When it comes to making your website more search engine friendly, the key question you need to ask yourself is: “what is the difference between SEO and local SEO?”

You may have seen lots of articles in your social networks or on the web that say local SEO and search engine optimization are the same thing. However, despite having similar scope, they are not exactly the same. In this article we will cover the main difference between Local SEO and Search Engine Optimization, as well as what to do if you are unsure which one is right for your business.

What Is SEO and How Does It Work?

Search engine optimization is an important component of any website, in large part because it drives both quality and quantity of traffic to your site. SEO can be especially valuable for local businesses looking to drive their customer base through additional traffic.

SEO can be extremely beneficial for your business, whether you’re an established company looking to branch out or just a startup trying to expand. Moreover, good SEO can lead to more clients and higher demand for your products and services. However, SEO is not a “quick fix” strategy. Improving your SEO will take time, but the anticipation will be well worth it when you experience an influx of visitors that leads to happier clients.

What Is Local SEO and How Does It Work?

On the other hand, local SEO is more than just local keywords and ranking for them, but optimizing a website for local searches in general. Essentially, it’s about getting your business found by people that are searching locally, which can prove to be a valuable and lasting way to stimulate your marketing strategy.

Google is constantly ranking pages in different areas and they view local websites as major players, with even stronger potential than existing sites in their rankings. Local SEO can give you a foothold on the search engines and start bringing you leads right away. Also, with such low competition, you might want to be found and feature your business in local directories. In hindsight, doing local SEO will set you above your competitors.

Comparison  Between SEO and Local SEO

Now let’s look into the differences between local and organic SEO:

1. Focus

• SEO

Centered on authoritative and useful contents. For example, when someone searches for information and content on Google such as a recipe, the most recent news on a particular topic, or a how-to guide, they are doing it organically.

• Local SEO

Geared toward optimizing online visibility of your business for local searches. Making it easier for customers to find you. That implies you need to appear higher in the local results when someone in your city or town looks for a business similar to yours.

2. Methodology

• SEO

Primarily aims to rank first in the SERPs. This means tapping on each element of the website such as off-page and on-page optimization, optimizing anchor texts, creating quality content, and employing efficient link-building strategies.

• Local SEO

In addition to optimizing keywords and title tags, local SEO approach also includes Google Listing creation. This will allow it to access areas where localized search results are displayed.

3. Search Result and Ranking

• SEO 

Wide in scope when it comes to search results and rating, and the optimization technique is focused on boosting website ranks to increase traffic within search engines. This generally includes Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

• Local SEO

The local SEO approach is centered on ranking and attracting customers to a particular location, usually a brick and mortar business. This indicates that it concentrates on placing higher in searches on sites like Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Google Maps.

4. Citation and Backlinks

• SEO 

Puts much of emphasis on backlinks, which must come from other reliable, authoritative websites. This means that links to different pages on your website should be mixed together, and you want the anchor text to contain significant search phrases.

• Local SEO

Focuses on the online mentions of your business which include the name, address, and phone number and your location are known as local citations. They may also include information such as your business hours, parking availability, and other information. Citations are frequently seen on review websites and local business listings.

5. Content

• SEO

Concerned with content that is centered on topical categories and the cluster of keywords that exist in naturally generated material associated with these topics. For instance, if your organization is in the healthcare sector, you should include content that focuses on patient care and health services.

• Local SEO

In order to highlight your geographic focus to search engines and draw in local customers, you need highly targeted content and local SEO is the right strategy for that. Content that focuses on location-based information which may include elements like the streets, intersections, city, town, state or region, country, postal code, and more for the business you own. 

6. Audiences

• SEO

People who are doing research on their own and aren’t necessarily looking to buy something can find this useful if they’re looking for facts and information that will help them solve their current problem.  On occasion, though, they could be open to subscribing to a newsletter or downloading a PDF guide on that topic.

• Local SEO

This is intended for folks who are actively looking for a product or service in their neighborhood. This includes the type of products, services, or businesses as well as the phrase “near me” or the name of the city where they are located.

There are many aspects which, taken in isolation, are true for both local and general SEO. But the purpose, demand, strategies and metrics can all be very different. Local SEO has continued to grow in importance for both large and small organizations, that is for sure. The success of local SEO comes from how the business uses it to turn their local customers into a local sales team in a way that focuses on relationship building over time.

Hopefully, this post has given you a good idea of the difference between SEO and local SEO as well as what to look for when you are planning on hiring an SEO company and some tips on how to make the most of your SEO campaign. Ultimately, some things are better together. SEO and local SEO. Take these two ideas and see what happens. When combined, they will appeal to a broad audience.

Contact us today and book a free audit to get started with your custom-fit SEO or local SEO 
strategy!