What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is much similar your ordinary kind of SEO. It’s only called Local because the searchers you’re targeting are local to your business and they’ll search with a location added to their main keyword. Such as:

• Car Workshop Kuala Lumpur
• Repair iPhone Bukit Bintang
• Cake shop Petaling Jaya
• Or even… SEO Selangor

The tactics you’ll use are slightly different to national or international SEO. But the general principles are the same.

• Create a great website
• Write great content
• Build links from local websites

There’s clearly more to it than that, which we’ll get to later in this guide. But for now, just keep in mind that what Google wants to show people who use its search engine are the best possible results for their search query.

Here are some interesting statistics from Google regarding local search, taken from their research conducted in 2014. You can read their full report here, or read the executive summary which I’ve copied below.

Consumers search with their location and proximity in mind

• 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local information.
• They search on smartphone and computer/tablet for store address, business hours, product availability and directions.

Local searchers take action

• 50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day, and 34% who searched on computer/tablet did the same.
• Local searches lead to more purchases than non-local searches. 18% of local searches on smartphone lead to a purchase within a day vs. 7% of non-local searches.

Consumers prefer and act on location-based ads

• 4 in 5 consumers want ads customized to their city, zip code or immediate surroundings.
• More than 60% of consumers have used location information in ads.
• They say it’s important to have store address and phone number in ads on computer/tablet, and directions and the call button in ads on a smartphone.

It makes sense. We’ve always known that people gravitate toward local suppliers, even in this age of The Internet and Globalisation, people often would much rather use a business “down-the-road” than one in another city or country.

If you’re not listed on the first 20 results of Google Maps, you will have to implement a solid SEO strategyclimb the ranks and be successful. However, if you’re already on the list, here’s what you need to do:

• Write a Good Snippet – If you want to stand apart from the 20 other competitors, ensure your My Business page is detailed and you have a compelling snippet with all the information your client needs to know.

• Google Reviews – Google+ reviews will boost your rankings and ensure you have better reputation in comparison to your competitors. The star rating would attract your prospective customer’s attention.

These are just some of the many steps you can take to improve your rankings and be more visible on local 3-pack.