Local and national SEO both have their place in the world of digital marketing, but they are vastly different when it comes to their approach. As a business or website owner, you need to consider the scope and purpose of each option before making a decision about which is right for you.
The ins and outs of SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is becoming ever more important for businesses as the competition for organic traffic increases. As the amount of content on the internet grows, you need to know the tricks of the SEO trade to ensure that your content is discovered and rises to the top of search engine result pages. Below are some major aspects of a strong SEO strategy:
Keyword Research and Planning
Keywords are the base of SEO, and you need to do your research to ensure you’re optimizing for the right words. When doing keyword research, you should consider potential queries from customers that will lead them to your content. You can use tools like Google Trends and Google Ads Keyword Planner to help you find the right keywords that have high search volumes.
Optimizing Headers and Meta Descriptions
Your headers and meta descriptions are the first thing that potential visitors will see on search engine result pages. You need to have a heading that’s interesting and informative, and make sure to include your chosen keywords in them. Additionally, your meta descriptions ought to be optimized to include keywords in order to appear higher in search results.
Optimizing Content Quality
Search engine algorithms prefer quality content as opposed to content that’s been optimized solely for SEO. By creating content that’s well researched and high quality, you’re likely to rank higher than those relying on keyword stuffing. Readability is important, so make sure to use readable fonts, short paragraphs, and headings throughout the article.
Internal and External Link Building
Link building is the process through which websites link to other websites, either internally or externally. External links from trusted and authoritative sources are especially valuable for SEO. Internal links are those that link to other pages in the same website. They’re useful for keeping readers on your website for longer and guiding them to other relevant content.
The difference between local SEO and National SEO
With local SEO, you’re focused on a smaller all-encompassing area (think city, large town, or a specific region). You’re targeting this area specifically so you can become the go-to business for people in that locality. You’ll need to use relevant keywords that refer to your area, and you’ll need to ensure your business has an accurate listing on a variety of location-based websites. The main benefit of local SEO is the potential for local customers to find your business easily.
National SEO is exactly what it sounds like — you’re targeting a much larger area, and it’s likely that potential customers won’t be restricted to one location. This type of SEO typically involves keywords that have a broad appeal to a wider audience. Considering that national SEO appeals to a wide variety of consumers, there’s a greater potential to increase overall web traffic and conversions.
Digging deeper into local SEO strategies
With more and more businesses competing to appear in local search results, optimizing for local SEO is becoming even more important. Here are some important steps you can take to implement an effective local SEO strategy that helps you appear at the top of the search ranks.
1. Claim and Optimize a Google My Business (GMB) Listing
Before you can get customers to come to you, they must be able to find you online. Start by claiming and optimizing your GMB listing. This includes making sure that all of your business profile information is accurate and up to date. Also add photos that accurately reflect your business and consider offering local discounts and promotions.
2. Optimize Your Website Content With Local Keywords
Another important aspect of local SEO is optimizing your website content with local keywords. This includes using keywords in your titles, headings, content and meta information. Additionally, focus on creating content that is tailored to your local area. This includes blog posts about local news and events, and even creating content that is specifically for your local target audience.
3. Build and Claim Local Citations
Create and claim local citations on relevant websites that are geared towards your area. This will help to give you more exposure locally and can help your Google rankings. Examples of citations include your business name, address and phone number on websites such as Yelp, Yellowpages, and TripAdvisor.
4. Boost Your SEO with Geo-Tagging
Another way to boost your local SEO efforts is to add geo-tags to your images. This helps to make sure that your images show up correctly in local search engine results. Be sure to add geo-tags that include your city, state, and even street address if you’re targeting a very specific local area.
5 things to consider when deciding if you need local or national SEO
Here are five things to consider when deciding which type of SEO you should invest in for your company.
1. Target Market
First, consider your target market. You’ll want to think about where your customers are located and who your potential customers are. If your target market is limited to a certain region, then local SEO is likely the best way to go. On the other hand, if you’re trying to expand to a nationwide audience, then you’ll want to opt for national SEO.
2. Product/Service
What type of product/service do you offer? If you offer products or services that are limited to a specific area, then local SEO will help you reach the right people. However, if your product/service can be accessed anywhere, then national SEO would be a better option.
3. Budget
Your budget is another important factor to consider. Local SEO is often more affordable than national SEO, so if money is tight then you may want to go this route. However, if you have a bigger budget, then national SEO can help you reach a wider audience and get more bang for your buck.
4. Time Frame
Are you looking to build out a campaign and get results quickly? If so, then local SEO may be the better option as it requires less time and effort. National SEO campaigns tend to take longer to set up and for the results to become visible, but the payoff can be worth it in the long run.
5. Competitive Edge
Finally, think about how competitive your industry is. If the competition is nationwide, then you’ll need to invest in a national SEO campaign to get an edge over them. But if you’re mainly competing at the local level, then local SEO may be enough to put you ahead of the pack.
Iris Marketing Team
Ultimately, deciding between local and national SEO should come down to a combination of these factors. By taking the time to analyze your business needs and goals, you’ll be able to choose the best SEO strategy to achieve the results you’re looking for.
Take your company to the next level with Iris Marketing Team’s SEO services. We can help you increase visibility, website traffic, leads, conversions, and sales. Stop missing potential customers and call us today to learn more and get started with Iris!