Local Search Content Creation As A Part of Your SEO Strategy

SEO Driven Content Creation for Your Local Business

What is content?

The answer to “What is content” is not a satisfying one. According to Joan Damico of G+, content is defined broadly as “any communication in any medium that serves a purpose, whether it be to influence, educate, inform, warn, express one’s self or spark conversation within a given context.” In other words, content is anything shared with a purpose. 

The most common types of content consumed are visual, textual, and auditory. Visual content includes images like photos, graphics, and video. Textual content could include tweets, Facebook posts, blogs, static website copy, and even customer reviews. Auditory content encompasses things like music, podcasts, and book readings. However, as mentioned before, content can really be anything created and shared.

However, while content can be anything, it is important to create, as well as, curate your content. Every piece of content your business shares should serve a purpose and appeal to a specific audience. Yes, any content is better than no content, but the difference between posting just any content and good quality content is infinitely greater.

What is local SEO?

SEO itself is the practice and process of optimizing websites in order to boost search engine ranking position (SERP) and maximize search engine visibility. Local SEO, therefore, is SEO that helps your business be more visible in local search results. This includes location specific searches, near me searches, local packs on Google Search, and results on Google Maps. 

Location modified search

Location modified searches include queries like “moving and storage Santa Rosa”. Google will choose results most relevant to both the base query “moving and storage” and the location modifier “Santa Rosa”. The results shown are specific to the location mentioned whether that’s a city, state, county, or street. These results can vary based on additional processing by search engine’s algorithm to determine search intent. Is the user looking for a moving and storage company to conduct business with? Are they interested in learning more about different storage service contracts? Is the user trying to find a specific type of storage service for a wine collection or valuables?

Near me search

“Near me” searches are fairly self-explanatory: “moving and storage near me”. In these types of searches, the search engine will fetch results based on the base query “moving and storage” and the user’s geolocation. So results are specific to the user’s location.

Local pack

Local pack results are search engine specific and depend on how relevant a given search engine determines your business is to a query such as “moving and storage”. The results returned are first determined by their relevance to the query and an additional transactional filter. Often, these results imply that the user is looking to conduct business in the near future.

Search Engine Maps

The last category of local searches is results returned by the Maps platform of a search engine such as “moving and storage”. If a location is not specified by the user, search engines like Google will center the results on a user’s general geolocation.

As the user moves the center of the map, results will change. So if a user begins a general search of “moving and storage” in their area, and then zooms into a specific neighborhood, the results returned on the left will shift.

How does local SEO driven content benefit your business?

Local SEO improves local visibility

By utilizing a location specific content creation strategy, you can improve the correlation between your business, your business’s industry, and your business’s location. Good SEO-driven content demonstrates your business’s expertise in regards to a keyword or topic. Good local SEO-driven content demonstrates your business’s expertise and grounds it to a specific service area.

For example, compare one article titled “What to look for in a good wine storage facility” versus “We rank the best facilities to store wine in Sonoma County”. Which article do you suspect someone searching for wine storage in Santa Rosa, CA is more likely to read? The location specific article! The first article is well written for the purpose of illustrating what a good wine storage facility should look like. The second article on the other hand is perfectly written for the purpose of attracting users looking for wine storage in Sonoma County. Your content may reach fewer readers, but those readers will be of higher quality.

Local SEO drives business

Local search is becoming increasingly more prevalent as people depend more on mobile devices to navigate both the internet and the real world. And oftentimes, when users engage in local search, they are much farther down the marketing funnel. This means they are far more likely to convert or make a purchase. 

Again, let’s take a look at the previous example comparing  “What to look for in a good wine storage facility” versus “We rank the best facilities to store wine in Sonoma County”. The first article is very generic in terms of purpose and audience. Is it written for someone trying to build a wine storage facility? Is it written for someone interested in storing wine? Furthermore, where is the searcher? SInce the article does not specify a location, the audience this article reaches could be located across the globe from where the business is located.

On the other hand, the second article is specific in terms of intent and location. The title itself makes many assumptions which benefit the quality of the content. The article is written for someone who 1) wants to store wine, 2) is local to Sonoma County, and 3) wants a professional opinion. Which article is more likely to attract and convert a user? The location specific article!

Local SEO builds EAT

If your business is already invested in a sound SEO strategy, then you should already understand the importance of building expertise, authority, and trust (EAT). The more trusted your business is in your industry, the more likely potential customers are to choose you over the competition. In order to isolate high quality potential customers you have to target them with content that appeals not only to the search intent, but is also local to them. Furthermore, building EAT directly affects SERP, although Google may claim otherwise. That is because publishing niche written, higher quality content in general is going to rank better than generic low quality content. 

Local SEO Driven Content Creation for Digital Marketing in Santa Rosa

Local SEO-driven content creation is a very important asset for local businesses looking to meet any number of business objectives. Not only does it improve the overall quality of your business’s content, but it also attracts local customers. If you’re already considering content creation as a part of your SEO strategy, then you should also consider local-SEO content creation. Not only will it stretch your marketing budget by targeting a higher quality audience, it will also boost your business’s visibility in the local context.

West County Net understands the importance of a local SEO strategy in our increasingly mobile world. As users increase the number of searches they complete on the go, the more important it becomes for your business to be visible in local and near-me queries. Contact our digital marketing experts today to discuss a local-SEO strategy that’s right for your Sonoma County business.