Over the past few years, with the rise in Internet penetration & smartphone usage, Local SEO has grown remarkably. And although it may appear to be the same as organic SEO, it is quite different.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website in a bid to get higher local search rankings. Its key area of focus is to provide results that are relevant to the user, based on their current location. Now with local optimisation, small and medium scale enterprises stand a chance to make the most of search engine results.

Since the Pigeon update by Google in 2014, many entrepreneurs have reworked their search strategy to give Local SEO its due credence. And in the coming years, it will only become more impactful for businesses.

Here's why we think so:

Increase Online Presence: Google wants to help businesses increase their visibility online. It has even provided free tools - like Analytics, Webmaster Tools, among others, to help them.

Individualised Results: Once you login to your Google account, your search history and your geographic location. Both factor into the type of results you see. Over time with the demand for personalised search results increasing, the importance of local SEO will also grow.

Link Building & Social Sharing: Local SEO can be used to build potential partnerships, create links between them and also helps in social sharing.

Wearable & mobile devices: With the popularity of smartwatches and other wearable devices increasing, more searches will happen on the go. In such cases, local searches will grow.

Our Take:

Local SEO is a definitely a necessity in today's highly competitive business world.

With the ever increasing competition, local SEO will help business owners find smaller target niches in order to achieve relevant visibility, and increase their rank on Google. But remember, you must also ensure that your website is responsively designed and enhanced.