Which Businesses Benefit Most from Local SEO? 

Industries with the most direct competition, especially within a local sector, need more search engine optimization and digital marketing efforts than others. When there’s a lot of competition, more organizations are trying to compete for the online spotlight, driving the need for more content, better SEO, and constantly evolving website solutions to keep their companies on the first page of search engine results.  

If you’re an agency looking for new clients, it can be hard to narrow down the businesses that would benefit most from your SEO services. We’ve found that specific industries can gain a competitive edge from SEO over others, making it the most integral and lucrative part of their marketing campaigns.  

Here are the business types that receive the highest ROI when using effective SEO solutions in their marketing strategies.  

Medical Services  

Businesses that provide medical services, such as family doctors, dental practices, and urgent care clinics, are perfect for local SEO.   

Other than building an efficient website, there are many things these specialists can do to increase their rankings. Search engines love fresh, relevant material, and publishing high-value, informative content across social platforms can set businesses apart. Due to the highly specialized nature of the medical field, providing insight through different channels (like blog posts or how-to manuals) is a great way to add value and improve search rankings.  

Law Firms  

There are several things a law practice can do to boost its local rankings. Creating a Google Business Profile page should be the first order of business. Next, their website’s content must be properly constructed around relevant keywords, especially keywords that are specific to the firms’ specializations. You wouldn’t want a potential customer reaching out to the law firm about a particular service they don’t offer. 

Another key factor in dominating local search is online reviews. Third-party validation is essential for potential clients, especially when looking for legal services. Law firms need to make a serious effort to generate client reviews on popular platforms like Google and Yelp. This can be a game-changer that boosts local search visibility and builds brand reputation.  

Bars and Restaurants  

A complete SEO campaign can help restaurants gain more visibility than competing venues, inspiring more reviews from local customers and further influencing their online visibility. Online reviews are critical in this line of work. A multitude of bad reviews on their Google Business listing or other online review platforms can damage the restaurant’s reputation and cause a decrease in overall revenue. The main goal for any restaurant is to become a staple in its community, and to achieve this status; it needs plenty of returning customers.  

Bars and restaurants typically operate locally and serve a geographically targeted market. When you type “restaurant” into your mapping app or mobile search bar, it is almost always followed by a suggested “near me.” Once a potential customer finds a restaurant based on its location, the next thing they do is visit the company website to view the menu, look at photos, and read reviews. The likelihood of that customer visiting your restaurant depends on how appetizing your content is online. As they say, people eat with their eyes first, so make sure your online presence is aesthetically pleasing!  

Home Repair/Renovation Services  

Home repair and renovation services need local SEO solutions if they want to see an increase in leads, which is why these businesses should target customers in their respective service areas first. For instance, let’s say your client runs a kitchen renovation company in Newark, New Jersey. If their website does not appear on the first page of Google for searches like “kitchen renovation Newark” or “granite countertops Newark NJ,” prospects searching those terms will be unable to find them.  

While establishing a solid SEO ranking for home improvement services may initially seem daunting, simple solutions like regularly posting project photos with accompanying alt tags or creating a FAQ page on a client’s website are great for generating more online engagement and boosting online visibility. Of course, showcasing reviews from satisfied customers works well, too!   

Real Estate Agencies  

Local SEO and real estate services go hand-in-hand. However, due to the emergence of platforms like Zillow and Trulia, smaller real estate agencies need a hyper-local strategy to gain the proper search exposure.  

The key to success for real estate SEO lies in content creation. This is where skilled agents can dive in and go above and beyond to provide value for the user. The real estate market is very visual, and good agents can capitalize on this by delivering quality insights and photos of their listings. Social posts that employ proper keywords and target specific local markets can also appear in more refined searches online, making it easy for potential customers to find the home they’re looking for.  

While these key industries can benefit from SEO, there are many others that can benefit from SEO best practices to attract more target customers. In combination with other online marketing services such as social media management, blog writing, and local listing, SEO can help your client’s business excel beyond its competitors.