What are the benefits of hiring a local SEO agency?

The truth is that most businesses serve a local audience so working with a Digital Marketing Agency or SEO professional that understands where you live is vitally important.

You might be a builder or plumber from Rutherglen, maybe you run a bar or restaurant in downtown Glasgow, perhaps you own a hardware store or operate a mobile beauty salon around Clydebank.

The truth is you want to attract people from your local area through your website and focus on those who are likely to become customers or clients.

What is local SEO?

If you’ve ever been on a search engine like Google and entered a term like ‘best cafes in Glasgow’, you will most likely have been presented with a first page that contains a map along with various listings of the city area. Below this will be around 5 to 10 organic search results for bars, cafes and restaurants in and around Glasgow.

This first page is important because it’s most generally the only one that people searching the internet tend to look at. If your business isn’t displayed here, chances are it’s not going to be noticed at all.

Essentially, local SEO is designed to give you more than an odds on chance of appearing high in the rankings for searches. Create the right type of content and put in place all the appropriate SEO elements and your business entry should be one of the first people see when they go online and carry out a search.

Why hire a local SEO agency

There are plenty of marketing businesses online and you have the choice of using an agency from anywhere in the world. Many will make bold claims about what they can do for your online visibility, some are even quite good.

But there’s no real substitute for an SEO specialist who understands your local area. Having worked for clients across regions such as Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh and Dundee, I understand the benefits of local knowledge.

Knowledge of the area

It’s not just where the streets are and how your business fits into the local landscape but the way the people think and act. It’s also about understanding what’s important to them. SEO is more than just throwing a few keywords onto a page and hoping for the best.

If you’re looking to feature on local searches, it’s critical to know who the competition is and what helps you stand apart from them.

Easier to contact

A local SEO is much easier to contact and build a relationship with. Many agencies operate at arm’s length, often only contacting their clients when there is a problem or they need payment. Local SEOs can set up face to face meetings and get to know your business more intimately. They develop a real feel for what you are all about and bring this into their digital marketing including SEO.

A personal approach

We’ve all got used to working remotely in the past year because of the Covid pandemic. There’s no real substitute for the personal touch, however, and that’s what working with a local SEO expert brings.

Better SEO outcomes

Finally, I firmly believe that working with a local SEO specialist delivers the best outcomes and gives your business the perfect launching pad for attracting customers, selling your products or services or creating brand awareness online.

If you’d like to find how I can help your Glasgow business thrive online, contact me today.