You’ve probably optimised “Global SEO” and “Local SEO” when looking to optimise your website for search engines. What one should you focus on for your business, then? From the most prominent global e-commerce brand to a small local shop, you need a solid SEO strategy that doesn’t only drive traffic but also increases visibility or sales.
In this blog, I’ll explain the significant differences between Global and Local SEO and provide guidance on which platform your business should use.
What is Global SEO?
Global SEO is about widening your website’s search. You want to optimise your site to be ranked perfectly on search results in many countries and languages. This SEO strategy will draw in international visitors and make your website viewable and applicable to those from various regions.
Global SEO encompasses optimising technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, backlink building, and international keyword research. Additionally, it entails setting up your website to keep up with several languages, currencies, and local customs. Hiring a freelance SEO specialist can work wonders for businesses trying to expand overseas. Their knowledge and experience will help you tailor your strategy and guarantee your site performs well globally.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO, however, is focused on optimising your website to appear in search results for a particular geographical place, such as a city, state, or neighbourhood. Here, we want to be seen in local searches by people in our neighbourhood who live close to us.
Local SEO strategies usually involve optimising:
- Optimising the Google My Business profile.
- Listing in a local online directory.
- Optimising your website to rank for local keywords like “best pizza in New York”.
The only difference is with local SEO, which is all about working with customers actively searching for who buys your products or services.
If you want to dominate local search results, an SEO optimisation agency can help you win. Localised and improved via these agencies can help you rank higher on every local search result and make your website stand out in local searches.
Key Differences between Global and Local SEO
1. Target Audience
- Global SEO is directed towards a more extensive audience all over the world.
- If you have a business with a physical storefront or service area, local SEO is the best option.
2. Keyword Strategy
- With Global SEO, there is a lot of keyword research across many countries and languages. You’ll have to rank global keywords by considering regional search behaviour.
- Local SEO is about location-based keywords such as “near me” and “city names.” Optimising for local keywords means ranking higher in local searches and showing up in Google Maps.
3. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
- In traditional organic search results, global SEO is usually fierce competition.
- Local SEO results features include Local Pack (a map with three businesses indicating that they are without local business optimisation), Google Reviews, and Google Maps.
4. Competition
- As the pool of businesses and brands competing for the exact keywords grows, competition in global SEO becomes stiff.
- Unlike local SEO, the competition is much lower since it only covers a specific geographic area, making ranking easier and attracting local customers easier for small businesses.
5. Website Optimisation
- Global SEO often means your website must be multilingual and consistent with all the different international markets.
- For local SEO, a website usually must contain city names, neighbourhood references, and phone numbers.
Which One Is Right for You?
Having learned the difference, let’s see that the strategy works best for your business.
When to Choose Global SEO
Global SEO is what you need to run if you have a large company with an online store that sends products wherever you can send them. Consider Amazon or Nike, for example, e-commerce giants. However, these companies need each customer to have a physical location, and they need to reach as many people as possible.
Here are some signs that Global SEO is right for you:
- You have customers worldwide, not just in a local market.
- Or you’re selling your products or services that are universally appealing.
- It’s your Success to run an SEO strategy around broad-based language translations and international keyword targeting.
Suppose you are working with an international business. In that case, you can contact a global SEO services provider to support engaging with multiple countries and languages. With these services, your website will rank better in different markets worldwide.
When to Choose Local SEO
Local SEO will benefit your business the most if your business is more localised, like a coffee shop or plumbing service. Appearing in local searches is crucial because these businesses depend on foot traffic or local customers to make money.
Signs that Local SEO is proper for you:
- You have a geographical area where a business serves and wants to get local customers there.
- You rely exclusively on local search to send traffic to your location.
- The queries you want to dominate search results for are location-related (such as best shirts in Mumbai).
Local SEO is perfect for businesses that spend most of their time engaging with their community and require a localised approach to their marketing campaign. If you want a comprehensive local SEO strategy, hire a search engine optimization expert to adapt your plan and rank you higher in your set location.
What If You Need Both?
Businesses often need more than one type of SEO strategy, like Global and Local SEO for both large and small companies; a large one must have an offline and online presence. Consider, for example, a company with a global e-commerce website and a local brick-and-mortar store in some cities. In this case, a dual strategy is essential.
Businesses that need both might take the following approach:
- With Global SEO, you attract global customers to your website and get it to rank globally.
- Using local SEO to appear in local searches and encourage physical locations to see more foot traffic.
As you will see, remember that these two strategies should not compete but rather be complementary. For instance, you should have region-specific landing pages for global and local keywords visible in international and local searches.
Conclusion
Global SEO vs. local SEO is a choice that depends on your business type. But if your target audience is international, you’ll need a comprehensive Global SEO strategy to guide your prospects to your e-commerce store around the globe. If you are a local business that requires grabbing local customers, local SEO is the way to go.
However, combining these two strategies will be the most effective hybrid approach if your business has a global and local side. Working with SEO Web Key will also help you identify where to start if you need help figuring out where to begin.
A quality SEO strategy will help you gain an edge over the other SEOs and, in turn, grow your business. Your website must be optimised for the right local or global audience!
