Local and National SEO Explained

Local and National SEO Explained by Tom Johnston

Local vs. National SEO Strategies: Which is the most efficient for your business?
For most business owners and internet marketers, the difference between Local and National SEO is one that can be confusing. What exactly are they? Which strategy is the most ideal for your particular case? Well, you might be asking yourself these questions and it can be hard to understand all the concepts and aspects of SEO let alone adding the complexities of national and local SEO.
Well, not to worry because this post is meant to address just that. We are going to shed light and help you understand each strategy, and it’s implication to an online or offline based campaign.

So, what exactly is National SEO and Local SEO?

We shall begin by simply defining the two, go through the basics and elaborate as we proceed.
National SEO is simply driving website traffic and conversions on a national level. National search engine optimization focuses more on brand and not on service or location, which is mostly the case with local SEO.
Local SEO, on the other hand, is driving traffic and conversions to a particular area. It’s location and service specific.
Keeping in mind that the search engines aim id to give relevant information, then it makes sense to have results that are closer to the location as they are in fact, more relevant. A search engine’s actual purpose is to give users relevant and informative information based on their queries. Over the past couple of years, they have become really great at it and so, the location is key to providing relevant results.
To put it into perspective, let’s say you are planning to spend your afternoon in Houston Rodeo, just to have your day cut short by an injury. So, you proceed to Google and search for
‘Urgent Care” but you get results for Austin, TX. So, will drive to Austin while clearly there’s urgent care service in Houston? No, simply the search engine has failed but lucky for us, they have adjusted for this. The above example ideally shows how important location can be for business as well. Without factoring in location into searches, our lives would simply be chaotic, and search engines would be a dreadful nightmare.
So, what sort of SEO campaign Does Your Business Need?
Well, the answer to this questions depends on a couple of things: the products that you are offering, the services you provide as well as your goals as a business owner. However, even businesses that have national objectives ought to include local SEO tactics if they want to succeed, given the search engines give results that are localized to the user’s location.

To determine which stage gives your business the most visibility, there are a few factors that you need to consider:

Factors For Local Search:
Local search is easier and quicker

Factors that affect visibility are impacted on whether your goal is to rank nationally or locally. SEOs employ local citations, relevant content and map listings to enhance visibility. Growing visibility in your area, depending on your niche and the size of the market basically takes three to six months. However, some businesses see quicker results while others take longer due to stiff competition with their keywords.

To penetrate your target market more, focus on long tail keywords as they tend to convert higher. SEO has no end, and it keeps changing. But what do I mean by long tail keywords? Well, take these two search queries for instance; “Car Repair” and “where can I get my transmission repaired quickly?” The second search query is more likely to lead to business for your car repair shop. The first query might be an individual who wants to learn something about car repair, or looking for a local car repair shop. However, the second term is specific. The individual wants their transmission fixed, and they want it done as soon as possible.
Less Competition
Ranking in a local market is less competitive. This is mainly because you are just competing with the nearby companies that offer the same services and not everyone around the world who provides the same services.
Less Authority

Gaining visibility on a local level is usually easier and quicker. This is particularly the case for newer companies, mainly because they do not require as much as domain authority. If your domain doesn’t have as much authority yet, then it would be wise to focus on your geographic location to start a client base.

Search engines give Local results, and users will only drive so far! This was mentioned earlier in the post, but it’s totally worth repeating. Yes, the search results that are closer to the user in a geographical sense are indeed more relevant. As a matter of fact, Bright Local carried out a survey that showed how far individuals are willing to drive to get to a local business. The results were astonishing…
Factors To Consider In National Search

More Comprehensive and More Complex Marketing strategies
In most cases, national SEO campaigns are usually a part of robust marketing campaigns that involve paid advertising, content strategies along with the local strategies you would employ(map listings, local citations and many more). As such, a longer time frame as well as a higher budget is to be expected.

National Brands
Ideally, you will be competing with national and even international brands such as Amazon, eBay, and the rest. Such companies have huge budgets and marketing departments, meaning it won’t be an easy ride.

Higher Competition

If you wish to rank on a national level, you will inevitably face more competition unless your niche is relatively new. You will be competing with the businesses who offer the same products and services nationwide.

What Businesses Need National SEO?

Well, to be honest, only a few need to employ a national SEO campaign. More so, a national campaign is one that utilizes a couple of local tactics along with a few added marketing strategies.