If you are looking to grow your business in the real world, you first have to slay it online. You must be adept at using the digital space to its fullest potential. That’s where different optimization tools and techniques like local SEO and Google My Business come into the picture. They help you stay consistently ahead of the competition and secure optimum growth throughout the journey.
However, despite their unbeatable significance, entrepreneurs often fail to distinguish between the two, resulting in a massive, and sometimes irreversible loss of opportunities.
By the end of this blog, you will be able to draw a clear line between local SEO and Google My Business and learn how you can effectively utilize each of them to boost your online visibility.
Local SEO: Your Roadmap to Excelling in Local Searches
Local SEO is a subset of Search Engine Optimization at large. It focuses on targeting and attracting local customers by helping you land a higher rank in search results, specifically for location-centric queries. This especially helps small and medium enterprises who are seeking to maximize their reach on a local level as it helps drive local traffic to your website or physical store.
Local SEO includes various strategies that enable your business excels in local search results, such as –
- Performing local SEO audits
- Creating location-specific landing pages
- Creating local content for different social media platforms
- Running local ads
- Optimizing URL, title tags, headers, meta description, and content
- Making your website mobile-friendly
- Participating in the digital local community and any online/offline events that may be hosted.
Executing these strategies regularly will allow your business to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo when users search for relevant products or services within a specific location.
However, you must thoroughly ensure that your business details, such as name, address, and phone number are consistent across all online listings and citations. Also, execute effective on-page and off-page SEO techniques like keyword optimization and building quality local backlinks pointing to your website.
For a better reach, also consider creating and promoting location-specific content on your website. Besides, urge customers to write reviews about your business on various online platforms.
Google My Business: A One-stop Overview of Your Business
Google My Business (GMB) is a tool that enables businesses to take control of their presence across Google Search and Google Maps. It lets you create a comprehensive profile featuring crucial information about your organization, such as the business name, address, phone number, website, and working hours, along with additional features like Google Reviews, Q&A, and the ability to upload photos and posts related to the business.
Hence it serves as a single touchpoint for your business details, allowing customers to seamlessly explore and interact with your business on the go.
Google My Business enables your prospective customers to easily access all vital information about your business, which helps generate leads and drive sales. Apart from increasing your overall visibility in Google Search and Google Maps, it also allows you to receive and respond to customer reviews, and share important updates, promotional offers, and other relevant content with the help of GMB posts.
Plus, you can also keep a tab on your profile’s performance in terms of customer interaction and search volume.
Harness The Combined Power of Local SEO and Google My Business
Although local SEO and GMB are distinct from one another, you can always combine the power of the two to enhance your online presence and generate local traffic. Here’s how it’ll help!
- Enhances Your Visibility
While local SEO focuses on optimizing your website’s structure, content, and links for higher local search rankings, Google My Business ensures that the content is displayed directly in the search results, thus showcasing your business to potential customers.
- Strengthens Your Credibility
Publishing accurate and consistent business details in both local SEO and GMB significantly contributes to establishing online credibility and enhancing search rankings. Additionally, local SEO strategies like encouraging customer reviews can also reinforce your Google My Business profile’s reputation, further solidifying the overall authority of your online presence.
- Offers Valuable Customer Insights
The analytics given by GMB can serve as a valuable guide to understanding your local customers better, which can subsequently help refine your local SEO tactics.
Closing
Both local SEO and Google My Business, each with their unique benefits, can work collectively to enhance your brand’s visibility. However, handling it all by yourself can get overwhelming and give ineffective results.
