A decade ago, local SEO was this murky, ambiguous, hard-to-get-a-handle-on practice he intended to help companies better focus their SEO efforts on a local audience. The early days of local SEO services, service providers had a tough time making promises because so few really knew what they were doing. Then Google introduced its Pigeon update and changed everything.
Online search has certainly matured since then. And with it, local SEO services have also matured. There are now entire agencies specializing in local SEO, helping companies take advantage of every online opportunity to reach customers in their local areas.
A Word About Pigeon
The main goal of Pigeon was to boost local search rankings in traditional, organic searches. In other words, Google wanted to give preference to local businesses and organizations when users were searching with targeted keywords. This preference was rooted in the knowledge that certain types of online searches tend to be local by nature.
With this one update, Google accelerated local SEO maturity faster than it probably would have been achieved without Pigeon. And ever since, Google has been refining how local SEO impacts organic searches.
An Organic Presence Is Required
Organic searches are the mainstay of local results. As such, succeeding at the local level requires an organic presence. What does this mean? Webtek Digital Marketing, a local SEO services provider based in Salt Lake City, Utah, explains an organic presence as one that is specifically cultivated for a local reach.
A small business with an organic online presence has a Google business profile. It has a website that has been optimized for local audiences in everything from content to keywords. That same small business has gone out of its way to be listed in local directories and included in local ratings of similar businesses.
Proximity Has Become Tighter
Local search algorithms have always relied heavily on proximity. But in recent years, proximity has become tighter. Unsurprisingly, Google has led the way here. As their algorithms have matured, they have shown a preference for businesses that are closest to a person at the moment he or she runs a search.
Tighter proximities are made possible through mobile search. Indeed, it is nearly impossible to talk about local SEO maturity without discussing mobile search and its companion, voice search. We can thank smartphones for that.
Think about how often you use your smartphone to run a search. Among all your mobile searches, how many of them involve local businesses? The smart folks over at Google realized just how important smartphones are to local searches and have responded accordingly.
Competition Has Become More Fierce
Tighter proximities have refined local SEO services to account for greater mobile search use. But a few years ago, Google did something else that really shook things up: they reduced Local Pack results.
The Local Pack used to display seven results. Google reduced it to three. This forced SEO providers to do an even better job of optimizing for local. Local Pack results are like gold these days. If you can get and keep one of the spots, you are in good shape for local search.
If Local Matters to You
If local matters to you – which is to say that your business or organization relies mainly on a local audience – local SEO services are your key to reaching that audience. Remember that online search has matured over the years. Local SEO has matured along with it.
Availing yourself of local SEO services could make a real difference in your online reach. It could mean the difference between success and mediocrity.
