What is the local SEO and How Much Does Local SEO cost?

Posted by Naqs Tech on May 24th, 2021

Local SEO is all about targeting customers from a specific geographical region. All to drive more traffic from that region.

The latest statistics show that more than 98.24% of Pakistani people use Google. This puts an increased burden on businesses to categorize their customers online.

Getting your website optimized globally is a good thing. But if you are a local business you need customers from a local area as well. This is where local SEO becomes relevant.

 

WHAT IS LOCAL SEO?

It is simple. Google wants the most relevant results for its users. Local SEO helps Google achieve that.

Regional companies need to market their products to local target customers. Local SEO helps customers in finding relevant products/services faster. These relevant search results are generated through on-page and off-page SEO.

Let’s suppose that you are a customer in Lahore. You want to find top bakeshops in your region. You are not going to waste time looking at bakeshops in London. This is where Google will use local SEO to help you find the best bake shops in Lahore.

 

WHY DOES LOCAL SEO MATTER?

It is not that Google wants you to find local solutions but that consumers ‘demand’ them. According to research, more than 46% of Google searches are local. What does it mean? It means that people make local searches because they want local solutions. Nobody wants to go to another city to purchase stationery or office supplies.

People want solutions near them. This is why local SEO matters. Recent statistics from 2020 show that these are not just local searches. Rather, 28% of the total local searches result in a purchase. This explains why companies want their websites optimized according to local SEO.

 

HOW DOES LOCAL SEO WORK?

On the surface level, local SEO is like an ordinary Google search. But Google uses different metrics to check local SEO.

The metrics that Google uses to rank local searches include:

 

The location of the user

Google My Business profile of the company

Number of shares on social media platforms

Number of check-ins for the business

Overall business reviews

The keywords in the Google My Business description

Total star rating for the business

By using these metrics, Google ranks your business according to local SEO. If your business ticks all the metrics, it will be optimized by Google. However, these metrics have to be met well. For example, the star rating has to be good. Your company needs to have a Google My Business profile. And the profile should be approved. There must be positive reviews from visitors.

Google will check these aspects and then rank your website in local searches.

Note: Do you want your website optimized according to the local SEO metrics? Hire the best SEO agency in Pakistan for it.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOCAL SEO AND SEO

SEO and local SEO share the same objective. They want more traffic. However, local SEO enables more relevant traffic for your business.

The difference between local SEO and SEO is that the latter globally optimizes your website. But, local SEO brings local references for your business. Google keeps the local intent, search location, and the ‘Map Package’ in view.

What is a Map Package?

The map package has three elements: organic search results, Google Maps, and NAT elements. Google uses it to display optimized search results for its users.

NAT Elements refer to the name, address, and telephone number of the business.

Also, we know that research shows that local SEO has a better conversion rate than SEO. This is why businesses focus on local SEO as much as global SEO.

 

WHO NEEDS LOCAL SEO?

If your business has a physical presence as well as online, you need local SEO. For example, you own a clothing brand. You have three branches in three different cities of Pakistan. These cities are Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. The local audience that your business targets are Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. Thus, your local SEO will track the audience from these three cities.

Local customers are often found using the following formula for their searches:

[Keyword][City][Country]

After the user makes a search, there are chances that your local business does not show up on the first page. It will show that your business is not optimized according to local SEO. In this case, your customers will choose your competitors over you. Why? Because their businesses had local references.

 

HOW TO IMPROVE LOCAL SEO?

Does your business have a physical presence? Then, make it clear to your potential customers. One of the key ways to improve your local SEO is by creating a Google My Business profile. Google is the top search engine that millions of Pakistanis use. So you need to show your presence to it.

Creating a Google My Business profile can help you improve your local SEO. After that, reviews about your business can be another important metric. If your business has good online reviews, it can positively affect your local SEO.

You need to have your NAP elements displayed on your Google My Business profile. This will help your customers find, contact, and buy from you. Remember that Google wants to make it easier for its users. So, should you!

 

HOW MUCH DOES LOCAL SEO COST?

Local SEO can cost you a lot if you are not smart about it. Hiring a trustworthy SEO agency can cost you less.

If you hire an SEO expert on a freelance basis in Pakistan, it might cost you in lacs on a monthly basis. Thus, you should hire a professional SEO agency in your city. SEO agencies like Naqs Tech can provide you top-notch local SEO. So, you should hire Naqs Tech to avail affordable local SEO packages.

 
 
 

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Naqs Tech
Joined: April 14th, 2021
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