Why Local SEO matters in Edmonton?

Local SEO, the practice of optimizing websites for geographic-specific search queries, is somewhat new in the grand scheme of digital marketing strategies. The term “Local SEO” didn’t even really appear before 2008, but has started to become more popular as Google has been featuring more location-based results within search engine result pages. At TopDraw, we’ve been implementing Local SEO strategies in more and more client projects and have seen some really great success with this targeted approach.

Key Takeaways about Local SEO Implementation for Businesses

Local SEO emerged after 2008 and helps businesses optimize websites for geographic search queries, becoming more important as Google features more location-based results in search engine pages.
Google displays three distinct sections for local searches: paid advertisements, organic search results, and map results with local business listings that function as modern replacements for traditional Yellow Pages through fundamental location-based search principles.
TopDraw implements Local SEO strategies for clients by proving to Google that businesses have legitimate local presence with verifiable physical locations that serve customers in specific geographic areas.
Google verifies businesses through phone numbers and physical addresses, while high-quality backlinks and citations from authoritative online sources strengthen local connections for various types of local businesses.
Traditional directory businesses like lawyers, plumbers, dentists, automotive services, and restaurants benefit most from Local SEO when location-based results consistently appear for frequently searched industry terms.
Local SEO presents a valuable business opportunity because only 20% of competitors implement it effectively, allowing early adopters to achieve exceptional visibility results in the digital marketing landscape.
Proper Local SEO implementation enhances desktop search visibility and particularly benefits mobile device users who can navigate to business locations or call with a single tap when beginning their optimization journey.
Small businesses with limited locations can verify their business listing through Google Business Profile, while organizations with multiple locations should consider fundamental local search strategies from experienced SEO firms.

The Fundamental Premise Behind Local Search Engine Optimization

People aren’t using traditional yellow phone directories in Edmonton anymore, instead they search Google, sometimes by adding their city name to the search phrase. Google’s algorithm is getting better at featuring location-specific results when it knows the user wants a local retailer or service, and Google is particularly effective at identifying a user’s geographic location. This technological shift means that the new Yellow Pages equivalent for locally focused businesses is achieving high rankings in Google’s search results for those location-based search queries.

What Is Involved In Implementing Local SEO Strategies In Edmonton?

At the root of it, local SEO involves strategic work to prove to Google’s algorithms that you’re a legitimate business with verifiable local presence, and that you have real physical locations that serve customers in your geographic area. Google has established verification processes to confirm phone numbers and physical mailing addresses that can help authenticate that you at least have a storefront. Beyond these basic verification steps, building high-quality backlinks and citations from other authoritative online sources also helps to strengthen that local connection in Google’s evaluation system.

For many local searches, such as my example search for “Edmonton lawyer”, Google’s search results page displays several distinct sections:

Google Adwords paid advertisements (positioned at the top and right side of results)
Regular “organic” search results ranked by Google’s algorithm
Map results with local business listings (Google Business Profile, formerly Google Places)

The map results section is particularly interesting to me as a digital marketing professional because these location-based listings are relatively recent additions to search results and they function as the modern replacement for traditional directory listings like the Yellow Pages. The ranking calculation for map results is also somewhat different from the traditional “organic” search results algorithm. “Local SEO” involves optimizing a business’s online presence for better rankings in these geographically-targeted results that Google prominently displays to users seeking local businesses.

What Types Of Businesses Should Implement Local SEO Strategies?

It makes strategic sense to invest in local SEO implementation when location-based results consistently appear for frequently searched terms in your specific industry. All the standard directory listing business categories are fairly well represented in Google’s local search results:

Lawyers and legal service providers
Plumbers and home service professionals
Dentists and healthcare practitioners
Automotive Dealerships and repair services
Restaurants and food service establishments
etc, etc

A substantial percentage of consumers are utilizing these map-based search results to navigate to physical business locations, find accurate phone numbers to call, or check current store operating hours.

Why Does Local SEO Present Such A Valuable Business Opportunity?

Local SEO represents a significant business opportunity because its potential remains largely untapped by competitors. This specialized optimization approach is still relatively new to the digital marketing landscape, which means most companies aren’t implementing it effectively. Early adopters of comprehensive local SEO strategies are able to achieve exceptional visibility results. As a first introduction to your company, do you want prospective customers to find an outdated listing with incorrect address information, or do you want them to discover a complete business profile with accurate hours of operation, correct phone number and address, and maybe even professional photos of your storefront so they immediately recognize when they’ve arrived at the right location? Not only does proper local SEO implementation enhance desktop search visibility, it’s also particularly beneficial for users searching on mobile devices, making it convenient for potential customers to navigate to your location or call your business directly with a single tap.

How Can Businesses Begin Implementing Effective Local SEO Strategies?

For a small business with limited locations, you may want to attempt verifying your business listing yourself through Google Business Profile. However, if your organization has multiple physical locations or you cannot dedicate the necessary time to learn about optimizing and developing your local listings across various online platforms, you may benefit from contacting an experienced SEO firm like ours to provide professional assistance with your local search optimization strategy.