Timmy takes out his laptop and Googles “furniture store.” He clicks on a promising match—until he realizes it’s in Utah. He revises his search and Googles “furniture store in Worcester, MA.” After searching through the first few results, he finds the perfect couch at a great price. Now all he has to do is go to the store and pick it up.
Local search engine optimization allows businesses with real-world locations to avoid competition outside of the country, state, or town. With a carefully selected keyword such as “furniture store in Worcester MA,” a search engine determines that the user is looking for businesses in a specific location. Furthermore, local SEO assists in placing businesses in local directories that users can search from, which brings even more traffic to the website.
But why did Timmy trust one of the first furniture stores he found on his search? Websites with proper local optimization will be seen as more authentic to a big search engine like Google. As one of the first results, Timmy didn’t bother looking any further once he found what he wanted. This is a huge benefit for local businesses.
Mobile phones use a similar type of search as search engines when trying to find local results. Once Timmy gets to the store, he discovers that the couch isn’t dog-friendly and decides to look elsewhere. He takes out his phone and searches for furniture stores nearby. Two hours later, he’s driving home with a new couch.
Timmy demonstrates the importance of a carefully executed strategy for internet marketing in Worcester. Local SEO attracts people who are likely to become customers, unlike the first furniture store Timmy found in Utah. He had never heard of the store he bought his new couch from, but now he has the perfect place to watch TV with Buddy.
Timmy is happy, his Pug is happy, and the local business is successful all thanks to local SEO.