With the rise of technology and the monetization of major parts of the internet, it is now more than just a fun tool for communication and entertainment.
Whole careers are being built on the internet, be it social media influencing, blogging, Youtube or just promoting one’s business to the world; being a shrewd digital marketer for one’s brand is as important as the business idea.
Sometimes the person is the brand; look at a thousand influencers; they are the brand they built a business on.
So now, due to so much traffic on the internet, one needs to stand out and be with the trend of the majority to connect with the masses.
This is where Search Engine Optimization(SEO) and Local Search Engine
Optimization(Local SEO) comes into play. SEO is to connect with the target audience and increase traffic to a website or webpage, and not just traffic but one that is also good in quality and quantity.
This is based on computer algorithms, and they take into account keywords, image search, video search, academic search, basically anything you input into the search box can be used to get you the perfect result and the site, the traffic.
Key Takeaways
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is optimizing a website to increase its visibility in page search engine results. At the same time, Local SEO optimizes a website for local search results.
- SEO involves optimizing website content and structure, building links, and improving user experience, whereas Local SEO focuses on optimizing local business listings and Google My Business pages.
- SEO is essential for businesses that want to increase their online presence globally, while Local SEO is ideal for businesses that want to target local customers.
SEO vs Local SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is optimizing a website to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results. Local SEO optimises a website’s visibility for local search queries, such as “near me” searches.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | SEO | Local SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | National or even Global. | As the name suggests, it is geographically restricted. |
| What is it | It is a process used by individuals or businesses to advertise their products using computer-generated algorithms and connect with their perfect consumer base worldwide. | It is the same on a lower scale and more about growing their already-known local business. |
| How does it work | It depends on the keywords search and other similar techniques used. | The same basic principle is more dependent on local reviews than just keywords. |
| Traffic Optimization | Creating Backlinks from other reputable websites is essential. The creation of quality, in-depth content with less loading time on the website helps in generating traffic as well. | “Google my business” is a major tool in this, and so is targeting local keywords with which the local people are more acquainted. Also, the creation of a location-specific website is very important. |
What is SEO?
The elemental process of an SEO is crawling, indexing, and ranking, at first when any keyword is put in a search engine; it uses internet spiders to scour the webspace for related articles irrespective of the format; it might be a Word document, a website, a pdf, etc.
Then comes indexing, where they compile all the found data, and finally, ranking, wherein they show the most compatible links at the top.
So the company or individual needs to create a website that can come up in crawl searches and improve its ranking.
To improve the ranking, there is another process called keyword research; the user should know what their client or consumer is looking for, in what format, and what keywords the user can use to optimize their chances of getting discovered.
The best way to know the keywords is to ask questions just like one searches on the search engine. However, one should remember not to overdo the keywords in their content, as overstuffing is never helpful.
One should use descriptive texts but be concise, to the point, and, most importantly, non-repetitive.
The brand should keep in mind to make its content mobile, tablet, and desktop friendly. As with most things, there are two sides to any situation, and as good as SEO is for business and content creators, there are Black Hat tricks and White Hat tricks to improve ranking.
As the name suggests, black hat tricks are not approved by search engines, while White Hat tricks are better suited ethically.
What is Local SEO?
It is essentially a subcategory of SEO directed at the local market, businesses, and consumers. Thus, The basic structure remains the same: crawling, indexing, and ranking.
However, the ranking here depends on how good the business is offline, which is how well-known it is in real life. The “near me” feature most search engines offer is what local SEO is all about.
The traffic here is generated by sites like Yelp, Linked In, and social media(Facebook marketplace).
The “Google My Business” forum is really important for local SEO, and also, the creation of a location-orientated website than just fancy keywords is essential.
The few drawbacks might be Fake reviews, as the competitors might put up better reviews to generate more business traffic.
Main Differences Between SEO and Local SEO
- The geography of their service, the local SEO is mostly restricted to a certain geographical area, whereas the SEO is international.
- Though both are keyword-orientated, local SEO is better with a keyword better known locally than internationally.
- Local SEO and normal SEO may not give the same result in the same search based on the keywords used.
- Reputation management is more important in local SEO than SEO, as online and offline reviews are a major part of their traffic.
- Location-based searches are an integral part of Local SEO.
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1203980
- http://www.chicagostyleseo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/SEO-Overview-Presentation.pdf
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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