When you think of search engine optimization or SEO, the chances are good that you think of a global effort to draw visitors to your website. While there is no doubt that general SEO is important, many businesses are ignoring targeted local SEO efforts to their peril. Local SEO is one of the most underutilized areas of marketing and can offer your business great benefits if you pay attention to the opportunities you have to expand your local market.
Why Do I Need Local SEO?
Companies ignore local SEO because they are still trapped in a mindset of global search based on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. In the past, all businesses were basically thrown in the same pot. If you wanted to reach shoppers, whether they were down the street or around the world, you used the same SEO techniques. Many businesses still operate this way, competing for keyword shares and trying to climb to the top of the search engine pages for various search strings.