SEP Local SEO, to attract and convert prospects at a lower cost

SEO is essential to be visible to users and convert qualified leads.

For certain activities, which target customers located in a specific geographic area, local SEO actions must also be part of the company's digital strategy.

Local SEO, a strategy with multiple advantages

When a consumer searches for a service or product near where they are, they specify the name of the city in their query so that Google only shows the results in the desired industry. For example, for an immediate need for a restaurant, a florist, a general practitioner, etc., the Internet surfer certainly does not want to travel for miles.

The robots will therefore geolocate it and display only the places closest to it. When we know that 85% of people have already gone through the internet to find a local business instead of leafing through directories (if they still exist…), local referencing takes on all its importance. And this, especially with the rise of the smartphone, which people can take everywhere, the search for information is done as soon as the need or desire arises, and the response must be relevant and instantaneous.

In addition to optimizing the visibility of the company with its target audience, local SEO accelerates the action of prospects who are ready to buy immediately. Companies that do not appear on Google's list, therefore, have no chance of being visited by the potential customer, even if they are marketing better or cheaper products or services.

Finally, the comments that users leave on Google My Business bolster the company's credibility. In a 2019 survey, Bright Local found that a positive online review makes 91% of future buyers trust, while a bad rating or negative review would put 82% down. These opinions, therefore, influence the ranking in the search results.

A simple, profitable, and very efficient process

In order for Google to find a business when a local query is entered, it must have a page on Google My Business with its exact contact details and a “pin” on the Google Map. To maximize its visibility, in addition to the geographical criterion, a few elements are essential to propel the page to the top of the SERPs. The company must therefore:

associate it with categories corresponding to its activity and/or its products and services,and add a description containing the strategic keywords.

This process is completely free, as are the local online directories (Yelp, Trip Advisor, Yellow Pages, etc.) listed by Google. For a low start-up cost, local SEO delivers convincing results. Indeed, according to the Search Engine Land portal, in 50% of cases, mobile users who have launched a local search go to the store within 24 hours. With such a conversion rate, the return on investment is therefore particularly high. Added to this is the gain in confidence obtained thanks to the opinions of online customers, which represent an excellent lever for conquest, conversion, and loyalty.

In addition to being inexpensive to start up and efficient, this method of promoting your local business has the advantage of being easy to implement. Not only is it easy to create the Google my Business page, but there is also a plethora of content on the web providing advice on how to optimize it.