Organic SEO vs Local SEO Guide

Organic SEO is the process by which businesses aims to get to the top of Google search rankings to drive targeted visitor traffic to their website. 

Organic SEO consists of undertaking smaller sub-strategies, such as keyword research and citation building, that helps your website rank at the top of the organic - i.e.'unpaid' - search engine results pages. Organic SEO matters because it is estimated that around 75% of searchers don’t even click past the first page of results.

Google use an algorithm to evaluate all websites and creates a list of organic search results – also known as Search Engine Result Pages or SERPs. Those organic search results are extended with Google’s suggestion to find results on specific directories, such as Tripadvisor or Facebook too. 

• Generates relevant and targeted visitors to your website 
• Google's higher ranking indicates greater credibility, authenticity and authority
• More effective than PPC (e.g. Google Ads) as listing is based on sound SEO not cost
• Performance is easy to measure, making SEO activities scalable

Organic Search Ranking Factors 

The more time and effort you invest in search engine optimisation and improving your website structure and creating content that matches your customer intent, the greater the chances of your business website featuring higher in organic search engine rankings, and pushing your competitors further down the listings. 

Studies show that 99.1% of clicks on positions 1 to 10 stem from organic searches. So if your website ends up on the second page, you’re considered virtually invisible.

Building internal links between individual pages of a website makes it easier for Google to crawl and index web pages and content. Its software known as web crawlers or spiders automatically and continually searches across the internet and creates an index of websites. The search engine results are then listed based on this index.

The number and quality of external links (known as ‘backlinks’) that a business website receives from other websites give Google an indication of its authority and trustworthiness. This means that trust and relevance are not only central to users’ online experience but are also key ranking factors for organic search engine optimisation. The better Google understands the content on your website, the more Expertise, Authority and Trust the search engine attributes to your website and the more likely you are to feature prominently in search results and, in turn, reach more consumers.

Organic SEO Fundamentals: 

How To Optimise Your Website for Organic Search

There are many actions businesses can take to improve their website search ranking. This includes:

1. Identify your target group (“Who do you want to reach?”).
2. Determine your target customers’ needs and how you can meet them (“What are your target customers looking for?”).
3. Match customer needs with common keyword searches (“What keywords do consumers use in their online searches?”).
4. Create website content for these precise keywords – content that firmly positions you as an expert in this area.
5. Build internal and external links to indicate authority (see above).
6. Make full use of the ‘metadata’ (e.g. page title, page description and image title) that influences how your website is displayed in search engines.
7. Structure your pages with clearly defined headings – H1, H2, H3, H4, etc.
8. Update or add relevant content on a regular basis.

" The Difference Between Organic SEO 

and Local SEO Is in the User Intent "

What is Local SEO ?

Local SEO is the process by which businesses try to optimise the online visibility of each of their locations,specifically targeting users searching online for products or services near to them. 

Local search results suggest relevant locations that are near users. They are listed when search queries include local references, e.g., ‘supermarket open now’, ‘restaurants near me’ or ‘electronics store Liverpool centre’, etc . Even simple Google searches for ‘cafés’ or ‘post offices’ will immediately show three nearby locations (known as Google’s 'local 3-pack'.)  

As with organic search results, the search engine prioritises those locations with the most relevant business information matching the search query. The fact is that local search queries (‘near me’ searches) are more relevant than ever – around 53% of all Google searches include a local reference - offering enormous potential for businesses.

Local SEO Benefits 

• Boosts local online visibility 
• You reach customers who are actively looking to buy your products or services 
• Route planning literally sends customers to your door 
• Local search queries are more likely than organic search queries to end in a purchase 
• Establishes trust and credibility through ratings 
• Cheaper and more effective than paid search queries

Local Search Ranking Factors

To make the most out of local search engine optimisation, you should pay close attention to various ranking factors: Whilst some elements change the following are core to Google Local Search   

Relevance

Based on the information that businesses provide about themselves, Google evaluates how well a website profile fits with what the user is looking for 

Distance Google calculates how far each potential search result is from the user’s current location 

Prominence

This relates to the popularity of a profile, including positive review ratings, etc. 

E.G., if a user searches ‘best burgers near me’, ‘highest rated hotels in Prague’ or ‘top mechanic in my area’, review ratings will be the key ranking factor for the location. Here, Google’s search results are based directly on a location’s average rating. Users can also filter the search results according to rating scores. 

Local SEO Fundamentals: How To Optimise Your Website for Local Search 

Optimisation means more than just having your website appear in search results. You need to make sure that potential consumers can find you online and click on your website. There are many actions businesses can take to improve their website search ranking to appear in local searches and claim a place in the coveted 'local pack'.

1. List your business details on Google Business Profile, Apple Maps and all relevant search and mapping platforms.
2. Make sure that all NAP (name, address and phone) information is correct and consistent and that opening hours are up to date.
3. Professionalise your reputation management activities, gain reviews, and demonstrate expertise, authority and trust .

Getting started: web-aviso provide a free Local SEO Report Tool which enables you to discover how your local business search presence compares to the local competition.