Local or Organic SEO: Which Is Right For You?
When someone mentions SEO, usually people assume they are referring to what is called “Organic SEO.” And usually, that assumption is probably correct. There is however, another part of SEO that differs from just your usual Organic SEO. That is, Local SEO.
Both Organic SEO and Local SEO come down to getting your website easy to find and access online. However, the approach and purposes of the two vary.
To know whether your business will want to focus on Local SEO or Organic SEO and how to do that, you need to understand the differences between the two.
Here are three major differences:
1. Geographical Component
Basically, the main difference between Local SEO and Organic SEO is location. As simple as it may sound, for some businesses location may not matter all that much when it comes to digital marketing.
Take those businesses that are solely functioning online for example. This could include blogs, social media profiles, a business that provides an online function such as Internet marketing, or just any business without a brick-and-mortar presence. These businesses are mostly focused on increasing traffic to their website through Organic SEO. They rank well through strategic keywords and providing relevant content.
Local SEO also wants to increase traffic to a website, with the added goal of targeting people within a specific geographical location and usually increasing foot traffic to their physical business. It shifts the focus from a generic “the internet” to “people within 50 miles of my business”, for example. They rank well by having consistent and relevant location components.
Think of it this way: There are two kinds of internet searches. I might be in the mood for some pizza, and search online “recipe for pizza.” What will come up is usually different blogs or sites with some enticing dinner options. There will be a recipe, but location is completely irrelevant in that search.
Maybe I take a look at the recipes however and decide my cooking expertise and momentary laziness just isn’t up to the task. I go back to my search bar and type in “pizza in Seattle”, or wherever I am at the moment. What then comes up are physical pizza shops close to my location. What started in a search bar could lead to me sitting in a restaurant chowing down on my favorite type of pizza.
2. Links vs. Citations
When it comes to Organic SEO, link building plays a huge role in getting a website to rank well online. Consistent, high-quality hyperlinks from other websites raise the validity of your own and help you stand out among organic competition.
Local SEO doesn’t depend as much on links. Local SEO’s interest? Citations. Citations are essentially mentions of your business name, physical address, and contact information across the internet. In addition to reaching out and providing links to other credible websites, in Local SEO you want to be cited in credible sources. These are all the relevant and important places for your specific niche.
What does this mean? Local SEO means getting your website anywhere people may search for local listings. That includes Google+, Yelp, and Yellow Pages at the bare minimum. It is key to make sure there are no discrepancies in contact information across these different mediums.
3. Search Engine Results Pages
Conveniently abbreviated to SERPs, Search Engine Results Pages are exactly what it sounds like. The term refers to the pages that come up when you search a keyword in a search engine.
The page results for Organic SEO and Local SEO differ in relevancy, but also in general appearance.
Organic search results will give you top ranked websites in order. For many local search results come up in something called a Local Listing Pack. This displays a hard-to-miss outlined box with the top three results, and then all other results listed normally beneath that box. The goal of Local SEO is to get in that box!
SO WHICH IS RIGHT?
You can figure this out through a couple of simple questions. Does your business have a physical location? Are your target customers within a specific geographical location?
If the answer to both of those questions was yes, then you are going to want to focus on Local SEO. Focusing there will lead people from online, into your physical store.
In general, even small businesses with a local presence will have to work on Organic SEO strategies.. But, knowing you are aiming for those local search results will help you to know what to focus on, and how.
To the Local SEO crowd: Focus on citations and getting into the Local Listing Packs on Google. Make sure you are listed anywhere that provides local business information. Triple check that your information on all sites- including address, phone number, business hours, business name and what your business does, is the same.
And if you need help with all that? Contact me.