Nowadays, it might be critical for any business to have good web visibility. Specifically, to local commerce, local SEO helps them get closer to their targeted clients and achieve better website exposure. The question that most business owners ask is, how long will it take to get results from local SEO efforts? This article was written to answer this question, and it includes a guideline on the factors that affect the local SEO process.

Understanding Local SEO

Local SEO refers to the process through which firms endeavor to increase their online presence, so as to feature within the local search engine result pages. It is about bringing up a website in local search engine rankings like Google Local and local search snippets for more customers from a given region.

Factors Affecting Local SEO

There are several things that are important in local SEO, and having an idea of what goes on makes it possible for a business to estimate the time it will take to see results.

On-page SEO: As the name suggests, it involves the process of adjusting factors on your website for it to rank top in local searches.

Local citations: These are instances where your business particulars such as name, address, and phone number (NAP) are listed on the internet in directories, review sites, or any other platform you may consider. That’s why it is vital to remain consistent in citations to enhance the local SEO ranking.

Online reviews: Whether it is Google, Yelp, or Trip Advisor, the positive reviews attached to your business will go a long way in ensuring your business is easily found in the local search results, and customers can trust it.

Link building: Linking to reliable and authoritative websites will improve your local SEO and help you rank higher in search engine results.

Technical SEO: This helps improve local SEO, maintaining the technical aspect of your website and making sure that you are responsive for mobile devices.

Breakdown of Local SEO Timeline

Local SEO timeline depends on the current web presence, competitors, and the degree of local SEO needed.

The following is an approximate breakdown of what local SEO involves, as well as what should be expected at every phase:

Strategic planning

The first step in local SEO is keyword research, understanding competitors, and developing a general plan of action. This phase usually takes about one to two weeks, depending on the business and its market environment.

On-page optimization

Once the strategy is in place, the primary next step is to combine it with local search engine optimization. This entails a unique use of keywords in your website content, titles, and meta descriptions, and using schema markup for local business data. This phase takes two to four weeks to accomplish, depending on the size of your website or the number of pages to be optimized.

Building local citations and listings

Building up the local citations and listings is an essential part of local search engine optimization. It takes about four to eight weeks to build citations and listings.

Online reviews: collection and storage

Asking customers to write for your website, and managing them, might take several months. This is because it may take some time to gather enough reviews, and handling these reviews takes time as well.

Link building

Developing a backlink strategy and getting the correct links may take more than half a year. Developing connections with other businesses, bloggers, and influential people in your field and looking for the chance to get an invitation to guest blogging, sponsorship, and other cooperation may take a lot of time.

Monitoring and adjusting

In any local SEO venture, the next step to follow after the completion of the initial processes involves checking on your progress and the need to modify the course where necessary. It is helpful to conduct weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly analyses of local search rankings, backlinks, and review counts, as well as keep track of website technical issues. This continuous process may actually take several months before you start seeing improvements in your local search rankings.

Local SEO Considerations

Several factors can impact the timeline of your local SEO efforts, including:

Current online visibility: If you are existing online, then it may be possible for your local SEO to work for you.

Competition: If you are in a very competitive market, it might take more time and effort to gain better rankings in local search.

Geographic location: The location also determines the duration it takes to see results of local SEO if you are operating in a given local region.

Business type: There are some specialization types, like medical practices and lawyers, that take time, considering they involve verification and approvals of the local SEO processes.

Local SEO has a different time frame and depends on several factors, such as current online visibility, competitiveness, and the level of required optimization. Following the general concept of local SEO and the factors that might affect the process, businesses may provide better planning and proper implementation of local SEO. Finally, you always need to remember that it is not a once-and-for-all activity, and it is something you will have to use continuously to move upward on the search engine ranks.

 

 Bill Yeager, Co-Owner of High Point SEO & Marketing in CT, is a leading SEO specialist, Amazon international best-selling author of the book Unleash Your Internal Drive, Facebook public figure, a marketing genius, and an authority in the digital space. He has been personally coached by Tony Robbins, a fire walker and a student of Dan Kennedy, Founder of Magnetic Marketing. Bill has been on several popular podcasts and the news including Sharkpreneur with Kevin Harrington, FOX, NBC, and ABC by way of his Secret Sauce marketing strategies. Bill enjoys fitness, cars, and spending time with his family when not at work.