As a local business, hiring a local SEO agency is important to help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). A local SEO agency can help you optimize your website for local search terms and improve your visibility in the local search results. Additionally, a local SEO agency can help you create and maintain listings on local directories and review sites, improving your local visibility.
Why offshore agencies don’t cut it
There are hundreds of so-called offshore SEO agencies ready to undercut local agencies. You should be incredibly wary of the solutions they offer. As is often the case with cheaper SEO solutions, you get what you pay for.
Offshore SEO agencies have little understanding of your local market and how you operate. This often leads to content misaligned with your brand and purpose and out of touch with your reader. They also like to produce work cheaply, which leads to poor recommendations and bad technical analysis.
All of these factors can cost you more in the long run. In the case of local SEO agencies, you get good, accountable work with a more thorough understanding of your local market
There are many benefits to hiring a local SEO agency, but some of the most important include:
1. Improved visibility in local search results
Local SEO agencies know what it takes to help you outrank your local competition. They’ll only give you bespoke strategies that can help you beat your competition where they work. Local agencies will ensure your website is optimized from both a technical and creative standpoint to maximize your position.
2. Optimised website for local search terms
Local search terms are incredibly important to a business’s success in local SEO. It’s probably the most important aspect of the discipline. Local SEO agencies know how your audience searches and have the tools to produce keyword research that responds to these searching behaviors.
For example, an offshore agency may not be able to distinguish between ‘Adelaide’ and ‘Adelaide Hills,’ leading to poorly optimized content for a range of localities.
3. Creation and maintenance of local listings
A Google My Business listing is essential for local SEO visibility. Neglecting to have a listing can be incredibly detrimental to your brand, especially if you’re a brick-and-mortar service provider.
Local SEO agencies will create and manage your local GMB listing. They’ll also produce location-based pages to help you expand your visibility into locations surrounding your location.
4. Improved reputation management
It’s hard to manage a business’ reputation from an overseas posting. Offshore agencies lack the knowledge and nuance to respond to issues. Furthermore, time zone differences between your business and your offshore agency can mean costly delays to reputation management.
Onshore agencies can also produce campaigns and solutions that improve your reputation in your local area. They can produce articles that help you stand out and secure features and links from local publications to get you in front of more people.
5. More traffic and more sales
These factors can come together to drive more traffic and sales to your business. Traffic and sales are two of the most important metrics for local SEO success, and your local SEO agency should be accountable for their results.
