If you are new to the world of SEO, you may be unsure which strategy is best suited to your business. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and it is the process of helping search engines understand your content, whilst making it easier for users to find your site through their queries.
The goal of SEO is to improve your website’s ranking in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), ultimately leading to increased website traffic and greater visibility for your business.
In this article, we are going to talk about two SEO strategies: local and national. Both strategies are great for attracting new customers, yet one can be more effective than the other, depending on how your business operates.
For example, if your business serves a specific geographical area or relies on local customers, a local SEO strategy will help you target potential customers in that area by optimising for location-based searches and local directories.
On the other hand, if your business has a broader reach and caters to customers nationwide, or even globally, a national SEO strategy will be more beneficial.
Contents:
- What is Local SEO?
- The Benefits of Local SEO
- What is National SEO?
- The Benefits of National SEO
- The Difference Between Local SEO vs National SEO
What is Local SEO?
So what is local SEO? Local SEO is the process of enhancing a business’s visibility in local search results on Google, helping it to stand out in its specific geographical area. A local SEO strategy is suitable for any business using a physical location or that serves a defined local area, such as restaurants, retail stores, or local tradesmen.
Implementing an effective local SEO strategy ensures that businesses appear prominently in local searches and on maps, attracting nearby customers. There are some excellent website platforms that we recommend, such as WordPress and various SEO plugins and tools. We also recommend setting up a Google My Business Profile to enhance local visibility, manage customer reviews, and ensure accurate information appears in search results and Google Maps. For help with this, check out our article on how to get listed on Google.
Here is a great example of local SEO. This shows how Knotweed Specialists UK have implemented a local SEO strategy to target potential customers looking for Japanese knotweed removal in Chichester.
The Benefits of Local SEO
There are many benefits to local SEO for businesses who are looking to increase visibility and drive footfall. Here are just a few benefits that might make a local seo strategy more favourable than a national SEO strategy:
- Local SEO helps businesses reach customers actively searching for nearby services or products.
- It leads to higher conversion rates by targeting a more relevant, specific audience.
- Local SEO is more cost-effective, focusing the budget on a smaller geographic area for better results.
- It enhances online visibility by improving rankings in local search results, including Google Maps.
- Appearing in local searches boosts customer trust and credibility for the business.
- Local SEO gives small and medium-sized businesses a competitive edge against larger companies in their area.
What is National SEO?
National SEO focuses on optimising a website to rank highly in search engine results across a broad geographic region, rather than targeting a specific local area. This strategy is ideal for businesses that operate on a national or global scale such as e-commerce platforms like ‘asos’ for example. Whereas local hairdressers would be better suited to a local SEO strategy.
Unlike local SEO, which targets users searching for services or products in a specific location, national SEO aims to attract a wider audience by emphasising general keywords and topics relevant to the businesses industry.
Here is a great example of national SEO:
Green Oak Carpentry has implemented a national SEO strategy by targeting generic keywords related to their business offerings such as “oak frame houses”, rather than focusing on a specific geographical area and using keywords like “oak frame houses in Hampshire.”
The Benefits of National SEO
National SEO is ideal for service and product providers looking to expand their reach across the entire country, without limiting themselves to a specific area. Here are some key benefits of national SEO that don’t apply to local SEO.
- National SEO helps target potential customers nationwide, enhancing visibility and brand recognition across the country.
- Optimising for national keywords improves your site’s rankings for broad terms with high traffic volume.
- Ranking for competitive national keywords boosts your brand’s credibility and trust as an industry leader.
- National SEO strategies support business growth and market expansion across the country.
- A larger target market leads to higher returns through increased organic traffic, leads, and sales.
- A strong national SEO approach provides an advantage over competitors who are focusing solely on local markets.
- Reaching various regions diversifies your customer base, reducing market dependency and increasing resilience.
The Difference Between Local SEO vs National SEO
The difference between local SEO and national SEO depends on the businesses target audience. Local SEO targets potential customers in a specific geographical area, whereas national SEO targets audiences across the entire country without limitations to a particular town, village, city, or region. You will also notice a difference between keywords, content and search intent in local SEO vs national SEO.
Ultimately, if you are a business serving a specific area, we recommend implementing a local SEO strategy. If you are a nationwide business with a broader target audience, we recommend choosing a national SEO strategy.
Contact our friendly team today to find out more information or guidance on choosing the right SEO strategy for your business.
