The Importance of Local SEO for Merchants

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Local SEO is the positioning of your local establishments in search engines. Let's not hide it, it is the crux of the matter for local businesses that have a strong need for local visibility to develop their sales.

Working on your local SEO has many advantages for local businesses , such as developing your online visibility or having impactful local communication .

Let’s discover together the importance of local SEO for merchants .


1. To be visible in local searches
2. To develop your local online reputation
3. To deploy impactful local communication
Conclusion


visibility local searches local SEO

1. To be visible in local searches
The first goal of a local business is to be visible in oman phone number library local searches by Internet users. This directly influences the drive to store. As proof, 60% of users click on one of the first 3 results displayed 1 . If your points of sale do not stand out thanks to their local SEO , they do not attract customers to stores.

Another telling figure: 72% of consumers who perform a local search online then visit a store less than 8 km from their location 2 . Yet more proof of the power of local SEO on retailers ' drive to store .

To be visible locally on search engines, you need to work on your presence management. To do this, start by creating a Google profile for each of your local stores . They represent up to 36% of the local SEO of your local businesses 3 !

Take the time to optimize all the elements such as the name, address, description, Google posts, categories, etc. The more complete they are, the better the local visibility of your local businesses will be .

google local search establishment profile

Example of a Google My Business listing

We also recommend creating local Facebook pages, local Instagram pages, LinkedIn business pages, and pages on local online directories. These business listings are also referenced by Google and present in local searches .

local facebook page local searches

Example of a local Facebook page


2. To develop your local online reputation
As retailers , e-reputation is essential to convert potential prospects. Given the breadth of the offer available to them, it is necessary to have a positive image sent back by the web.

In addition, customer reviews fuel the local SEO of merchants . In fact, they represent 16% of the ranking of local businesses in Google 4 .

To develop your local digital reputation , you must set up management of Google customer reviews, Facebook customer reviews and customer reviews from other platforms. Indeed, since the Digital Market Act (DMA), customer reviews from different platforms are indexed directly on the Google listings of your local businesses . So don't forget them!

google my business customer reviews local online reputation

Customer reviews from multiple platforms on Google My Business

In addition to maximizing your brand image, managing customer reviews is therefore a pillar in its own right of local SEO for your neighborhood stores .


impactful local communication

3. To deploy impactful local communication
Working on your local SEO as a trader allows you to set up fine and impactful local communication. Whether through Google posts, on social networks or through local advertising, the statements must be adapted and personalized locally. This fuels local SEO but also the relevance of the content!

Imagine an ad for a Marseille bakery that would be broadcast in Paris. The affront would be total and your advertising investment would have a ROI close to zero. In addition, it would convey a bad brand image. Did you know that 49% of consumers aged 18 to 29 say they have made a purchase after seeing an ad on social networks 5 ? It would be a shame to miss your target because of poor local personalization .

Let's take another example: a Google post talking about chocolatines in Brittany. Once again, we notice a lack of adaptation to the local context which will harm the brand image but also the local SEO of your local businesses .

It is by working on the local SEO of your local businesses , by targeting and communicating locally (depending on the geographical area) that you gain credibility. This also allows you to develop a feeling of proximity with your consumers which encourages them to drive to store and develops your turnover.

Instagram post impactful local communication