Finding the Best Local SEO Company for Your Business

Searching for the right Local SEO company to help your business can be a challenge. There are a lot of options you out there, and you want to choose the right one for you. This article will help you find the best Local SEO company for you.

How a Local SEO Company Can Help Your Business

As a business owner, you realize the importance of your online presence and how SEO can do wonders for your success. In fact, nearly half of internet users search Google to find a new product. You want to make sure your marketing is top notch 24/7, in order to keep your organic traffic and search rank up to par. 

You seem to have everything that is the trifecta of digital marketing. A snazzy website, multiple business pages on social media, and even a Google My Business page. Heck, you might even be SEO savvy, religiously reading articles like this and using different techniques to keep your online presence relevant. 

So why is your competitor constantly outranking you on search results and driving in more leads? Chances are they have a professional Local SEO company doing the job for them.

How Local SEO Differs from Traditional SEO Techniques

If you’re using traditional SEO techniques, like plugging in major keywords into your website content, then you’re on the right track. You know that your goal as a business is to appear as high as possible in search results (or SERPs, search engine results pages) for keywords. For example, if you had an ice cream shop in Chicago, Illinois, you would want your business to be in the top listing on Google in Chicago. Local SEO companies, like SEO Design Chicago, take that technique and go the extra mile.

As a small business owner, you want to be at the top search results when users search a keyword near a location, right?

One important thing that local SEO focuses its efforts on is getting your business placed on the Google Maps 3-pack. What’s the 3 pack? The Google 3-pack is how Google displays the top three local business results without having to click “more places.” So how does Google choose to rank companies in the 3-pack?

According to Google, local results are determined by relevance, distance and prominence. This means that its algorithm doesn’t just take how close a location is into account, but other factors as well. To better understand Google’s process, here are definitions of what each factor means.

• Relevance

This refers to how closely a nearby business matches to what a user is searching for. That’s why it’s important that your information is as complete and as detailed as possible. This way, Google can better match your business with prospective customers.

• Distance

What makes Google a great search engine for local businesses is that its algorithm will analyze how close it is from a location keyword that is searched. For example, if a user types in “bike shops near me” or “bike shops in Schaumburg,” Google will pop up the most relevant listings near them or in Schaumburg. Even if a location isn’t used, Google will still use the current location settings for its listings.

• Prominence

This has to do with how popular a business is. Usually more well-known or established businesses have a higher online prominence, thus leading to a higher search rank or being in the 3-pack. Factors such as numerous Google reviews or backlinks can increase your prominence on Google.

If your competitor shows up in the Google 3-pack and you don’t, they might be doing something you’re not. This might be why your snazzy website design may not be getting the recognition it deserves. It’s important to come up with a local SEO strategy and to help snag you a spot in the fab three. However, if you need more help, SEO Design Chicago is happy to assist you. 

Tips to Help You Find the Right Local SEO Company

We know that hiring a local SEO company is a big decision. Before you make the big decision to commit to one, we want to give you a few pointers to make this process easier. 

Search engines like Clutch are websites that specifically cater to searching for digital advertising agencies like you. What’s great about Clutch is that it uses verified reviews and accurate data to provide you with leading local agencies. However, this can be overwhelming as there are hundreds, if not thousands, of local SEO companies that are going to have a stellar rating. That’s why it’s good to take note of some tips when trying to decide among many great agencies. You want to find one that will specifically cater to your individual needs.

Here are a few major things to consider when deciding on a local SEO company:

• Check if a company actually provides local SEO services

As businesses are adapting to digital marketing at an exponential rate, SEO is becoming more of a diverse practice. You want to make sure that a company either provides excellent local SEO services or specializes in them. In fact, working with a company that specializes in SEO will help your business shift its focus on possible customers around your area.

• Check if a company will give a demo

Another great way to test the waters when searching for a local SEO company is to see if a company will provide a demo. This provides a nice sneak peek to see how a company handles SEO matters and what you can expect from them in the future.

Some companies offer a free SEO analysis where you can see where your website needs improvements. This way you can even make the improvements yourself if you’re still not sure you want to hire a company to do the work for you.

• Ask about the company’s SEO strategy and tools they use

Each company has a somewhat different approach to how they handle local SEO. Some might want to focus on your Google search ranking. Some might want to focus on your website’s design to ensure a good user experience.

There are also a lot of tools that make SEO easier for companies. You should inquire about the tools they use to get a good idea on how they approach SEO. You can also consider using these tools for yourself whenever you want to improve your SEO.

• Ask about the company’s approach to citations

Citations are used to mention your business’s contact information on websites, directories, apps, or social media platforms. Citations include phone number, address, and your business name.

What makes citations important? Google will use citations to rank companies in search results. This is why it’s important that a local SEO company has an effective strategy on citation placement. 

Local SEO Services

As mentioned before, it’s important to ask about strategies a local SEO company would use. This includes asking about the services they give for local SEO. In fact, SEO Design Chicago offers the following services that focus on local SEO:

• Google My Business 

SEO Design Chicago offers Google My Business services, which helps attract potential customers. Google My Business is profile information that shows up when customers search for you or businesses similar to your on search results and maps. SEO Design Chicago recognizes the importance of Google My Business and how it can build traffic for your website. 

• On-Page SEO

Another great local SEO service SEO Design Chicago provides is On-page SEO. On-page SEO focuses its efforts on optimizing your website such as adding backlinks, increasing relevant keywords, and properly formatting pages. Optimizing your On-page SEO can increase your search ranking by a long shot as it is one of the direct approaches to increasing website traffic.

• Content Creation

Content creation is responsible for embodying your brand. SEO Design Chicago has a team of content creators that recognize the importance of showcasing your business and products in a creative way. There are many different kinds of content creation, like social media posts, blogs, and even emails. 

Having good content as a business will not only increase traffic but has the potential to attract new customers. Consider hiring a content creation service to help your website.

Local SEO Solutions

As you can see, there are a lot of companies, like SEO Design Chicago, that offer a lot of solutions for local SEO. However, you as a business owner need to recognize what your goals are in order for companies to move forward with the right local SEO solutions. 

It’s important to remember that search engines will be the #1 important factor when approaching local SEO as many customers use them to find local businesses. 

When consulting with different companies about the services they offer, make sure that they mention the importance of search engines.

Whether it’s updating your Google My Business, sprucing up your website, or needing an SEO analysis, our experts at SEO Design Chicago will be there to provide the services that cater your specific needs as a business. Contact SEO Design Chicago today to get started on improving your local SEO!