Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a literally transformative marketing channel for small businesses. And yet, we regularly talk with owners, managers, and executives who haven’t yet tried to optimize their websites to attract customers in their own neighborhoods.

If you haven’t gotten started with local SEO yet, it’s probably for one of two reasons. The first might be that your web design and online marketing vendor hasn’t given you the right advice. If that’s the case, then you should start looking for a new creative team to work with today.

The second reason business owners have ignored local SEO is because they don’t really understand how easy it is to get started and what it can do for them. To help clear up these kinds of issues, let’s look at three reasons every small business needs to try local search engine optimization…

#1 Local SEO is Easy to Implement

You might not know this, but Google gives small businesses a big boost when it comes to search visibility. Because it knows searchers often want to find companies located near their homes and offices (especially when looking for restaurants, dry cleaners, etc.) it will try to make geographic matches.

The upshot from this is that optimizing your website for geographical search terms doesn’t have to require a huge effort. By incorporating things like your city, street names, and ZIP Code or neighborhood into your normal search visibility strategy, you can do more than enough to tell search spiders where your business is located.

#2 It Won’t Cost Much to Optimize Your Website for Local Search

Given that the amount of keyword research and geographic optimization required to rank highly on local searches is minimal, it only follows that you can get your campaigns moving without spending much money. In fact, a good web design team can help you establish your local search efforts for a small fraction of your marketing budget.

Even better, there aren’t a lot of ongoing expenses associated with local search engine optimization. That’s because your address and service area probably won’t change all that frequently. Likewise, Google gets much of its supporting information from social accounts and other channels that are free for business owners to use.

#3 Local Search Campaigns Pay Off Quickly

Now that we’ve taken away your excuses for getting started, let’s get to the best part: optimizing your site for local search could pay dividends within weeks.

You probably don’t have that many direct competitors in your local geographic area. So, once Google can place you in the real world it can match you up with the right kinds of buyers very quickly and efficiently. Those buyers also tend to be the ones who are going to do business with you frequently and at a larger volume because they trust you more. It’s only natural; you are right down the street where they can see you and meet you for themselves.

Ready to Try Something New and Get Bigger Results?

If you’re ready to begin thinking bigger with your web design and online marketing strategy, and want to pursue some ideas that payoff with real-world results, then our team is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can help your small business grow!