What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a focus within Search Engine Optimization practices that looks at search results with a "local" intent. What is local intent? It's whenever a user is trying to find a service, product, or place that exists within driving distance of their current location. This can be a coffee shop, hardware store, dogsitters, or even a party bus service. What is NOT local SEO? When users are looking for things that are primarily found online. Think software, recipes, and news stories.
Before Local SEO
After Local SEO
Before Local SEO
When we started with this client, they were not ranked anywhere in the top results for each neighborhood. This means they could not be found.
46%
46% of all searches on Google have "local intent"
50%
50% of "near me" searches result in an offline store visit
62%
62% of consumers say they will disregard a business if they can’t find them online
Importance of Location-based Search Strategies
A large part of our day-to-day at Bluestem Media is focused on finding better ways to help clients gain local leads using search engines. Tactics change over time because search engines change. In fact, Google changes its algorithm several times per year. However, our strategy pretty much remains the same: funneling leads to your email inbox using what is working right now.
As a local business, you must have a strategy on how to compete against your local competitors. Your competition is likely scheming right now on how to take business from you. You can develop an edge and win more leads by using location-based strategies in SEO.
Let's talk about Local SEO.
Start a conversation with us about your needs, budget, and what results you would like to see in your area.
Key local services to help you target your area
Reputation management
Your reputation as a business plays a HUGE role in how you perform in search algorithms. We can help you improve and manage reviews, user-generated content, and display the best of your business!
Citation building & management
Our team can help identify key citations your website needs to help build the best context in your neighborhood, town, city, and state. We have a growing list of the best websites to build a local profile!
GPS-based data systems
Bluestem Media leverages GPS-based data to find how your website and local listing profiles are ranking, down to a specific block and neighborhood. We can see ranking history, who your competition is, and what things set you apart from other businesses.
Relevant content creation
Helping you craft content to post to Google Business, Facebook, blog posts, and even press releases to local news outlets.
Claiming local profiles
Helping you claim and set up internet profiles that connect with customers within your region.
Google Business Profile optimization
Google takes local SEO very seriously, and it's helpful to have a team help you navigate best practices, how-tos, and optimization of your Google Business Profile.
Google Maps optimization
Users leverage Google Maps to find local businesses, places to eat, coffee shops, and more. Often, this happens through Google Maps or the Google Maps app. We can help your business show up better in Maps!
Multi-location SEO strategies
As a business, you may serve multiple areas or have locations in multiple cities. Our SEO team will help you think through naming conventions, website landing page considerations, and even internal linking strategies - all to help your brick-and-mortar locations.
Doing business with people in your area
The core of local SEO is to better embed your business in the fabric of your community. You want to be known as THE #1 plumber, electrician, home cleaning service, engineering firm, etc. for your town or city. People do business with other people they know and trust. You can help build and maintain trust through search engines and online profiles.
Local SEO vs. National SEO: How do I tell the difference?
We get asked this question in SEO consulting calls. So our team figured, why not make an infographic?
Designing websites with your neighbors in mind
Aesthetics still matter BIG time as a local business. Just like a physical storefront, your digital storefront must be clean, well-kept, friendly, and inviting. This is why we work with our local SEO clients on ongoing web design and web development. Our team leverages our design experience to help improve CRO (conversion rate optimization)...because it's just as important to convert a lead as it is to gain a lead. We published two case studies on this topic: improving conversion rates on a website using brand identity updates and increasing pageviews on an eCommerce site by 800% using web design.
Multi-location SEO specialists
If you run a local business or franchise with more than one location (or desire to have more than one location) - this requires multi-location SEO. Things become more complex when new addresses, multiple internet listings, different staff, and multiple phone numbers are involved. "NAP" (name, address and phone) consistency across every website becomes even more important than if you are running one location. You need to essentially "teach" the search engines about the nature of your business that exists in more than one area. It's a lot to manage on your own.
We've worked with many businesses to develop multi-location SEO strategies to expand their footprint. Our local SEO team even helped one Florida-based company expand to a second location due to our SEO efforts. Another business we worked with offers local services, but on a regional scale. We helped them improve visibility and search traffic to over 80+ regional cities - with the effects of this campaign still improving today! has driven leads from all over the United States with our strategies.
A team built for local businesses
We are a local business, so working with other businesses on SEO strategy hits close to home. You will be working closely with our team with 30+ years of combined experience in web design, web development, search engine optimization, content marketing, and graphic design. Our approach is to be as down to earth as possible, and teach you new concepts you need to do more business. We would love to get on a call with you to help you get your local marketing strategies in order...even if it's just a quick 30-minute chat.
Bluestem Media is the top SEO agency Pensacola!
FAQ
We've worked with search engines since the beginning of our web design agency in 2013. It was important at the time to ensure websites interacted well from a technical standpoint with common search engines. We started a prototype of our SEO consulting subscription in 2015, but poured investment and resources into really building this part of the agency out in 2020. Since then, we have helped many businesses with search engine optimization and search engine marketing efforts.
Yes, one of our big initiatives in 2024 is to publish case studies on our work, especially with our SEO clients. There are two notable local SEO case studies, and a national case study:
On the topic of local SEO, we work with a lot of SMBs (small and medium sized businesses) and service-based businesses - because they drive 99% of their leads in their local area. We work with several electricians, HVAC professionals, financial advisors, home inspectors, etc. There are also other elements to localized search that we can do for multi-location businesses.
We study our own clients' data every day. Our team is checking in on metrics, ranking changes, indexing, competitor updates, etc. This forms our internal understanding of what is happening both on an individual client level, but also on the larger SEO trend level. We also continue to study trusted resources on SEO topics, including technical SEO, local SEO, reputation management, agency best practices, etc. Our goal is to be the best SEO agency possible.
We use a TON of different SEO tools to track different SEO metrics. We also provide a curated SEO dashboard each month with information on the number of website users, where these users come from (source), how long they are on the website (dwell time), ranking of core keywords, paid ad campaign CPC information, and more. It's customized to each client.
We published an Ethical SEO statement on our SEO agency page, which essentially states that we are a "white hat" SEO agency that only employs methods that conform to the standard practices and prescription of a good-faith search engine professional. This means we avoid fishy tactics and we take a long-term view of SEO. Our team stays up to date with the largest and key players in the search space, including Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. Our goal is to be a reputable, upstanding agency in the digital marketing realm.
Our team has done local work in North Dakota, Minnesota, Florida, and Alabama. We do a significant amount of work in the Florida panhandle, including Navarre, Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, etc. Our northern clients are primarily located in the Fargo, ND market. We will consult with you wherever your business is located, and we will add you to this list. 🙂