Understanding the Differences between Local and Technical SEO
October 27, 2023Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most integral parts of any digital marketing strategy that can help your websites rank higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERP). Also, SEO can be categorized into various different types, and yes, we can say two of the most prominent subtypes of SEO are Local SEO and Technical SEO.
Here, we will discuss and explore the key distinctions between these two types of SEO i.e., Local SEO and Technical SEO, providing a roadmap for a better understanding of when and how to use each of the various websites as per your requirements.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO, mainly at its core, is all about optimizing a website fully in order to rank better in local search results.Primary Objectives of Local SEO
Increasing the Local Visibility
Local SEO aims mainly to improve a website’s visibility to a broader level in geographically relevant search queries when searched by various people. For businesses with a physical presence, like restaurants, salons, and local service providers, this can be an amazing game-changer. For instance, you run a salon in NYC, London, or any other place in the world. Since you only serve one location, what is the purpose of marketing it to the whole world? That’s where local SEO comes into action. With local SEO, you will concentrate your marketing efforts on one location, without wasting time and resources on other locations.
Now, you must be thinking? What if I have a business presence in multiple locations?
Well, in that case, you can target your local SEO in multiple locations.
Another best part of Local SEO is that you only select target keywords based on geographic locations, such as the best salon in NYC, the best salon for curly hairs in Denver, and so on. The good part is these location-specific keywords are less competitive. That means they will rank faster and higher, and help you climb up the SERP faster, compared to ranking highly competitive keywords.
Enhancing Online Reputation & Management
It focuses on managing and improving online reviews, hence helping you rank higher on Google.
As we all know, a bad review from a disgruntled customer or a fake review from your competitor can significantly impact your business reputation. One of the essential goals of a Local SEO analyst is to soften the blow of bad reviews by actively analyzing and reporting fake reviews. On top of that, you can also opt for an ORM service in content marketing to manage your brand reputation.
Attracting Foot Traffic
Local SEO literally puts your business on the map. With services like GMB, people can find your business’s address, location, and business hours with a simple Google search. Besides, you can add your sites and business information to several popular business listing sites, such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, etc. making your local presence even stronger.
As mentioned earlier, you can target specific keywords to ensure people find your business without even searching for your name. For example, if you run a digital marketing company in Bhubaneswar, people can find it just by searching “digital marketing services near me”.
Please check out our this blog if you want to know more latest local seo trends of 2024, .
What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is a part of Organic SEO that focuses on rectifying the internal structure of your website in a way that Google can crawl and index the web pages easily. This is a crucial part of SEO as a bad site structure can hinder all your SEO efforts. This is because, regardless of how much effort you put into your website, it would be of no use, if Google and other search engines, cannot find your site and all its pages in the first place. However, Technical SEO offers more than that.
Here are the benefits of Technical SEO for a website:
- Optimizing Website Performance: Technical SEO works majorly to improve the speed, responsiveness, and overall performance of a given website, making it much more user-friendly.
- Enhancing a better User Experience: This feature of SEO ensures that a website is accessible, mobile-friendly, and structured in a way that makes it easy for users to navigate and easier to handle.
- Search Engine Crawlability: Technical SEO also focuses on ensuring that search engines can efficiently crawl and index the website’s content in a better way.
The Key Differences between Local SEO & Technical SEO
Let’s now delve into the core differences between Local SEO and Technical SEO:
Basic Objectives
- Local SEO is geographically centered, targeting some specific areas or regions.
- Technical SEO has a broader scope for you in many ways, aiming to optimize a website’s performance on a global scale.
The main Objectives of both involve:
- Local SEO does the work majorly it aims to boost local visibility, drive foot traffic, and improve online reputation.
- Technical SEO focuses on website health and performance, making it user-friendly and search engine-friendly.
Strategies
- Local SEO mainly relies on you based on location-based keywords, Google My Business optimization, and local link building.
- Technical SEO includes elements like improving site speed, mobile-friendliness, and implementing structured data for your business.
Measuring Success
- Local SEO success can be often measured through local rankings, online reviews, and local traffic that is being used.
- Technical SEO success metrics include page load time, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and indexability that is used.
When to Use Local SEO and Technical SEO?
The choice between Local and Technical SEO depends on the nature of your business and your specific goals:- You can use Local SEO when your business has a physical presence and relies on local customers.
- Go for employing Technical SEO when your website’s performance and user experience need more improvement.
Some of the Common Pitfalls of Local SEO and Technical SEO
There are some common mistakes that you need to avoid when managing local and technical SEO which include neglecting online reviews for local SEO and ignoring site speed for technical SEO sometimes. To mitigate all these issues, businesses should establish a robust online review management strategy and regularly monitor website performance very often.Conclusion
It is also a tough task to understand the key differences between Local and Technical SEO as it is crucial for a well-rounded digital marketing strategy. Each type serves a proper unique purpose, and their effective implementation can have a significant impact on your online presence and business success in many ways. It’s also very important to invest in both types of SEO, or as needed, to maximize your digital reach in the best possible way.FAQs
To optimize local SEO for various multiple locations, first, create individual Google My Business listings for each location, use location-specific keywords, and ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all online platforms that are easier to rank higher.
To be sure, local SEO is beneficial for businesses with a physical presence, such as restaurants, retail stores, salons, medical practices, and local service providers Local SEO can help in a better way.
While having a website that enhances the effectiveness of local SEO, it’s possible to improve local visibility using some of the tools like Google My Business and local directories, even without a website. However, if you have a website, it can provide more control and opportunities for engagement with potential customers and by using SEO it turns out to be better.