Search engines like Google increasingly feature location-specific search results like the Maps section, and the location of a user’s search now partially contributes to the results that appear. This means that location-specific results will appear not just for explicit local searches like ‘Outdoor Patios Toronto’, but even for implicit local searches like ‘restaurants’. As a result, Local SEO is crucial towards standing out from nearby competitors. Particularly for service-based businesses and of course, location-based businesses, Local SEO is among the highest-ROI marketing activities to consider.

Local SEO focuses on improving a website’s visibility and rank on search engines for specific, location-related search queries and results, while traditional SEO focuses on making improvements based on broader search queries and national or even global search results. For many location-based businesses, particularly those who require that their customers live within driving distance, Local SEO is more beneficial and offers a higher ROI by targeting their customer base more directly and avoiding unnecessary keyword rankings.

Local SEO activities focus on a number of online sources that inform location-specific search results, including a business’s Google My Business (GMB) page, online directory information and online reviews, among other sources. Search engines like Google rely heavily on a business’s GMB page and all of the information that’s included within it, but also rely on the dozens and dozens of online directories and reviews (e.g. Yelp), and the consistency of the information that appears within these sources to inform location-specific search results.

It’s important to remember that search engines change constantly, and there is no one way to guarantee specific rankings – if there were, everyone would do it, and search engines like Google would lose their legitimacy. Successful Local SEO is an ongoing process that analyzes a wide range of location-specific online resources to inform local search results. Local SEO with Ben focuses on building a wide range of location-based search signals across dozens of online websites and resources, because these are what search engines like Google recognize and value.