Search Engine Optimisation is the bread and butter of any good website – however, it can be difficult to butter the right side of the bread for those who will eventually take a bite…to make use of a stretched analogy. 

By localising SEO, websites and eCommerce websites can better target audiences that are relevant to their offering. Local SEO must focus on three things – proximity, prominence and relevance. 

You could be on the other side of the world reading this article, but chances are, if you’re looking for great advice and a reliable digital marketing agency to help your business grow, you’re probably in the UK. Or more accurately, in the North East of the UK. Some of you may even be living in Darlington UK. 

Now, if you answered yes to all of those, don’t panic. We’re not altering our article to align with your IP address. However, our local SEO success is made possible by Myk Baxter Marketing’s specialised team of expert SEO content creators – currently targeting readers in Darlington, UK.

Of course, many of you will be nowhere near Darlington, and that is to be expected. Localised SEO is not fail-proof, and the amount of other SEO work we do enables us to straddle both international and local audiences with ease. But more on that another time.

SEO Can Work as Customer Service

If you’re looking to focus on a specific market or target a specific geographical location, local SEO may be one of the best techniques you can adopt. 

Whether you’re a local business owner or marketer, one of the best ways to interpret what local SEO can do for you is to imagine it as a form of customer service. By localising your site, you connect easily with the customers you target in real life, ensuring nearby online searchers can find, like, connect with, and choose your local business with ease.

No matter how unique your business is, it takes effort, time and a skilled SEO manager to make it discoverable online. Practices like optimising the copy on a website, adding geolocations to products, creating local business listings, managing reviews (prioritising local reviews if possible) and sharing links with local community pages all help in driving increased online engagement with the locals you wish to attract. 

In 2018, Google stated that 46% of all Google searches have a local intent, and in the same year, they introduced the search term ‘near me’ to help users focus on their local area when searching, omitting results from the other side of the world.

For example, search “digital marketing consultant Darlington” and you’re bound to find Myk Baxter Marketing at the top. 

By first registering your business online with Google, you save the trouble and hassle of doing it later. Once you’re synchronised with the search engine market behemoth, audit the content both on the platform and on your sites (including review sites, social media etc) for consistency. Be certain you’re 100% accurate across the board, with a name, address, phone number, website and all other relevant data is listed and is also updated regularly if needed.

Once complete, all you have left is to fill your site with some perfectly crafted SEO-focused copy that both ticks the boxes for Google while remaining eligible and engaging for human users to read (a difficult achievement, even for the most seasoned of copywriters), and clarify your business goals.