Local SEO: The same as standard SEO?

Anyone operating a small business should understand the importance of local SEO. Being at the top of local search results for your product or service is perhaps the most powerful way to gain new customers. Search engine optimization for your local business can be daunting and a task that might be better handled by a professional. Before you attempt to do it yourself it is wise to consider outside help.

What is the Difference Between SEO and Local SEO?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of tweaking a website so that it achieves a higher ranking in Google and other major search engines. These search engines all employ complex algorithms which are a mystery to pretty much everyone who doesn't have an inside track. SEO professionals spend hours each day reverse engineering the process of website ranking by noting things that high ranking sites have in common.

Local SEO works on the same principle but targets a much smaller area. Those who raise their local ranking will appear first in searches by local residents for a product or service. Open up Google and type in "Tire repair [your town]" and note what pops up. You will see recommendations from Google. Local SEO is how your business can achieve one of these recommendations. Google needs to recognize you as an authority in your field.

How Much Should You Pay For Local SEO?

Hiring an SEO freelancer or agency is preferred over trying to do things yourself. It is possible to hurt your website ranking if you attempt SEO without knowledge of the process.

Freelancers are individuals who perform SEO for select clients on their own. These individuals can charge anywhere from $50-$75 per hour. An professional SEO agency can easily command double that rate. Expect to pay an average of about $125 per hour for an agency to handle your SEO. It would also be reasonable to expect about ten hours of work each month to accomplish improved rankings. Some agencies require a six-month commitment before they will take you on as a client. The bottom line is you should expect a minimum cost of $1,000 in order to see results from an agency. About $500 might get you improved rankings with a freelancer.

Either way, the cost of local SEO should be weighed against the cost of losing customers to your competitors. You just might find that hiring an SEO agency makes good financial sense.