What is the Difference Between National & Local SEO?
In a nutshell, local SEO focuses on enhancing your website’s visibility in local search results, catering to specific geographical areas, such as counties, towns, cities, or villages, and is especially suited for small, local businesses and tradespeople. On the other hand, national SEO will have a broader reach across a whole country, such as the UK, and is particularly suited to larger, more established businesses.
Local vs National SEO
No matter what you may think about Google, Search Engine Optimisation is a technique that every business needs, regardless of how small or large you may be. Both national and local SEO have their own benefits, and choosing the right strategy for your business will vary depending on where you are willing to travel for work, your target audience, the size of your company, whether you are a sole trader, independent business or part of a franchise, among other variables.
Either way, in a world where your customers are virtually living on their phones and using search engines to find almost anything, whether in their local area or as a broader reach, you will want your business to be found on the first page of search results. But how do you get there?
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a strategy for boosting your website’s visibility and getting it to the top of local Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). It involves targeting locations, such as a village, town or city, for a precise area or a county for a slightly broader outreach. For example, if a potential client searches for your type of business or service in an area you work in, you’ll want to appear on the first page of Google, at the very least.
This technique is incredibly beneficial for tradespeople, small to medium businesses, and local service providers looking to attract customers in the specific area or vicinity they are willing to travel to. How many times have you searched for a tradesperson or services “near me”?
What Does Local SEO Involve?
The processes involved in local SEO and national SEO often overlap, so don’t treat each one as absolute. Both will benefit from the following:
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an essential part of local SEO. This will give you an insight into the specific terms or phrases local people are searching for and help identify the search volume for these queries.
Each of your services should have its own dedicated pages and target specific keywords tailored to your location, and you’ll ideally want to pick the keyword with the highest search volume per month. This will help you appear in search results when potential clients Google these particular phrases or words (or Bing or Yahoo!) and increase the amount of organic traffic to your website.
Geopages
If you hadn’t guessed, local SEO involves optimising your website for specific areas. This can be done by tailoring your overall website for your primary location and then creating unique landing pages called Geopages for each additional location you want to target.
This strategy can help your business rank higher on search engine results pages when someone searches for a specific keyword or keyphrase, such as “plumber near me.” It is crucial that your Geopages are user-focused and provide real value to your readers rather than just aiming to please Google.
Additionally, including “Areas We Serve” or “Areas We Cover” pages that link to your Geopages is a great way to show the areas where your business is available to work.
Optimising Content
Geotagging your website’s images and videos is an effective way to signal your location and the areas you serve to Google and other search engines. In addition, integrating your location’s name, as well as relevant information about the local area, throughout your written content will further reinforce this.
Why not add a map to your website to indicate the location? For example, you don’t want Google to get confused between Plymouth in the UK and Plymouth in the USA! This is a great way to ensure that you’ve optimised your website for the right location.
Google Business Profiles
In addition, establishing a Google Business Profile is essential for increasing visibility in local searches. By accurately and consistently updating your profile, you can ensure that potential customers can easily find and engage with your businesses. This way, you can also appear in the “Three Pack”, which is a list of businesses that appear below the map when you search on Google.
Getting your customers to leave reviews on your profile is another excellent way to help boost your local SEO efforts. This not only builds trust for your potential clients, much like the modern-day version of word-of-mouth recommendations, but it also indicates to Google that you are doing something right!
Local Listings
It is important to let people know where your business is located or where you are available to work. You can do this by including a link to your website in carefully selected online listings and directories that are well-regarded by Google. When a reputable website links back to yours, it’s like a vote of confidence for your site.
Consistency, accuracy, and completeness of your business details across all online platforms are essential. Your business name, address, and phone number (also known as NAP – no time for sleeping, though!) should be the same everywhere online. This helps Google understand that all the information refers to the same business and where it is based.
What is National SEO?
National SEO is vital for businesses aiming to reach a broader audience across the UK. While competition may be higher, this approach is ideal for medium to large businesses with an established presence and the capacity to serve clients nationwide.
What Does National SEO Involve?
It is important to note that local and national SEO techniques can often be used interchangeably, and the following processes may still be relevant to local SEO. However, national SEO will likely take more time and patience. If you are new to this, you might want to begin with a focus on local SEO, like Geopages, and then gradually expand the scope of your website.
Keyword Research
By optimising your website to rank for specific keywords, much like local SEO, you can attract more potential customers. However, your keywords won’t target specific locations. Make sure that the keywords you choose are relevant to the users’ search intent. Whilst the search volume of a particular keyword may be high, maybe Google it to see the other kinds of search results that pop up.
High-Quality Content
Remember, achieving higher rankings through Search Engine Optimisation takes time and consistent effort. The more dedicated effort you invest in, the better the results you can expect. By consistently creating reliable, accurate, and valuable content, such as blog posts or service pages, as well as regularly updating your website, you increase your chances of ranking higher on search results pages, although it is not guaranteed.
Google may assess your website’s quality based on your Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT), but this won’t directly impact your rankings. Demonstrating your experience, knowledge, authority, and trustworthiness in the services you cover can help establish trust with your clients or readers.
High-Quality Backlinks
A backlink from a high-quality site is like a “vote” for your site. The more backlinks you have from trusted websites, the more likely search engines will like what you have to say. If you are writing high-quality content that is worth sharing on authoritative websites, you must be doing something right, and Google will be able to see that, too!
On-Site, Off-Site and Technical SEO
There is a lot involved in SEO-optimising your website, both locally and nationally, including on-site, off-site and technical SEO. On-site SEO, also known as on-page SEO, includes optimising everything on your website so that it is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly and engaging. On the other hand, off-site or off-page SEO involves everything that occurs off of your website, such as backlinks, listings, social media, and reviews. Technical SEO involves everything that goes on behind the scenes in order for your website to be discovered by Google and ranked high on SERPs.
If you want to learn more about SEO, make sure to check out our blog posts: What is SEO?, How Much Does SEO Cost in the UK?, Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring for SEO, What Are the Different Types of SEO Companies or Providers?, and Finding an SEO Company for Your Trades Business.
What Are the Pros & Cons of Local & National SEO?
There are many advantages, as well as disadvantages, to local and national SEO. Both of these will benefit your business greatly through increased organic traffic to your website (which is completely free, by the way!). This, in turn, contributes to more phone calls, quote requests, and paid work. However, they do require ongoing effort and commitment, as SEO is not something you can just stop and start.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Local SEO
If you want to establish yourself as a reliable and trusted tradesperson or service provider, local SEO is a great way to reach customers in your local area and build your reputation within the community. Additionally, if people are searching for local service providers, chances are they are not just looking for the sake of it; they will likely need your services urgently or sooner rather than later. (That’s a win for conversions!)
As you are solely focusing your efforts on specific locations, local SEO tends to be more cost-effective than national SEO, as the local market may be less competitive than nationwide searches.
However, if you want to be found in a densely populated area, such as London, there will be a higher level of competition compared to small towns or villages and potentially trickier to rank higher on search results pages. Additionally, with lower populations in smaller areas, you will have a lower volume of people searching for particular search terms or phrases and, therefore, fewer potential customers.
Advantages & Disadvantages of National SEO
On the other hand, national SEO has the benefit of reaching and attracting more potential customers across the country, which, in turn, contributes to even more leads, phone calls, quotes, and revenue for your business. Once you have managed to get onto the first page or even the top of SERPs, your website will have an established brand and increased visibility throughout the UK. (This is not an easy task!)
However, when you are competing against businesses from all over the country, it will take more time and effort to reach your desired spot on Google, especially with so many more competitors than local regions. It’s certainly not guaranteed, especially when your competition is investing in SEO, just like you. Additionally, search algorithms are constantly evolving, and what works today might not work next month after a Google update. Just because you reach the top spot on SERPs, doesn’t mean you will stay there.
Looking for a National or Local SEO Company?
So, there you have it: a rundown of local SEO vs national SEO! We hope that the above has helped you make an informed decision on which type of SEO is best for your business. If you opt for national SEO, a combination of both may be the way to go.
Plus, if you are in need of an SEO Company for SEO services, including both local and national SEO, look no further than the Web Design and SEO Company! Whether you are a tradesperson or an independent business, we can help you with your needs. Whilst we are based in Plymouth, we work with numerous businesses and tradespeople across the country.
However, please note that due to the complexities of optimising an existing website, we only offer SEO services for sites we have built ourselves.
Get in Touch
If you are interested in our SEO-optimised Websites and SEO Services, head to our Online Shop for Websites for Small Businesses and Tradesmen. Alternatively, if you have unique functionality and/or styling requirements, Book a Call with us for a Bespoke Website Design.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to explore our Knowledge Hub, where you’ll find FAQs and useful resources, such as Blogs, Videos, and even eBooks on choosing the right website design company and SEO agency for your Trades or Small Business.
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