A lot of businesses, especially smaller-scale companies, focus most of their advertising on local SEO-trying to target people in their area and appealing to those looking for specific, nearby results. In general, you want your business to be the first come up when local customers go online. But according to Google’s list of factors that affect local rankings, focusing all of your energy on local SEO may not be the best strategy. New information reveals that the key to local success is actually found in traditional SEO methods.
Found in the “prominence” section of this document published by Google, it’s made clear that your business’ local search ranking is affected by your website’s presence across the web. Traditional SEO practices, having links and articles across the internet that directs users to your company, actually has more of an impact than local SEO. In addition to that, your overall position in search results will have a direct impact on your local ranking. So, if you have been mostly focused on local SEO, it may be time to switch to traditional- your local success will be better in the long run. And if you’ve already been putting most of your efforts into traditional SEO, then your local rankings could go up significantly.
Of course, this is not the only factor in determining local search results- your proximity to those looking for you, as well as your relevance, will still be very important. Get your name out there and across the web through links, ads, and articles, and once you’ve improved your overall rankings, those near you could find you almost immediately when they’re looking for your services. In the end, a combination of proximity, relevance, and prominence throughout the web can lead to your local success. It will all depend on your traditional SEO methods, as well as your appeal to those around you.