Boost Your Business Visibility: Why Local SEO Matters for SMEs and VSEs

Introduced around fifteen years ago by Google, local SEO is an element present every day in Internet users’ web searches. With almost one in two searches being carried out locally, this is an aspect of SEO that should not be overlooked.

Local SEO concerns companies wishing to gain visibility around their catchment area. SEO Marketing has become a cornerstone of this process, ensuring businesses appear in relevant local searches. This concept is quite simple to understand but deserves some clarification.

What is local SEO, and how does it benefit VSEs and SMEs? How can you improve your local SEO? Conversely, how can you penalize your local SEO? This post contains the answers to all of these questions.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO refers to a web referencing technique.

It is based on requests linked to a location (a street, a city, a department, etc.) or on requests linked to a geolocation system (on a telephone for example).

To start your local Google SEO, you simply need to create a free business listing on Google. The local search is displayed following a query sent by the Internet user. You will then obtain several useful pieces of information for each of the search results displayed such as the address (with a display on Google Maps), opening hours, services offered, and customer reviews. 

On mobile, the display remains the same. You can even start a journey to get to the desired location. As you will have understood, being referenced on a query among the first three results guarantees a rather significant advantage.

As you will have understood, results of this type are almost systematically displayed during your Google searches. Choosing the right SEO Agency Geelong is a key step in ensuring your business ranks well in these valuable local searches.

How to optimize your local SEO?

Complete and animate your Google establishment profile.

To achieve good local SEO, it is essential to have a complete Google My Business profile, including key elements such as your business details and updates:

• A profile picture 
• Opening hours
• A presentation of the services
• Photos of the premises, products, etc.

Beyond this basic information, it is important to regularly update your account. Especially in the current health context, make sure to inform Internet users about any changes to your business operations, such as temporary closures, health measures, or changes in address. Expert SEO Marketing professionals ensure that such updates are visible and impactful for local audiences.

Missing or incorrect information can be detrimental to your business. You can also regularly publish content to liven up your page. This will highlight your news and highlight the dynamic side of your business.

Link your website to your profile

Your Google My Business listing is a great way to build a bridge to your website. The latter will need to be optimized, both on the technical and content aspects. 

For the technical side, it will be a question of respecting a certain number of points such as the optimization of images, the loading time of the site, or the choice of hosting.

The content aspect involves creating rich, relevant material and incorporating keywords related to your field of activity. For example, if you are a plumber in Australia, you should aim to rank well for search queries such as “local plumber in Australia,” “emergency plumbing services Australia,” or other similar terms relevant to your services. An experienced SEO Agency Geelong can guide you in optimizing your website for local queries.

Registering on online directories

Google My Business is certainly the most widespread tool for working on your local SEO, but it is not the only solution. To be referenced optimally, you must multiply the sources of incoming links (backlinks). 

These links help improve the popularity of your site, which is an element taken into account by Google for its SEO. You can develop this point by registering on business directories such as Hoodspot, Yellow Pages, or Bing Places.

Each time, remember to always complete your information correctly so that Internet users can access your website.

An expert SEO Agency Geelong can offer comprehensive strategies to assist you in getting your site listed on key business directories, boosting its visibility.

Get customer reviews

It can never be said enough, that your customers are your best salespeople. It is therefore important to collect their opinions.

This will help you gain credibility and trust with Internet users. 8 out of 10 Internet users consult opinions to help them in their decision-making. On Google’s side, this will allow the search engine to evaluate the quality of your business.

To further increase this trust and your credibility, you can respond to these comments. So do not hesitate to respond to all the opinions you receive, positive or negative, with or without comments. You can then highlight some of these opinions directly on your website. A strong SEO Marketing strategy will leverage positive reviews to enhance your local SEO efforts.

How to penalize your local SEO? Distort the opinions on your Google My Business profile.

You might think that it might be interesting to publish a multitude of opinions and testimonials on your business profile using fake accounts. Google is not fooled and will know how to penalize you if you try to use this type of method.

Consequently, you should favor spontaneous opinions. They will arrive on your account over time, so you will have to be patient.

Have a Profile and a Site

In local SEO, there is “SEO,” which implies that you are visible on the Internet. If you only have a Google My Business listing, your potential for attractiveness will be extremely limited.

Having a website is the possibility of extending the presentation of your business and your services. Webomaze Australia can help enhance your website’s functionality to boost your local search performance. 

Local SEO is an essential ally if you want to make yourself visible in your area of establishment. Whether you are a large group or a SME, local SEO must be part of your web marketing strategy. By being visible locally on search engines, you will be sure that people around you will be able to find you easily.

Final Words

Local SEO Marketing is your gateway to connecting with customers in your area. Optimize your Google profile, maintain an updated and user-friendly website, and encourage real customer reviews to build trust and improve rankings.

While shortcuts like fake testimonials might seem tempting, they can backfire. Focus on sustainable, quality strategies.

Whether you’re a VSE or SME, local SEO ensures your business stands out, bringing more foot traffic and inquiries from nearby customers searching for your services.