When it comes to ranking a local business on Google, there are two main types of SEO: organic and local. But what’s the difference between the two?
Local SEO is all about optimizing your website for a specific geographic area. That means if you have a brick-and-mortar business, you want to make sure your website shows up in local search results when people search for the products or services you offer in your area.
Organic SEO, on the other hand, is about optimizing your website for the search engines—period. That means your goal is to rank as high as possible in the organic search results for the keywords that are relevant to your business.
There are a few key differences between local SEO and organic SEO, according to experts in digital marketing local business:
1. Keywords
With local SEO, you want to target keywords that include your city, state, or region.
For example, if you’re a plumber in Los Angeles, you want to target keywords like “plumber Los Angeles” or “Los Angeles plumbing.”
With organic SEO, you want to target keywords that are relevant to your business but don’t necessarily include your location.
For example, if you’re a plumber, you might target keywords like “plumbing tips” or “how to unclog a drain.”
2. Listings
Local SEO is all about claiming and optimizing your business listings on directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and Angie’s List.
These listings help your business show up in local search results. With organic SEO, there are no listings to claim or optimize.
3. Citations
Local SEO also relies heavily on citations—mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. The more citations you have, the higher you’ll rank in local search results.
With organic SEO, citations are less important, although they can still help your website rank higher.
The same difference is true for online reviews!
4. CTR
Local SEO typically has higher click-through rates than organic SEO, because people are more likely to click on a result that’s relevant to their geographic area.
5. Link building
Link building is important for both local SEO and organic SEO.
But with local SEO, you want to make sure you’re building links from websites that are relevant to your geographic area.
For example, if you’re a plumber in Los Angeles, you want to build links from websites that are about Los Angeles or plumbing.
With organic SEO, you can build links from any website, as long as the website is relevant to your business.
6. Geotargeting
Local SEO is all about geotargeting, which is the process of targeting a specific geographic area.
With organic SEO, you can target any geographic area, as long as the keywords you’re targeting are relevant to your business.
7. Budget
Local SEO is typically less expensive than organic SEO because you’re only targeting a specific geographic area.
With organic SEO, you’re targeting the entire world, which can be a more expensive proposition.
8. Results
Local SEO results typically show up much faster than organic SEO results.
That’s because it’s easier to rank high in local search results than it is to rank high in organic search results.
9. Conversions
Local SEO can be more effective than organic SEO at generating leads and sales because people who find your business in local search results are more likely to be ready to buy.
10. ROI
Local SEO typically has a higher ROI than organic SEO, because it’s a more targeted form of marketing.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about starting an SEO campaign for your business, you first need to decide whether local SEO or organic SEO is right for you, according to experts in local digital marketing business.
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, or if you want to target customers in a specific geographic area, local SEO is the way to go.
And, if you have an online business, or if you want to target customers all over the world, organic SEO is the way to go!
