Local Search
vs. Organic Search

Local SEO vs Organic SEO

Number of ways potential customers can reach your business

Technology has increased the number of ways potential customers can reach you for services or products. The terms local search and organic SEO might ring a bell if you have been engaged in online marketing. Local search or local SEO is not the same as organic SEO. Yes, they are actually different in some ways. Do you know how they differ from each other? Keep reading to find out the difference as well as the relationship between them.

Local SEO defined

Businesses use local search or SEO to optimise their visibility for search queries requiring local content. In simple terms, local search is used to boost for online presence of a business serving a local area. An important feature of this SEO type is the geographical location; this is what Google uses to display search results. For instance, when a user searches for ‘web designers near me’, Google will display local business results in that area.

Local search is also affected by review rating of an area and opening hours. If a user uses Google and searches ‘5-star web designer near me‘ or ‘best website company in my area’, a plethora of options based on the rating will be shown, from which the user’s decision can be informed by review score.

Organic SEO defined

Online businesses use organic SEO to improve their business ranking on search engine results pages for the purpose of driving traffic to their website. It has nothing to do with location. This is achieved by creating a good website structure and quality content that matches the search intent of the user.
It is easier for Google to crawl a website and group topics together when internal links between pages are built. Also, receiving external links helps Google to determine the level of authority and trust a website receives. And you know that for a great user experience online, trust and relevance are essential. So, if you are considering organic SEO, think internal and external links because they are crucial.

Website Copy writing for SEO purpose

So, what’s the difference?

Organic SEO is used by websites that may or may not own a geographic location. It can be influenced by the location, but organic search and results are not dependent on the location. Besides, pure organic results are a blend of blogs, news, articles, social media profiles, businesses and more.

Local search is purely connected to a geographical component. For instance, if a user Google Search for ‘best car rentals in Sydney, the search engine would understand that the user is seeking a local business in Sydney that rents cars. In fact, what the search engines do is look for trusted and relevant businesses that offer car rental service within the location of the user.

The aim of organic SEO is to get a high ranking for a particular set of keywords, while local SEO targets a position on the local listing packs. Also, local search cares about being listed with regular citations anywhere else the potential client might search for including forum, niche directories, etc

When it comes to a high ranked SEO, quality links are the springboards for increased web traffic. As a matter of fact, the authenticity Google allocates to your website in organic SEO depends on the quality and relevance of your links. So, the more high quality links your website has, the better its ranking.

On the other hand, local search thrives on citations. What are citations? These accounts for your business NAP (name, address, and phone number) plus other things like opening hours, photos, etc. across the web. When your business is consistently listed at all the important places in your niche, it will increase its relevance based on Google rating. It confirms your business existence at a specific geographical location. This will also increase your business visibility to any related online query.

Organic SEO seeks top position on SERP. To achieve this, so much On-page and Off-page optimisation is required on your website including optimising title tags, heading tags, anchor texts, meta-descriptions, quality content creation, building an effective link building strategy, etc

Local SEO seizes every chance to get listed on local search engine results. This employs a different strategy, including optimising your title tags, keyword density, and creating a Google listing. Did you know that you can improve your local SEO with Google My Business Account (GMB)? Yes, it is the biggest driver of local SEO defining how your business appears and functions on Maps, Knowledge Graphs, Google+, and others. We provide local search at Sunshine Coast to help you make an account and claim your business, so it gets listed in all relevant directories in your niche. We’ll also ensure your NAP is consistent across the web.

Organic SEO Sunshine Coast vs Local Search

Which of these is best for your business?

It depends on the type and nature of your business. Each method has its benefits.

If your business provides services or products to a specific location, local search is ideal. But if your customers are not limited to a particular geographical area, then your choice should be an organic SEO. We provide affordable small business SEO services at SunCoast Media.

Businesses that need local SEO include:

• Food business like restaurants, catering, and more
• Healthcare providers like clinics, hospitals, physicians, etc
• Automotive brands (dealers, repairs, amongst others)
• Service-area business (plumbers, handymen, construction, etc)

How does these two connect?

Do you have a great product or service that people should know about, but you don’t know how to create content for it?

That is not a problem at all. There are professional content writers that can streamline your industry content to meet the needs of your clients. So, you need to effectively and accurately optimise both to drive traffic online and offline to your business.

If you are looking at controlling your brand’s presence online, we have a team of SEO experts and reputable management team that provides SEO online services, including sound local SEO strategy involving citations using best practices. For an effective online business, contact SunCoast Media about SEO services. We’ll gladly help.