Local SEO results
Like any marketing campaign, how long before you see local SEO results depends on several factors. If the business is the only one of its type for miles around then it is likely to rank number one almost immediately. I have come across this on many occasions. Most people reading this are likely to be in a more competitive situation and it will take longer.
What do we mean by “rank number one”. This means that when someone is searching for the main category used on your Google My Business listing in your area, your business appears in the first position. It is possible to rank number one for multiple categories (or keywords) and the more a business ranks for the better your Local SEO results will be. To use a phrase from Warren Buffet, the business has a stronger moat.
Ranking Factors
There are a number of local ranking factors, the importance of which constantly changes as the search engines amend their algorithms. There are many information sources online which may be too time-consuming for a business owner to study. Most of the factors have been mentioned in this blog series, such as Proximity (the location of the person searching in relation to the business).
We have mentioned Google My Business as the primary listing to have. To optimise the listing, a business will need to choose the correct category(s); add business images (correctly tagged); enter business hours; add links to website(s); post relevant content etc. Sometimes this is enough but usually more effort is required.
In addition to this, there are numerous high authority directories such as Yelp, that will help with ranking if set up correctly. Each one has its own processes, which are similar to optimising your Google My Business listing. These third-party listings are known as Citations.
So it will depend on things like the type of business, the competition, what the competition is doing in Local SEO, the number and authority of Citations and the extent to which the website is optimised for local search.
Speed of Local SEO results
When more effort is put in at the beginning of a Local SEO campaign, results are likely to be seen sooner. Depending on these factors, some businesses might see results as quickly as within the first week while others may wait months before seeing any significant results.
When the results are slow it pays to study the competition. Local SEO is a question of doing a slightly better job than your competitors. Once you are ranking number one for a category or keyword you can focus your efforts on the next most important one.
It is possible that off-site Local SEO efforts alone will not be enough. Some businesses have websites that they fail to set up to complement Local SEO. For instance, they may not display their address on their website, or they may have too little content for search engines to understand enough about their business. If this is the case then it will take much longer or may even be impossible to see the effects of Local SEO.
About MyLocal
We work with your website designer to improve your ability to be found in Google and other search engines. Also, to look good wherever you may appear online. We specialise in local SEO and most of our work is off-site. But there may need to be some on-site work undertaken by your webmaster to complement what we do. If you would be interested in finding out more, please use the Contact Form on our website.