Your company has had a website for quite some time now. It is not producing the results you were expecting, so you think it might be time to hook up with an SEO provider. Some of your colleagues have recommended going with a local company. You take that advice and Google ‘SEO services near me’. That’s a good first step.
Hooking up with a local SEO provider is smart, especially if the vast majority of your customers are also local. But the term ‘local’ means different things to different people. How local should your SEO provider be? Should you be looking for someone in the same ZIP code, the same county, or perhaps the same region?
There really is no way to answer the question using artificial borders or ZIP codes. A better way to tackle it would be to understand why working with a local company is important. Based on those reasons, you can make the decision of how close you want your provider to be.
5 Reasons for Going Local
Googling ‘SEO services near me’ will probably return more than a dozen companies you can look at. For example, Webtek Digital Marketing is just one of several companies offering SEO services in Salt Lake City and throughout the state of Utah. Why might you consider hiring Webtek? Here are the top five reasons for going local:
- Local Knowledge – A company located in the same geographic region is staffed by people who have local knowledge. They live and work in the same area, so they know your customers better than a company clear across the country.
- Better Relationships – Good business is built on good relationships. It is easier to build those relationships when you’re working with companies in the same geographic region.
- Flexibility – Because a local company is in the same time zone in the same region, they will be more flexible to your needs than a company in another state. Flexibility is important in the modern business environment.
- Keyword Research – A local company should be better versed in conducting keyword research around locally familiar terms. Keywords are everything in SEO, so that local knowledge is a tremendous help.
- Business Impact – Hooking up with a local provider supports the local economy. Everyone wins when all the businesses in town do well.
With these five reasons to go local on the table, think about how each one affects you and the provider you eventually choose. Maybe your business is located in a major metropolitan area with dozens of suburbs and millions of residents. Your definition of local might be within the same ZIP Code. If not, at least you want your provider in the metro area.
On the other hand, maybe you’re located in a midsize city with fewer suburbs and a larger rural population on the outskirts. Perhaps you want an SEO provider with more experience serving the entire county.
A Provider Who Can Reach Your Customers
This all boils down to a remarkably simple principle: you ultimately want an SEO provider capable of reaching your customers. That’s why you are googling ‘SEO services near me’ to begin with. Find a provider who knows the local area and those who live there. Find one who has experience supporting local businesses.
Keeping things local can make an enormous difference if your company relies heavily on a local customer base. The idea of focusing on local SEO is to get your website in front of as many people as possible. You want those people to be highly likely to need the products or services your company sells.