3 Rewards of Building Website Traffic With Local Organic SEO
First published July 1, 2023. Revised Nov. 6, 2023.
Despite recent events which shall remain nameless from the year 2020, a surprising number of businesses and nonprofits do not consider local organic SEO a priority for advertising and operations.
I’ve spoken to multimillionaire business owners who have said their business website is simply a business card that they have to have for legitimacy.
A blog post isn't part of an SEO strategy, just something to fill up space on the webpage.
Keyword research is just throwing together words and hoping that it shows up in the search engine results page (SERPs).
And then there’s the small business owners who use only a landing page or Facebook in lieu of a webpage, and good luck to them if Facebook (or should we say, Meta) crashes or bans their account. (Your industry news will tell you how often that can happen.)
If you agree with the above business decisions, I can’t blame you.
It can be unclear how to digitize your business. You don’t want to waste time and money on a marketing plan (or SEO marketers) that won’t give you results. And SEO services can range from pennies to thousands -- what's a good company?
And why are all the pieces of SEO important -- backlinks, link building, blog content, user experience, title tag? It isn't clear where to start an SEO campaign.
There are enough fires to put out already. Don’t rock the boat.
But businesses can do more – and in a cost effective way.
If you think anyone in the world might look for you on Google maps, make it easy for them to find you.
Two pages in particular can boost attention from your local audience.
To introduce them briefly, the home page is the main hub of a website. It’s the most visited, most vital page. Getting it right is the start of everything else, especially for local search results (a subsection of search engine optimization dealing especially with real, physical, local businesses).
A geo page combines the mapping of “How To Find Us” on a location page with the charm of a local tour guide.
Together, an optimized homepage and geo page provide rich rewards for business owners ready to take the leap to a better website and better search results.
I’ve spoken to multimillionaire business owners who have said their business website is simply a business card that they have to have for legitimacy.
A blog post isn't part of an SEO strategy, just something to fill up space on the webpage.
Keyword research is just throwing together words and hoping that it shows up in the search engine results page (SERPs).
And then there’s the small business owners who use only a landing page or Facebook in lieu of a webpage, and good luck to them if Facebook (or should we say, Meta) crashes or bans their account. (Your industry news will tell you how often that can happen.)
If you agree with the above business decisions, I can’t blame you.
It can be unclear how to digitize your business. You don’t want to waste time and money on a marketing plan (or SEO marketers) that won’t give you results. And SEO services can range from pennies to thousands -- what's a good company?
And why are all the pieces of SEO important -- backlinks, link building, blog content, user experience, title tag? It isn't clear where to start an SEO campaign.
There are enough fires to put out already. Don’t rock the boat.
But businesses can do more – and in a cost effective way.
If you think anyone in the world might look for you on Google maps, make it easy for them to find you.
Two pages in particular can boost attention from your local audience.
To introduce them briefly, the home page is the main hub of a website. It’s the most visited, most vital page. Getting it right is the start of everything else, especially for local search results (a subsection of search engine optimization dealing especially with real, physical, local businesses).
A geo page combines the mapping of “How To Find Us” on a location page with the charm of a local tour guide.
Together, an optimized homepage and geo page provide rich rewards for business owners ready to take the leap to a better website and better search results.
Local Organic SEO Reward #1: The Quick Wins of First Impressions
Any website in any industry needs the top of a page to be useful.
Sadly, many aren’t.
Web developers and web design are prioritized over the searcher, and user experience (UX) suffers in the name of prettiness.
The first area to appear on screen, or “above the fold,” needs to capture immediate attention. From there, the user is drawn in to read more. Webpage building at its best is there to make a great first impression, fast, so your visitors keep clicking through.
But so many websites have unrelated images, vague headings, and irrelevant information. It can tank conversion rate.
Although all pages need to be aware of first impressions, the homepage and the geo page have special roles.
The homepage is the most visited page and has to do the heavy lifting to generate search traffic. Getting everything right here will provide a huge boost to overall ranking success (and is a great place to showcase customer reviews).
And for local businesses, a geo page also can provide quick wins in local search results. Someone may be aware of your business and is looking for your address and whether they should try your service. If you don't show up in the map pack at the time (although you should), a well done geo page can act like a business listing and help bring in customers just by confirming you’re open.
Sadly, many aren’t.
Web developers and web design are prioritized over the searcher, and user experience (UX) suffers in the name of prettiness.
The first area to appear on screen, or “above the fold,” needs to capture immediate attention. From there, the user is drawn in to read more. Webpage building at its best is there to make a great first impression, fast, so your visitors keep clicking through.
But so many websites have unrelated images, vague headings, and irrelevant information. It can tank conversion rate.
Although all pages need to be aware of first impressions, the homepage and the geo page have special roles.
The homepage is the most visited page and has to do the heavy lifting to generate search traffic. Getting everything right here will provide a huge boost to overall ranking success (and is a great place to showcase customer reviews).
And for local businesses, a geo page also can provide quick wins in local search results. Someone may be aware of your business and is looking for your address and whether they should try your service. If you don't show up in the map pack at the time (although you should), a well done geo page can act like a business listing and help bring in customers just by confirming you’re open.
Local Organic SEO Reward #2: Capitalize on Local Pride
As a content marketer nestled among the rolling farmlands of Minnesota, I’m conveniently located by many small towns.
And these small towns are full of local small businesses.
Local small businesses will win with local SEO on their homepages and geo pages. My search queries pull businesses from many different towns -- which one should I go to?
Whether you’re the old, cornerstone establishment of the town or a new, up and coming shop, if your webpage lacks an SEO strategy, you’ll be relying on word of mouth.
I won’t discredit word of mouth. Referrals are the best customers, and the old guard in small towns talk about who’s who.
But believe it or not, new people move into the town. New families have children, and a school has to be chosen. Will they know there’s a nice new charter school down the road if it doesn’t show up in a keyword phrase such as “Best schools in my area”?
You are -- or should be -- the subject matter expert in your field in your locale. Own it.
Word of mouth is amazing. But local search is available 24/7.
And these small towns are full of local small businesses.
Local small businesses will win with local SEO on their homepages and geo pages. My search queries pull businesses from many different towns -- which one should I go to?
Whether you’re the old, cornerstone establishment of the town or a new, up and coming shop, if your webpage lacks an SEO strategy, you’ll be relying on word of mouth.
I won’t discredit word of mouth. Referrals are the best customers, and the old guard in small towns talk about who’s who.
But believe it or not, new people move into the town. New families have children, and a school has to be chosen. Will they know there’s a nice new charter school down the road if it doesn’t show up in a keyword phrase such as “Best schools in my area”?
You are -- or should be -- the subject matter expert in your field in your locale. Own it.
Word of mouth is amazing. But local search is available 24/7.
Local Organic SEO Reward #3: Become a Destination Spot
Let’s assume for a moment that all the locals already know about your business. You have your regular customers. Your nonprofit serves your community. Your church is active.
But what about the young couple from the cities taking a day trip in the fall out to the country, looking up things on their mobile device?
How are they going to know what your hours are, what your service is, or where you're located?
If you're not in the search results, you don't exist. Wow them with a case study of what their perfect day could be like.
And where's it on the web page?
Homepage. Geo page.
These two pages can set the stage and draw the attention of people looking for something in the area to do. They make the prospect sit up and say, “Well, let’s try that.” And they’ll build their trip around your business because you took the time to help them envision what they can do there.
But what about the young couple from the cities taking a day trip in the fall out to the country, looking up things on their mobile device?
How are they going to know what your hours are, what your service is, or where you're located?
If you're not in the search results, you don't exist. Wow them with a case study of what their perfect day could be like.
And where's it on the web page?
Homepage. Geo page.
These two pages can set the stage and draw the attention of people looking for something in the area to do. They make the prospect sit up and say, “Well, let’s try that.” And they’ll build their trip around your business because you took the time to help them envision what they can do there.
Build Out Your Local Organic SEO Today
If you run a nonprofit, you’re serving your community.
If you run a school, you need to make a connection with local families.
And if you’re a local business, welcome new members of the area into your establishment.
Make yourself easy to find by using local SEO strategies, especially by capitalizing on your homepage and geo page.
List your business info: address, your phone number, your hours, and what sort of experience people will have with you.
Keep your Google Business Profile and other directory listings up to date, too.
Tell your story, and why it matters to your customers. Remember their user intent when they're looking for you.
Even a quick SEO audit of ways to boost search rankings will give you an amazing starting place to get through webpage building and maximize your rewards.
The internet isn’t passive–it’s active. SEO changes. Search visibility will be working for or against you. Best practices for content optimization are always changing.
Let go of your personal feelings about your business website and let it work for you. It's about your business and your target audience, not you. SEO matters.
If you need to talk about improving your SEO rankings, let's have a conversation about your rank factors and a content update. Every business' content strategy is different, but the right SEO effort will pay off.
If you run a school, you need to make a connection with local families.
And if you’re a local business, welcome new members of the area into your establishment.
Make yourself easy to find by using local SEO strategies, especially by capitalizing on your homepage and geo page.
List your business info: address, your phone number, your hours, and what sort of experience people will have with you.
Keep your Google Business Profile and other directory listings up to date, too.
Tell your story, and why it matters to your customers. Remember their user intent when they're looking for you.
Even a quick SEO audit of ways to boost search rankings will give you an amazing starting place to get through webpage building and maximize your rewards.
The internet isn’t passive–it’s active. SEO changes. Search visibility will be working for or against you. Best practices for content optimization are always changing.
Let go of your personal feelings about your business website and let it work for you. It's about your business and your target audience, not you. SEO matters.
If you need to talk about improving your SEO rankings, let's have a conversation about your rank factors and a content update. Every business' content strategy is different, but the right SEO effort will pay off.
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