Local SEO (search engine optimisation) is a form of SEO that focuses on improving a business’s visibility and rankings specifically for local searches. The goal is to help local businesses connect with customers searching for products or services in their area.
Unlike regular SEO which aims to rank your website globally, local SEO optimisation targets searches within a defined geographic radius. This could be a city, metro area, region, state or even a few miles surrounding your physical location.
For businesses that rely on local foot traffic like restaurants, retail stores, service providers etc., ranking higher in local search results can be a powerful strategy to drive visits to your brick-and-mortar location. According to a study by Search Engine Journal, 34% of all mobile searches were local in intent.
With the prominence of ‘near me’ searches on Google, optimising your online presence to show up for these high-intent queries can directly impact your in-store traffic, phone calls and overall revenue.
Some key differences between local and regular SEO:
- Local SEO focuses on ranking for geographic and intent-based keywords like “pizza place in Edinburgh” or “computer repair near me”. Regular SEO uses more broad keywords.
- Citations, reviews and local schema markup are critical for local SEO. Global SEO focuses more on backlinks and technical site optimisation.
- Google Business Profile (GBP) optimisation is key for local rankings but doesn’t impact regular SEO. Google Business Profile was previously known as Google My Business or GBP.
- Landing page optimisation for local SEO involves prominently displaying your address, phone number and other business info.
Our professional local SEO services are designed to get your business website ranking higher in local search engine results and maps. By improving your local search visibility, we can help you establish your brand, drive targeted traffic to your site, and boost lead generation and sales.
Benefits of Our Local SEO Services
Implementing an effective local SEO strategy for your business website can provide tremendous benefits compared to organic marketing alone. Here are some of the most significant advantages our professional local SEO services offer:
Increased Local Visibility and Brand Awareness
The primary goal of our local SEO services is to get your website ranking higher for relevant local searches related to your products, services and geographic area.
By optimising your on-page elements, citations, reviews, link signals and Google Business Profile listing for local SEO, we can dramatically improve your visibility in both organic search results and maps.
Claiming and verifying your business profiles on key local directories also helps establish your brand locally and build trust signals. Our local SEO strategies enhance your online presence and brand awareness within your community.
More Website Traffic from Local Searches
An effective local SEO strategy targets searches within your service area that have high local intent. This includes keywords like “car repair Edinburgh” or “plumber near me”.
By optimising your website and content to rank for these valuable geo-targeted keywords, we can drive highly relevant traffic to your site from local Google searches.
Creating optimised location and service pages that focus on your city or region also attracts visitors who are specifically searching for businesses in those areas. The result is more targeted visitors ready to use your products or services.
Higher Local Lead Generation
More website traffic is useless if it doesn’t convert into concrete business results. The true value of local SEO is the ability to generate more phone calls, contact form submissions, and other leads from local prospects.
Our local SEO services implement tracking phone calls and form fills so we can accurately measure the impact our strategies have on your lead generation KPIs.
By ranking higher locally and bringing in targeted visitors, you benefit from more local leads and sales opportunities. We’ll make sure your website converts those opportunities at the highest rate possible.
Improved Conversion Rates
Visitors who find your website through local SEO searches are much more likely to convert into leads and customers. This is because they are specifically looking for businesses in your niche and area.
Local SEO-driven visitors have high intent and are often ready to make a purchase decision. We implement advanced on-page optimisation and UX (user experience) best practices to make sure your website captures these prime leads.
Including prominent calls-to-action, trust badges and positive social proof like local reviews encourages visitors to contact your business. Our conversion rate optimisation enhances your local SEO results by maximising your ROI.
Our Local SEO Process
Our proven local search engine optimisation process is based on years of experience running successful local SEO campaigns. Here is an overview of the step-by-step approach we take:
Comprehensive Local SEO Audit
The first step is conducting an extensive local SEO audit of your current website and online presence. This involves:
- Technical site audit – We identify and fix technical SEO issues that could be holding back your rankings locally. This includes things like site speed, mobile optimisation, structured data errors etc.
- On-page optimisation – We analyse your existing on-page elements including titles, meta descriptions, content, schema markup to find local optimisation opportunities.
- Citation audit – We assess the quality and consistency of your NAP (name, address, phone) citations on key local directories to improve them.
- Review audit – Checking your existing local reviews helps us craft a review generation strategy.
- Local content audit – We evaluate your current website content and structure to identify gaps in local content.
- Link profile audit – Assessing your current link profile helps us identify local link building opportunities.
Our in-depth local SEO audit provides actionable insights into weaknesses holding you back as well as tactical opportunities for growth.
Local Keyword Research
Our team performs comprehensive keyword research to identify your most relevant local SEO targets with high search volume and intent. We use advanced tools and analysis to:
- Discover highly relevant geographic and intent-based keywords your competitors may be missing.
- Identify current keyword gaps compared to competitors that you can target.
- Organise keywords by priority to focus on ones that align with your business goals.
- Refine lists on an ongoing basis based on search volume changes and ROI.
Targeting the right local keywords is crucial for driving relevant organic traffic and penetrating your geographic markets.
On-Page Local SEO Optimisation
Optimising your on-page elements for local SEO helps search engines understand your relevance for geographic searches. Our on-page optimisation includes:
- Local title tag and meta description optimisation using target keywords.
- Adding your business name, address and phone number to relevant pages.
- Crafting website content optimised for local keywords.
- Implementing schema markup like LocalBusiness schema to enhance your presence.
- Optimising your site for mobility and speed to improve user experience.
On-page signals significantly influence your local search visibility and rankings in Google Maps.
Local Link Building
Local citations and links from relevant directories, geo-targeted sites and industry resources are powerful local SEO ranking signals. Our link building focuses on:
- Building niche-relevant local citations to improve local NAP consistency and recognition.
- Obtaining local links from geo-targeted blogs, directories, partners and more.
- Monitoring new impactful local linking opportunities.
- Following Google’s strict local link building guidelines.
Link building strengthens your overall domain authority and local relevance.
Local Content Creation
Creating and optimising website content for local SEO helps search engines understand your geographic service areas. Our local content strategies include:
- Crafting in-depth, useful content targeting your focus keywords and geo-areas.
- Developing location pages, service pages and blog posts that are optimised for conversions.
- Promoting your new content through social channels.
- Regularly creating fresh blog content to build relevance.
Insights-driven local content attracts searchers ready to use your business.
Local Review Generation
Positive online reviews build trust and social proof for your local business. Our review generation strategies include:
- Identifying review sites and approaches to get more high-quality reviews.
- Promoting and monitoring your review profiles.
- Responding professionally to any negative reviews.
More 4 and 5-star local reviews establish credibility and improve local SEO authority.
Why Choose Shake Digital As Your Local SEO Agency?
Shake Digital SEO Agency delivers proven solutions built on years of experience running successful local search campaigns. Here are a few key reasons to choose us as your local SEO provider:
Industry Experience and Expertise
Our team consists of seasoned local SEO experts who live and breathe local search engine optimisation. We stay on top of Google and Bing’s complex local ranking algorithms and updates.
Our knowledge comes from both continued education and real-world experience managing local SEO for diverse businesses. We know exactly what strategies work to drive results.
You get strategic guidance tailored to your specific industry’s unique local SEO needs. Our expertise translates into tangible success for your business.
Custom Strategies For Your Goals
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to local SEO services. Each business and situation is unique.
Our local SEO specialists take the time to understand your specific goals, target markets, budget and more. We then develop fully customised strategies to meet your needs.
You get flexible solutions focused on your particular business objectives. We adapt our recommendations over time based on your changing needs and markets.
ROI-Focused Approach
Too many agencies focus solely on driving vanity metrics like keyword rankings or traffic. For us, real business growth is the priority.
Our local SEO strategies are designed first and foremost to generate revenue for your company in the form of phone calls, form submissions, in-store visits and sales.
We implement advanced call, form and visit tracking to showcase exactly how our campaigns are impacting your bottom line. Our priority is ROI.
Superior Reporting and Transparency
We provide our clients with detailed reports covering all key local SEO metrics for your campaign. This includes:
- Ranking development for target keywords
- Traffic and leads driven from local organic and maps
- Call and visit tracking
- Link building results
- Ongoing strategy optimisation
You have complete visibility into our activities and recommendations. We have nothing to hide.
Trusted By Local Businesses
Our local SEO agency has an extensive track record of success developing and managing campaigns for diverse local businesses:
- Multi-location service franchises
- Regional brick-and-mortar retailers
- Small local restaurants and shops
- Professional local service providers
- City-specific companies
We consistently help these businesses achieve top local pack rankings and dominate their geographic search results. Our clients reach their local marketing goals month after month.
Local SEO Pricing and Packages
Our local SEO services use a customised monthly retainer pricing model based on your unique business needs. Our local SEO service includes:
- Keyword research
- On-page optimisation
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- Local citation building
- Performance reporting
- Relevant link building
- Advanced call and lead tracking
- Local content creation
- 24/7 KPI dashboard access
We also offer flexible à la carte pricing for add-ons like extensive local content production, paid link building, expanded reporting and more. Everything is customisable to fit your budget and goals.
And the best part? No long-term contracts or commitments are required. We’re so confident in our services, we let the results speak for themselves.
Local SEO FAQs
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is optimising your online presence to rank higher in search engine results for local searches like “best restaurants in Edinburgh” or “plumber near me”. The goal is to attract local website visitors ready to use your business.
How long does local SEO take to show results?
Local SEO results build gradually over time. However, you should see some initial keyword ranking growth, traffic increases and new review signals within the first 1-2 months.
How much does local SEO cost?
Local SEO services are typically priced on a customised monthly retainer model. Packages are tailored to suit your goals and budget.
How can I track my local SEO results?
Key local SEO metrics to track monthly include keyword rankings, website traffic, phone calls, form submissions, GBP actions (Google Business Profile), reviews and citations. We provide comprehensive reporting via our Digital Marketing Dashboard which gives you access to all important KPI’s 24/7.
How is local SEO different from regular SEO?
Local SEO focuses on optimising for geographic keywords and local search visibility. Regular SEO is about global website optimisation and broad keyword targeting.
How important are reviews for local SEO?
Positive online reviews build trust and social proof, which influence local search rankings. A robust local review profile is very important for local SEO success.
Should I hire an agency for local SEO?
A qualified agency has the expertise and resources to handle local SEO at scale and achieve results faster. DIY local SEO can work, but requires extensive effort.
What are the most important local SEO ranking factors?
Top factors include on-page signals, citations, link signals, reviews, Google Business Profile optimisation, mobile friendliness and local content.
How can I improve my local SEO ranking?
Focus on optimising your on-page elements, building citations/links, generating reviews, creating local content and ensuring your GBP listing is complete and accurate.
How often should I create local content?
To maintain relevance, we recommend publishing one new local blog post or landing page per month.
What are citations and why do they matter?
Citations are mentions of your business name, address and phone number on directories like Yelp. They help establish your NAP consistency, which Google rewards.
Where does Shake Digital offer SEO services?
Shake Digital is based in Scotland and offers SEO services in the following locations: