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Written by Editorial Staff on August 20, 2022

Local SEO vs National SEO: What’s the Difference and Why it Matters

From boosting website traffic to building trust & credibility, understanding consumers' voices, impacting the buying cycle, and increasing engagement, traffic & conversions, SEO provides numerous benefits to your business. 

But merely investing in SEO won't provide you with any of the above results.

You must plan, create and implement an effective SEO strategy to get the best out of your SEO efforts. An SEO strategy that can help you achieve your business's unique digital marketing goals and objectives.

And that's where the Local and National SEO comes into play.

SEO is not just product-related keywords. It is location-related keywords as well.

If you don't tell search engines your business's location, they might categorize you on their own. That's why paying attention to local and national SEO strategies is crucial. 

With 8.5 billion searches per day, you can't assume that Google will show customers your exact location. 

We've created this blog to help you better understand local and national SEO.

By the end of this post, you'll learn the difference between local and national SEO, top tips to improve them, and strategies your business should focus on.

The Difference Between Local SEO vs National SEO

What is Local SEO

In a nutshell - Local SEO is to tell search engines where your business is located in a local area (city, town, or village).

As per the Gogulf research published in 2020, "93% of consumers used online searches to find a local business".

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the method of enhancing the search engine presence of local businesses, particularly those having a physical presence. By following local SEO best practices, businesses can increase their ranking and organic traffic from searches conducted by neighboring/local customers. Local SEO allows companies to promote their goods and services in front of local prospects and customers who are looking for them.

You can tell Google where your business is located by incorporating local SEO keywords on your website homepages, blogs, and product pages. For example, suppose you have an Indian restaurant in New York and use "Best Indian Restaurant Nearby" or "Top Indian Restaurant in New York" keywords in your content. In that case, Google will probably show your restaurant when someone searches for a restaurant in the New York area. 

Local SEO can be done via Google My Business, Yahoo Local Listings, or Bing Local Business Center. 

5 Tips to Improve Your Local SEO

After determining that your website requires local SEO, developing a plan for enhancing your local rankings and website traffic is important. Follow these 5 steps to create a successful local SEO strategy.

Optimizing your Google My Business profile is the first and foremost step in improving your local SEO. If you have testimonials from previous clients and keep current contact information and store hours, you will make it easier for new clients to find you.

Perform a local SEO audit of your website. Your audit must include Google My Business, Google Search Console, On-Page SEO, Citation, Competitor Analysis, and Website Audit.

Build locally relevant content and anchor text to maximize your link-building efforts. Outreach, directory & citation submissions, guest posting, and content assets are some of the many things you can do to earn local backlinks.

Create location pages as it provides readers with your business's name, address, phone number, hours of operation, parking and transportation options, and satisfied customers' reviews.

Promote local events, news, festivals, and other important things through your content to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field/industry.

What is National SEO?

National SEO is spending time, effort, and collaborating with national SEO providers to rank outside your local business locations. With national SEO, you want to rank for diverse keywords instead of geographically specific ones.

Let's say you own a fashion eCommerce store delivering products anywhere in your country. Because everything in this business is done digitally and on a computer, it doesn't matter where your clients are in the country. Since the number of online shops is growing rapidly, you can be sure that you won't run out of customers.

Although national SEO keywords are comparatively competitive, high-quality content and an effective SEO plan can help you stand out from the crowd and leverage the advantages of national SEO visibility. 

5 Tips to Improve Your National SEO

Following recommended practices can help your site rank higher in national searches:

Construct a successful national SEO plan before you begin implementing it. Without a solid basis, your SEO work may eventually dwindle or go in the wrong direction, hurting your site's traffic and sales. Ask yourself who my target audience is, what are my business goals & objectives, and what geographies I want to rank for?

Conduct broader keyword research. In an era of intense digital competition, national SEO provides tactics to broaden your company's nationwide reach. Boost your site's visibility in search results by using broad, specific, and long-tail keyword phrases.

Focus on link-building to increase your site's ranking on Google, you should increase the number of SEO-optimized internal links. If you don't use internal links properly, you'll end up with pages abandoned on the web.

Use the best national link to build strategies such as expert roundups, guest posting, local business directories, press releases, social media marketing, and high-quality content.

Keep tabs on your progress that can improve your national search engine rankings for your desired keywords. You need to monitor your SEO ranking to learn which keywords are producing the greatest and worst results. Google Search Console, SEMRush, Ahrefs, and a plethora of other SEO tools may be used for this purpose

Benefits of Local SEO

Local establishments struggled greatly in the early days of the internet when national chains dominated the market. This explains why people weren't investing much on the internet when traditional methods worked so well for them.

In contrast, Google debuted Pigeon in its initial iteration in 2014, giving regional businesses a fighting chance in search engine rankings. In a nutshell, Google began prioritizing nearby businesses to improve their position in local results.

It's a useful tool for local businesses to connect with customers in their area. But you still don't understand why every neighborhood business loves local search engine optimization. The process of optimization is simple.

Gaining more traction in a specific region is as easy as building inbound links to event sites in that area and using keywords that include geo-specific phrases. Your store's visibility and popularity will rise due to the increased number of people in the area searching for your service or product.

Let's look at some of the most important benefits of improving your business's local SEO.

  • High positions for local queries
  • Reach more customers
  • Improved visibility in your niche
  • Strong local community outreach
  • Better Conversion Rates
  • Less Advertising Costs
  • Build links with nearby businesses
  • Attract Loyal Customers
  • Gain possible repeat customers
  • Authority content that grabs visitors to your website
  • More effective incentive-based marketing campaigns.
  • Enhanced Brand's Reputation
  • Build trust and loyalty 
  • Bypass Your Competition
  • Create a User-Friendly Website
  • Continuous Business Growth
  • Ability to build a community
  • Boosting your ROI

Benefits of National SEO

Local SEO is important, but national SEO is essential for a company's long-term success. Every company needs a strategy for attracting new customers. Without an expansive SEO strategy, it may be challenging for any company to thrive.

Currently, business environments are very competitive. This demonstrates the importance of even a little edge. It's possible that the majority of your rivals have already implemented strategies to rank well in national search engines.

You need to invest in SEO on a national scale for your company since the brand's overall appeal is crucial to its reputation. Rapid expansion and widespread awareness are hallmarks of the most successful brands.

This will help them get recognition and ultimately, revenue. All companies should strive for global recognition and success. Improving your brand's visibility on a national scale is as simple as using SEO. People will have greater faith in your company, increasing sales. People are more inclined to interact with well-known companies.

Additionally, foreign customers might be attracted with the aid of national SEO. This might be the next big thing for your company if the product profile is solid. Having access to such a large pool of prospective customers is a huge boon for any organization. For companies that provide digital services, it's an even bigger plus.

Moreover going with a nationwide SEO strategy will increase the credibility of a business. With trust, you can build a positive feedback loop that can attract additional clients. In today's market, consumers are more likely to put their money into a well-known brand if it has a nationwide presence.

There are several practical advantages your company can get from implementing a national SEO strategy. Some of them are listed here.

  • Nationwide marketing
  • Analyzed website performance
  • Overcome local competitors
  • Enhance brand visibility and national awareness
  • Increased website traffic
  • Efficient result in the SERPs
  • Higher traffic
  • Consistent engagement
  • Better endorsement
  • Improved brand recognition
  • Improved user experience and usability
  • A positive online reputation

 Who Should Use - Local SEO vs. National SEO?

The best option ultimately depends on an individual business and its goals. 

Local SEO techniques are often more manageable than national SEO strategies, making them a good fit for smaller local firms. These businesses have the greatest potential for being discovered by local customers searching for immediate needs in their local city or town.

On the other hand, those businesses would benefit the most from a national SEO strategy that has a nationwide presence and can afford to expand their SEO efforts beyond their immediate area. For example, large corporations that provide a product or service to many parts of the country, state, or even multiple countries worldwide may find more value in National SEO than in Local SEO. Since a wider audience can be targeted with a national SEO strategy, the return on investment might be higher.

If you have more questions regarding SEO and what strategy you should follow, contact us here and we'll be happy to help you out.

I hope you found this article helpful.
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