Local search optimization is crucial for businesses with a physical location. You need to optimize your website to make sure that people in your area can find your brand online, which gives them directions to your nearest branch.
Excellent online visibility is difficult to achieve if you’re new to SEO, but you can’t afford to skip this strategy. This is where a company that provides local SEO helps. An SEO expert has the experience, expertise, and tools to increase your credibility and visibility online, especially to people in your vicinity.
Many digital marketing agencies offer local SEO services. You have to hire one who understands your goals and needs and creates a local optimization strategy tailored to your business.
To make sure you find the best service provider for this purpose, I will share what questions to ask a local SEO company before hiring them.
Do you have any case studies that are related to my SEO needs?
Many businesses enquire about an SEO firm’s past and current clients. Although that information is helpful, asking for case studies will benefit you more. Through case studies, you’ll see how the agency helped other local businesses achieve their SEO goals. You’ll know what steps and strategies they did and how they measure performance and success.
Plus, you’ll see what a successful local SEO strategy looks like. If the case study is related to your SEO needs, you can get an idea of how you want to execute your optimization strategy.
What’s your overall local SEO strategy for a business like mine?
Digital marketing agencies take different approaches to local SEO, depending on the nature of your business. Search optimization varies if you own a restaurant, salon, or retail store. It helps if the agency has experience in your industry. This way, they already know how your target market thinks and behaves, which can significantly improve your SEO strategy.
Ask the local SEO company what their usual approach is for a business like yours. It also helps to enquire about the SEO tools they use to power your strategy.
How do you execute an SEO mobile strategy?
Another vital question to ask a local SEO company is their mobile strategy. Mobile search is the most significant source of local traffic because of the spontaneous nature of local searches done on mobile devices. The SEO firm must implement a solid mobile strategy to make your local search optimization effective. Mobile SEO is very different from desktop SEO, so ask about the agency’s approach to mobile optimization.
What can I expect in your SEO reports?
Ask if you can see an actual report created for another client. This way, you can make sure that the agency has a valid and easy-to-understand method for reporting your local optimization campaign’s progress. You’ll also know what to expect and what to look for during every performance evaluation and reporting session by asking this question.
Here are some of the metrics you want to see in an SEO report:
- Rankings of each location
- New traffic for each location, as well as leads and conversion rates
- Reviews generated
- What do you need from us to be effective?
You also have a big part to play in making sure that your local SEO strategy is effective. SEO firms will give you a list of questions and data they need from you, including your audience, industry, goals, and existing optimization techniques, among others. They’ll also ask which digital marketing platforms your business is using because these can affect your SEO.
If the SEO firm doesn’t ask you such questions, that might be a red flag. It could mean that they’re relying on guesswork and superficial research. You don’t want that. You want actual, accurate data and insights powering your local SEO strategy to make sure that it’s relevant to your audience and your business.
Shop around for the most suitable company for your local SEO needs. You don’t have to choose the most popular agency, but you have to hire the one who understands and knows how to best tackle your optimization challenges.
If you are interested in SEO and digital marketing techniques, I am always open for consultations.
