As you evaluate local SEO vs. global SEO, read up on the main elements of each and businesses that are ideal for each SEO method.
Choosing a strong SEO strategy depends on your goals. As you evaluate whether to use local SEO vs. global SEO, you’ll need to look hard at your business structure, who your customers are and how you do business.
Businesses whose aim is to bring in potential customers from a set geographical area benefit most from local SEO.
In contrast, businesses who benefit from selling their goods to customers around the world find that global SEO is beneficial.
If you’re still unsure if the best SEO strategy for your business, read on for a guide outlining the differences between the two and when to use each.
Local SEO optimizes your business’s online presence for a specific geographic area to bring them to a physical place. While the customer searches online for information about businesses near them, they are seeking ways to shop in store for their needs.
As the name tends to indicate, local SEO is about putting your business on a map so that customers near you can find your physical business location.
Businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence still need a strong online presence as well. Local SEO helps connect them with customers seeking information about the closest company near them. Even home business services can benefit from local SEO.
Other examples of businesses that find local SEO beneficial include the following.
While you can publish online ads to connect with customers, you’ll find local SEO has a better payoff in the long term. Here’s a look at the most compelling reasons to engage in local SEO if you have a business with a physical location.
Now you know the why behind local SEO. Learn the “how” to start seeing results from your efforts.
Head to your Google My Business profile and review the information. Ensure that it is complete and accurate. Try to include as much information as you can on your profile for the best results. Keep this updated regularly. Try adding sales and updates to your profile when relevant to keep it fresh.
Learn about the keywords that are most searched in your area to find products and services related to your business. Spend time understanding search intent to ensure your website can solve these queries for customers. Incorporate these terms into your website to provide more information to search engines to understand where you are located.
Find the most popular directories in your area. Then list your business in those directories. Be very careful to ensure that you use the same name, phone number and address across all listings. That way, it is consistent and easy for search engines to relate back to you.
Businesses with more reviews tend to rank higher. And not only that, once you show up in search results, customers will feel compelled to visit your business because they’ll know you meet their needs since you’ve met other customer’s needs.
You know your area and community like no one else. Demonstrate that know-how with local content that will resonate with your audience. Consider various types of content, including blogs, social media, videos and podcasts.
If you have more than one location, you might find that having location pages helps produce better results for your business because it will it clearer to search engines why they are seeing multiple locations for your business. And it will get those locations to the forefront of your SEO strategy.
While local SEO offers great value, it isn’t for every business. Global SEO, also known as international SEO, helps you optimize your website for welcoming visitors from all over. You might offer your website in multiple languages to people of various nationalities.
Global SEO is ideal for companies that offer national or international commerce. When your products or the content on your site appeal to people from all over, you might focus your efforts on global SEO.
Companies with a customer base that extends far beyond its brick-and-mortar location or physical address find that global SEO benefits their business.
Some reasons to consider global SEO include the following.
You’re ready now to take on a larger global audience. Here’s what you can execute to improve your global SEO.
Using country-specific domains will help you market your business in those countries. You can customize the content based on that country’s audience to ensure it resonates with your customers.
This tells Google what language your content will be in on each page of your website. That way you can present your content to a variety of audiences in their native language.
Complete your keyword research in a variety of languages to target the countries where you do business. That way, you ensure that your website is relevant in the various places you want to serve your customers.
Include local content in your marketing plans. That way, you can incorporate cultural elements and information for the various audiences you serve.
SEO is complicated and requires ongoing work to achieve the results you’re looking for. And if you stop working on your SEO, the results might diminish with time.
New Light Digital offers a team of experts in everything from SEO to content to help make your content resonate with your audience and achieve your goals. Schedule a free consultation now to learn about our local and global SEO services.
Further reading:
Wondering why you should care about other search engines besides Google? Here’s why this can be an important SEO strategy for your business.
Find a digital marketing services price list that can help inform budgeting for 2025 while achieving your goals. See real prices for services.
Learn the 10 local SEO tactics for multi-location businesses. Get help to start building your online presence and improving your ROI.
