Let’s say you own a coffee shop but there are like 5 other coffee shops too round the corner. Now, how are you going to stand out? How will you make sure that people visit you when they are craving a hot cup of coffee? The answer to this is local seo services.

When you use local seo services, you create great chances for you to show up to people who need the services offered by you that too immediately. If done properly, local seo services can boost your popularity and make you the go-to business when someone requires what you deal in.

This is one of the reasons why it is very important to hire a professional SEO firm as they can help you reach heights that too without burning a hole in your pocket.

 

What does Local SEO include?

 

You might be thinking that we have introduced local seo services to you but what falls into the category? To break it down to you, we will be sharing the components of local seo which needs to be optimized to get you the results that you desire. They are mentioned below:

 

1. Google my business listing

 

 

Let’s assume that you are searching for a ‘bakery near me’. The first three options that show up are called ‘Google my business’ listings and they have a great deal of impact on the decision of the user. Even if we face a tad bit of inconvenience, we turn to Google and trust it with all our hearts. That is what exactly makes Google my business listing such a significant element.

If you have a small business and a tight budget then don’t commit the mistake of neglecting your Google my business listing as it can fetch you, real-time clients.

The best part is that Google my Business is a free tool and it is not even time taking. You can set it up by following some simple steps mentioned below:

• You need to set up a Google account if you don’t have it already
• Visit google.com/business and choose ‘Manage now’
• You will be asked to enter the basic details like the name of your business, the address if you have a physical presence or just click on ‘I deliver services and goods’ if you don’t and then  click on next
• In the next screen, you will be asked to add the specific areas where you provide your services post which you will be asked to choose a category of the business that you offer. Select the most relevant one because if you change it later then you will be required to verify it again
• Enter your contact details like your contact number and your website URL. If you don’t have a website, then you can select ‘Get a free website based on your info’ and you will have it that too without getting into the technicalities of web development. It also works pretty well when it comes to search engine optimization as Google does give preference to its own website
• Once you are done, you will be asked to verify your business in one of the three ways:

 

Post card– This is the most common type of process which is widely available. If you choose this, an authentication postcard will be sent to your address within a span of a week. You can enter the code in your listing once you receive it to verify. If it gets lost in the mail or due to some reasons you don’t receive it you can request another one as well.

Verification by phone– If you will be eligible for this then you can easily verify your listing over the phone. You will receive a code instantly which you can enter and it is done!

Email verification– Not every business has the advantage of getting verified via email but if you will be appropriate then you will get to know about it. You will receive a code in your mail box that is linked to the GMB listing and enter it to get verified.

Once you are done with the set up, you can optimize it in the following ways:

• Add a catchy description, photos and videos
• Go through the questions to understand your prospects in a better way
• Create posts to put the offers and promotions out there
• Ask your clients to follow you on Google maps and ask them for a review as well
• You can use the app to update your location, contact info, opening hours and description. You can also post pictures and see how many people searched for you.

Google says, ‘Businesses that add photos to their Business Profiles receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t.’

 

2. Local search

 

 

When you need a specific service and you are new to the place or in a mood to try out something else apart from your service provider, you will search for it using some specific keywords like ‘salon near me’.

This is what a local search is and everyone does it sometime or the other to find something. Their main objective is to find something within a particular location that too at the time when the service is needed on an urgent basis.

The main goal of the search engine is to show the result which fits best with the query. Google constantly tries it best to understand the local intent and show the best result based on various factors, location proximity being one of them.

 

3. Citations

 

 

When we were not blessed with the internet, people usually used to have thick diaries with the contact information of almost everyone they knew or needed. To put in simple SEO Services term, citations are the online version of it. They consist of the NAP of the business, i.e. – name, address and phone number.

They play a major role when it comes to seo services as the search engine decides where to rank you on the basis of the citations.

Let’s assume that you own ‘Little pizza place’ and the number of citations that you have are more than ‘Fat kid pizza’ then you are surely going to have a better rank than them.

The citations verify the precision of the contact details in the local listing too. If you have the same details on various platforms then you will surely come across as a genuine profile.

 

4. Local SERP

 

 

If you have moved to a new place and you want to go for a cup of coffee and you are unable to find a Starbucks near you then you will definitely try a new café. The question is which café to explore?

Your reflex will be to search for a coffee shop near you and with some confidence I can say, your decision will be influenced by the top 3 results that you see. This is the strength of local SERP as it holds an impact on the user’s decision.

 

If you work on the above-mentioned components of SEO services in Alabama, you are surely going to have an edge over your competitors and see an increase in your number of clients. You can get in touch with us to know more.