If you’re a business owner in Newcastle looking to improve your online visibility, Local SEO is the key to reaching your target audience. By optimising your website and online presence for local search, you can attract more customers from your area who are actively searching for the products or services you offer.
With the right Local SEO strategy, you can increase your visibility in local search results, drive more physical and online traffic, ultimately growing your business. Whether you’re a small independent shop or a larger enterprise, investing in local SEO can make a big difference in your online success.
According to a recent study, 75% of customers don’t get past the first page of a Google search. Even worse news for business owners – 68% of ALL google search clicks are on the first FIVE organic results.
With only 10 organic results on a page, if your business isn’t high up the first page, you’re invisible to new customers.
Even the simplest SEO strategy can be enough to lift your business to the first page, yet most local businesses in Newcastle Upon Tyne ignore it.
We think they ignore it for one of two reasons:
1 – They don’t understand SEO and don’t know how to do it.
2 – They haven’t got the time (or patience) to implement a consistent SEO strategy.
In today’s digital age, where more and more customers turn to the internet to search for local businesses, optimising your online presence is critical for attracting new customers and driving growth.
And for many, local SEO is the answer.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of optimising your website in ways that help you rank higher 0n Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs), when customers are searching for location based products or services. A quick example, using ourselves:
Tyneside Marketing a local business focussed on the North East. We don’t care about attracting new customers in London or Manchester. We do care about finding new customers in Newcastle. Instead of optimising our website for anyone looking for an “SEO Agency”, which would attract customers across the UK and be hard to compete with, we build our content around customers searching locally, for things like “SEO Agency in Newcastle”, or “Marketing Agency in the North East”. This more we can do this, the more it shows Google that our business is relevant to customers in Newcastle, helping us ranking higher on those searches.
When a customer searches for a specific product or service in their area, a Local SEO strategy helps to show your business high in the results, increasing your chances of being seen and attracting new customers.
Why is Local SEO Important for Newcastle Businesses?
Local SEO is vital for businesses with a physical location or that serve a specific geographic area. Like our client David Smith Decorating. David and his team don’t want calls from customers in Liverpool or Edinburgh. That doesn’t help anyone. By understanding the locations they serve, like North Tyneside, we structure their content around those communities, like Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and North Shields.
By optimising your website and content for local searches, businesses can:
- Increase visibility in search results: When people in your area search for products or services you offer, your business will have a higher chance of appearing in the top results, leading to more website traffic and potential customers.
- Drive foot traffic to your store: Local SEO can help potential customers find your physical location more easily, increasing the likelihood of them visiting your store and making a purchase.
- Boost brand awareness: By building a strong online presence, you can increase brand recognition and establish your business as a trusted source of local products or services.
How Does Local SEO Work?
Google uses a variety of factors to determine the ranking of local businesses in search results. It ultimately comes down to how relevant you are to what the customer is searching for. Keyword Research is a critical step in figuring that out, which we discuss in the next article.
For now though, here’e what Google wants to see:
- Google My Business (GMB) profile: Your GMB profile is a crucial part of your local SEO strategy. Ensure your GMB profile is complete, accurate, and optimised with relevant keywords.
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone) accuracy: Google wants to ensure that the information it displays is accurate and up-to-date. Ensure that your NAP information is consistent across all platforms, including your website, Google My Business profile, and local directories.
- Local citations: Local citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. The more you are cited on reputable local websites, the higher your authority and visibility.
- Reviews: Positive reviews from satisfied customers build trust and credibility for your business, driving more people to your website and store.
- Local content marketing: Creating high-quality content that is relevant to your local audience can help attract organic traffic and establish your expertise in your industry.
- Consistent content: Google wants to see regular, consistent content, otherwise your competitors will appear more relevant which will push you down the rankings.
Are you ready to take your Newcastle-based business to the next level? Local SEO is the key to unlocking your potential in the local market. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can connect with more customers who are actively looking for the products or services you offer. A customized local SEO approach can significantly improve your visibility in local search results, attract more traffic, and ultimately drive your business forward. Whether you’re a small independent shop or a bustling enterprise, embracing local SEO can make a real difference in your online success.
If you don’t want to work with a local SEO Agency in Newcastle and would prefer to tackle Local SEO on your own, there are a few specific things you can do today to help boost you rankings. These include Updating your Google My Business Page, Keyword Research, Content Optimisation and more.
You can read all about them in our next article in this Local SEO series.
