Local SEO is a vital aspect of modern online marketing. What is SEO in general, and what is local SEO more specifically, what it does, how it works, why it’s effective, and whether your small business needs a local SEO campaign (a vital component of which is Google Places SEO, or Google Maps SEO).

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization – essentially the discipline of revising a website (through both on-page and off-page optimization techniques) so that is more appealing to search engines, thereby ranking more highly and search results listings, which in turn improves a site’s chances of being visited exponentially. Have you ever clicked page two of Google search results, for instance? It’s not likely – most people don’t leave page one, and as such, it’s up to SEO – and local SEO, in particular, for small businesses – to accomplish a first-page ranking.

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO involves a more targeted, localized effort to still make the same client’s website more visible and accessible online, specifically through the targeting of long-tail keywords and Google Place SEO (Google Maps SEO); those are the two main criteria that differentiate local SEO from national, multinational, or global SEO.

How Is Local SEO So Effective?

Local SEO is essentially far easier and far less costly, because the search engines have turned their focus more toward local business now. When searchers enter in a long-tail keyword (that is a keyword containing a local modifier, basically anything that informs the engine of the searcher’s location), the engine serves up only local results, meaning all your competition at the national level is eliminated, and you only have your local rivals to compete with for that coveted first-page spot. This makes local SEO a much more cost-effective online marketing strategy.

Does your Business Need Local SEO?

The only case in which you would not want your small or local business to have local SEO is if you happen to hate your patrons – and don’t want any of them or their money. Local SEO is basically for just about every size, shape, color, industry, discipline, or field of interest. And considering local SEO’s jaw-dropping efficacy, there’s no limit to how far your business can go with a professionally implemented, results-oriented local SEO campaign.
Google Maps and Google Places: How they Affect your Business?
In the next few years, Local SEO will be essential with regard to organic search engine optimization. Its impact has been observed by searchers, Google analytics, and online – as well as offline – business owners who depend on their listing for drawing in traffic and revenue. Have you ever heard a real estate agent say “location is everything”? This could not be truer in the digital realm, particularly in the case of online businesses and their listings in the search engine’s results. This brief but – we hope – helpful FAQ can familiarize you with the two huge, very useful Google offerings: Maps and Places.

What is the difference between Google Maps and Google Places?

Google Maps was established much earlier than Places, and business names and addresses – as well as other minimal contact information – have been available for query on Google Maps for a few years. Never one to stagnate or ignore opportunity for improvement, Google envisioned, created, and launched Places; this new product, similar to Maps, gave companies – and their customers – new options to provide more than just the fundamental phone book information. Basically, the Places listing replaces the older, more fundamental Maps listing. Now, Google Maps is merely the conduit by which Google Places locates a business.

How can searchers see my Places listing?

A Google Places listing is viewed by potential customers in three basic ways:

1. In the mobile world, searchers download the Google Places mobile application, which displays businesses in their immediate area. These search results can be filtered by many factors, including restaurants, retail shops, price, reviews, and more.

2. When users specify their Google Maps commands for a website to acquire directions or check out a neighborhood, Places listings will be overlayed.

3. The most likely place a customer will encounter your places listing – and the most important to SEO – is when performing a standard Web search. If someone searches “Florists,” the first several results will likely be Google Places seo listings for florists in the surrounding area.

What kind of searches will result in Places listings?

This area is changing the most regarding local searches. Initially, Places pages would simply return for searches that contained regional modifier keywords (e.g. “Los Angeles Bowling”). Now, Places pages will show up in search results even without a location being part of the search, depending on whether Google can estimate the searcher’s location.