Aug 9, 22 | 3 min read
Interview with Amanda Jordan
Reading time: 3 minutes
Traditional SEO can reach any user, anywhere in the world, as long as they perform an online search. It is, without a doubt, a powerful marketing strategy for any company.
But what if you could get even more specific? When users search for products, services or businesses in a specific area, your brand could be the one that appears at the top of the SERPs. That's what local SEO makes possible .
The strategy helps highlight a business in local searches by specifically targeting the audience located near that business and the areas it serves, which is particularly interesting when you consider that 46% of all Google searches are for local information and that “Near me” or “Near” are searches that have grown by more than 900% in two years.
“Local SEO means being easy to find and interact with online. While consumers want to support local businesses, these businesses need to make the process and experience as easy as possible,” notes Amanda Jordan. Amanda was voted one of the Top Women in SEO to Follow by Marie Haynes Consulting and RicketyRoo , an agency completely focused on local SEO.
Amanda's 10+ years of experience in local SEO includes working with local businesses of all sizes, including multi-location enterprise-level businesses and franchises, as well as small and medium-sized businesses with one or two locations.
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Rock Content: Can you summarize, in a few words for our audience, what local SEO is and its benefits for businesses?
Amanda Jordan : Local SEO is SEO for switzerland email address businesses where geography is a major factor. Content, technique, link building… these are all elements that should be targeted for local SEO if your business needs to rank in a specific city, county, state, zip code, etc. Local SEO is essentially all SEO with the inclusion of proximity to the search engine as a factor.
RC: Surveys say that with the pandemic (and even now in 2022), more and more customers want to support local businesses online – it’s the “Buy Local” movement. Can local SEO help in these cases?
AJ : Absolutely. Businesses need to make it as easy as possible to support them. This means being easy to find and interact with online. While consumers want to support local businesses, these businesses need to make the process and experience as easy as possible. This means having quality reviews, high-quality photos, and a great overall customer experience.
RC: How is local SEO different from traditional SEO for brick-and-mortar stores?
AJ : Local SEO has the added complexity of using Google Business Profiles, Apple Maps, Yelp, etc. as tools to increase visibility and leads. Essentially, there are more platforms than just the typical Google search results that we know consumers use to find local businesses. Each of these platforms has its own guidelines, complexities, etc. to rank and convert searchers.
Your online reputation is also key to local SEO. Businesses that are on Yelp and Google Maps have the ability to get reviews that are prominently displayed for a variety of searches and intents. So whether someone is searching for a branded or non-branded term, the reputation will be clear. A bad reputation means fewer customers.
RC: What if my business doesn't have a physical address where I intend to reach new customers? Does local SEO work for me?
AJ : Google allows businesses to have a list of service areas. This means that if you don't have a physical location, you can still take advantage of Google Maps. Well-optimized content on your website can also help you rank in nearby cities without having a location there. Basically, use the city, county, state, etc. as your keyword.
