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Local search engine optimisation is critical to the success of your business. Yet it is a service that many outsource to the lowest bidder regardless of where they are located. However, many businesses fail to consider the importance of working with local search engine optimisation firms. Here are the reasons you should work with a local company for your local SEO instead of hiring the cheapest foreign talent.
The Language
One of the most important reasons to work with a local company for local SEO is that they literally speak your language, and more importantly, that of your customers. They use the same dialect and spelling as your customers, giving it a far more authentic feel than copy written by someone who barely speaks English. Hiring local SEO companies certainly avoids the penalties search engines issue when the content has such bad spelling and grammar that it looks like it was machine spun.
Local Knowledge
One of the benefits of working with a local SEO company is its working knowledge of the area. SEO Belfast experts know which landmarks tourists are visiting and searching off of when searching for vendors relative to the landmarks locals use when walking or driving. They will be able to integrate local SEO search terms into pages explaining where free parking is located while giving the correct information instead of a summary pulled off potentially obsolete websites. This is aside from little mistakes like prices in the wrong currency and incorrect acronyms that turn off readers.
Another area where this will be a benefit is when searching which business directories your customers use to find you. An overseas firm that may not have actual knowledge of your city may focus on tools and website they’re familiar with like Google Maps and Google’s business directories instead of the business directories your customers are most likely to use.
Google is Gradually Shifting to Personalised and Localised Results
There was time when the search engine results were static and didn’t take location into consideration. You could be anywhere in the country and get the same results on searches. However, Google has been taking a turn towards personalised and local searches which has changed how you should approach SEO. Not only can you rank more realistically on the first page, but your map results will show on page one as well. Now, if you own a small pet shop on the east side of town, you can still have a chance of ranking in the top results.
This is why it’s essential that you work with a local SEO firm that is familiar with the city in which you’re located.
The Local Media
A local SEO company knows which newspapers, bloggers, personalities and publications carry the most weight with your customers. They know which reviews by sources your audience will consider legitimate to promote on social media and who to solicit reviews from that both search engines and potential customers will read.
In contrast, a foreign SEO firm may draft fake testimonials perfectly tailored for local SEO that visitors will gloss over because it is so clearly fake. Local SEO companies will already have relationships with bloggers in your area and even influencers on social media to generate positive reviews, and most importantly, social media buzz that is focused among your immediate area.
The Law
When you’re hiring a service provider to redesign your website or improve your off-page SEO, a local SEO firm knows the rules that your site needs to abide by. They understand the privacy policies and terms of service wording your website needs to use to avoid legal problems. They understand what digital marketing tactics are legal in your nation versus those that can lead to a libel lawsuit or deceptive advertising suit.
Conclusion
Working with an SEO firm located in your city has many advantages when it comes to local SEO. Local SEO firms speak and write the same language as your audience and share the local knowledge that makes local SEO work. They also know the local media and may already have the connections necessary to generate highly regarded reviews for your business or product.
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