, and libraries in the area should definitely understand this. Therefore, local SEO is also highly related to Google Maps and Google My Business.
Difference with SEO
SEO, which we often see, is a measure aimed at displaying at the top of search results, regardless of the keyword.
On the other hand, local SEO is a measure to obtain high rankings based on limited keywords such as “region”, so the scale is different. Local SEO is also a measure to display your website better than your competitors on Google Maps.
Difference with MEO
MEO stands for “Map Engine Optimization” and refers to a search optimization program for maps.
Therefore, the content is the same as local SEO, which is a measure to rank high in map searches, but the name is different.
It is only in Japan that it is called MEO, and in other countries it is standardized as local SEO.
Types of local SEO
There are four types of local SEO. Each has different strengths and characteristics, so use them depending on the purpose you want to be ranked highly.
local pack
The Local Pack displays information such as business name, business hours, reviews, address, phone number, etc., along with a map, at the top of the search results when you enter a region name and keyword. In fact, most of the displays when you enter a region name and keyword are local packs, so I’m sure you’ve seen them before.
Also, because the top three stores are displayed, it is called the Local 3 Pack.
This local pack is displayed higher than general SEO articles, and also includes location information and store information, dramatically increasing visibility and recognition.
Therefore, appearing in local packs can be very cost-effective advertising.
local ABC pack
Local ABC pack is one of the display types of local packs, and it appears in searches that are less influenced by ratings.
For example, this applies to multi-store chain stores such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, parking lots, convenience stores, pharmacies, and mobile shops such as Softbank and au. When searching for these stores, the searcher may want to know how close they are, whether they are open today, and how far they are from their current location.
Therefore, it does not focus on the atmosphere of the store, which can be seen in general local SEO, and does not display the number of reviews, star ratings, photos, etc. In this way, the local ABC pack becomes effective when the store is recognized by many people.
local snack pack
Local snack packs are also a type of local pack display, and are displayed along with photos when you search by category or industry. This local SEO is specialized for restaurants, and it is easy to rank high when searching for “restaurant”, “hotel”, “Italian”, etc. along with the area name.
People searching for Local Snack Pack are trying to find the store they want to visit and make a decision, so in addition to basic information, photos, number of reviews, star ratings, etc. are displayed.
knowledge panel
A knowledge panel is something that displays basic information such as a photo, phone number, and address on the right side of the screen when you search for a company or store name.
There are additional display items, such as map information, websites, route searches, store history (if Wikipedia exists), and crowd status.
4 benefits of local SEO
We will explain not only the characteristics of local SEO but also the specific benefits. There are four main advantages, and each one is a strength compared to other advertisements, so be sure to understand them thoroughly.
You can attract customers targeting the area.
The great appeal of local SEO is that it allows you to attract customers in a specific area.
Local SEO differs from general SEO in that it is region-specific, making it easier to present valuable search results to people who
want
to search for a specific region.
By using region as a search condition, the overall number of search users will decrease, but it will be easier to attract users who are likely to live in nearby regions.
Aim to acquire new customers
You can also aim to acquire new customers.
By doing local SEO, you will greatly increase the probability that people will look at your store’s information in detail.
It is generally said that acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing customer, so local SEO is a very strong advantage because it makes it easier for new customers to become interested.
cost effective
Local SEO’s high cost-effectiveness is its biggest appeal.
This is because Google Business Profile can be operated for free and there is little competition. In particular, the lack of competitors through local search makes it easy to maintain a high competitive advantage, making it easier to consistently generate results.
Furthermore, local SEO evaluates “relevance”, “distance”, and “visibility” to the region and displays it at the top of the search results. Since the distance to the searched location is highly evaluated, there are cases where it is easier to rank higher than major chain stores.
Therefore, because there is little competition, it can continue to be effective, and it can continue to operate for free, making it highly cost-effective.
High potential for search users
One of the benefits of local SEO is that the quality of searcher prospects is high.
This is because searches are performed using “specific areas” and “services” such as restaurants, gyms, libraries, etc., so the obvious needs are extremely high.
The premise is that general search users often have undecided search needs, so it is necessary to naturally increase the interest of search users with a variety of articles.
However, users who search for local SEO already have high needs and interests, making it easier to attract customers.
Key points for local SEO
We will explain specifically how to take local SEO measures.
business profile
Enhancing your business profile is important for local SEO.
A business profile can be created for free using an app called Google My Business, and the more clearly you describe it, the easier it will be to appear at the top of local SEO searches.
relevance
Another very important factor is how relevant your search keywords are to your business profile. In particular, relevance to the search category is very important, so it’s a good idea to clearly set your industry and also set related topics that capture the search needs of people searching in your business profile.
The more you understand search needs, the more people will see your content, so be sure to make it relevant.
review
Reviews are a very important element in local SEO.
Reviews are becoming more and more influential year by year, and in particular, word-of-mouth from users is deeply involved in “visibility” and “relevance”, which are highly valued in local SEO.
Therefore, create a system for your store that will encourage customers to write reviews.
Home page
Your homepage is also essential for local SEO.
Having a website gives you a lot more credibility by providing a source of information that further supports the information you provide in your business profile.
Therefore, it affects relevance and visibility, which in turn has a big impact on local SEO.
Unification of NAP notation
It is also important to unify NAP notation.
NAP refers to Name, Address, and Phone, and all of these information must be the same. Very often, even if the address and phone number listed on each site are the same, the notation is slightly different depending on whether there is a hyphen (-) or not, so the address and phone number are not found in searches.
Please be aware that it may cause confusion for users if the information is not presented in a consistent manner.
summary
Local SEO is an SEO method that specializes in searching for region names and keywords, and is relatively easier to perform than achieving a high ranking in search results with general SEO.
In addition, since local SEO evaluates points such as “relevance” and “visibility,” it is easy to maintain a high competitive advantage and is a very cost-effective
marketing
method.
If you are running a business in a store, we recommend that you take advantage of it.