Local SEO - Is it still worth it?

Hopefully, everyone is having a great day.

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I was wondering, is local SEO still a good thing to focus on?

If you search for a term like 'Photographer' in Google, you first get 4 Ads taking up all the real estate, followed by Google My Business, which is also taking up all the real estate on the next scroll. To only then find an organic link, mostly ranking #1 with an EMD.

As a complete beginner (Seo-wise) I have no idea if it is actually worth my time to try to rank above the first organic link.

What do you think? Does it still get a lot of clicks? Or are these Ads & GMB listings 'stealing' all the traffic?

Thanks in Advance!
- Jeff

Now that the other side of the world is awake.

Can anyone clarify this? :S

This might be interesting if someone who is doing it answers.

Perhaps @Holzr can chime in??

I'm not an expert at local SEO, so I don't know for sure. However, what you're referring to with the ads and GMB listing I think mostly happens in the US market... or tier 1 countries anyway.

Everywhere else local SEO should be working quite nicely I'd guess.

tazarbm said:

I'm not an expert at local SEO, so I don't know for sure. However, what you're referring to with the ads and GMB listing I think mostly happens in the US market... or tier 1 countries anyway.

Everywhere else local SEO should be working quite nicely I'd guess.

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Yeah I have no idea how google’s interface looks like for other countries, thanks for clarifying.

I’m indeed asking this question for T1 countries.

That really depends.

If you're run a local (physical) business, then it's absolutely worthwile to do.

But then it depends on the service you provide.

If people search for a "photographer near me" they likely search for a studio where they can come for a photoshoot.

But how many people search for a "wedding photographer near me" - probably not many, as in this case physical proximity doesn't matter as much.

Long story short. If you have a place where people can come to you - take an effort to work on Local SEO.

If you're not offering any physical location - then I'd still setup Google My Business (for reviews etc), but in this case you probably shouldn't invest too much time in Local SEO, as location is not your top priority.

I would mix serp and gmb together, if im not satisfied with the results I would pay ads

It highly depends on the business and niche you´re in. I think local SEO is critical for small service businesses.

Roger Marquez said:

It highly depends on the business and niche you´re in. I think local SEO is critical for small service businesses.

Click to expand...

why u think that?

Yes. Still very much worth it, even for nonlocal businesses but it has to fit your business model

DD99 said:

why u think that?

Click to expand...

Well, small service businesses don´t have the structure nor the logistics to cover a nation-wide market and, therefore, need to focus on circumventing areas of a state, city, or county.

So, as a result of this, they need to focus on local SEO. This way, they will be able to...

• Attract high-quality and relevant leads
• Let people find their businesses a lot easier
• Improve your businesses reputation
• Build trust and authority a lot faster

Because of this and, for many other reasons, Local SEO is a vital part of a business's online presence.

For those who are still wondering if it is worth it - (Like I did)

Here are some metrics I found:

• First Ad gets around 8% of clicks
• Second Ad around 6%

• First GMB listing around 16%
• Secound around 12%

• First Organic link around 25%

Have a great day.

It's definitely worth it.

- Google is always changes how they display searches from local listings. Sometimes it's by map listings, sometimes by GMB or other factors. Making sure that you have your ducks in a row keeps you competitive no matter what they decide to do next to promote local businesses.
- Some customers prefer to support businesses local to them, even if the service they want doesn't necessarily depend on where the service provider is located. Just a stimiluate the local economy type of thing that many people feel strongly about.
- Being local and having good reviews means that even though you might be a small business you might be top dog for that niche within a certain miles radius. Big fish in a small pond.
- Ranking within local websites may be easier than trying to rank against big companies on the more worldwide websites. Easier on the budget too.
- All of those local citations improve your trust factor with Google and clients.

Local SEO works. Ads definitely have priority on Google while you are searching. But Local SEO is a long term investment and lead generation.