Local SEO is extremely important for every small business. It’s how you can get found in the “near me” searches that people use Google for.
So to help with that, I’ve created the JM Simple Small Business Local SEO. While it’s simple right now, I hope that over time I can add in features to help the Local SEO for your website and business.
So let’s take a deeper dive into what the plugin is and why you should use it for your website.
What the JM Simple Small Business Local SEO is
To put it simply, JM Simple Small Business Local SEO makes it extremely easy to add in Local SEO schema to your website.
After you add in the plugin, you’ll go into the admin screen for the plugin and add in information about your business, like your address, phone number, email address, opening and closing hours and more.
From there, the plugin will create the necessary JSON-LD and inject into the head section of every page for Google to read. Google can then take that code and can add your business to the “near me” searches of people who are near your business and looking for something that you offer.
Finally, there’s a Local SEO checklist to help you go through other aspects of Local SEO to make sure that it’s the best that it can be for your business and website. Also, there are other resources included to help you out with Local SEO too.
Why create this plugin?
So this all begs the question: why create this plugin?
Well, Local SEO is one of the best ways for small businesses to compete in search results. You’re not having to compete with big national and international companies in normal search results. Regular SEO takes a lot of time and effort.
But Local SEO focuses on getting into the local “three-pack” in a local search, like “sandwich shops near me”. And you can get found in Google Map searches as well.
So this plugin is here to help you, the small business owner. Most WordPress websites for small businesses don’t have the Local SEO schema built into them. In fact, there’s a good chance that a lot of small business owners don’t know about this schema.
This plugin adds it into your website for you. All you have to do is fill out a few fields, and it will get added to every page of your website. And when Google indexes your website next, you might be eligible for a Google Rich Results section on the right side of the page. That can lead to more clicks and more conversions for your website and business.
What is Local SEO?
Unlike the generic SEO, Local SEO focuses on, well, local searches that people perform every day. You know, this is like searching for some service near you, something that you do probably multiple times a week.
The plus with Local SEO is that you really shrink the amount of competitors that you’re trying to outrank. You’re not trying to outdo some gigantic company across the country. You’re just trying to beat the same type of businesses in your area.
That means with some effort, you can start appearing in the results of people in your area looking for something that you offer.
Plus, these days with Local SEO and Google, there are a lot of benefits. First, if someone searches for something locally, they’ll usually get a list of three businesses nearby, known as the three-pack. And getting listed there greatly increases your odds that they look up your business.
Why does Local SEO matter?
Have you ever gone to Google Maps on your desktop or phone and searched for something? Maybe “sandwich shop” or “gas station”? And have you gotten results that have helped you?
Now, think about the people in your area that might be searching for keywords around your business. Are you showing up in those results?
That is why Local SEO matters for your business. You need to be appearing in those results. People you attract from local searches are more likely to convert into customers, upwards to 80 percent of the time according to WebFX.
And also according to WebFX, 46 percent of Google searches are local searches. If you’re not working to reach those people, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers.
If you’re looking for a relatively quick and proven way to grow your business online, Local SEO is a very important component to work on.
Roadmap for the plugin
So what does the future look like for the JM Simple Small Business Local SEO plugin?
First, I’m hoping to update it every quarter or so and will always make sure that it works with the latest version of WordPress. That’s the bare minimum.
Next, I would like to add in a Google Maps block that you can use on something like your contact or about page so that you can not only tell people where you are, but also make it super easy for them to get directions to your business.
Also, I want to make the settings page more robust and add or remove fields based on your business type. Right now every field gets displayed, even if it’s not used for your business type. That should go away in the version 1.1 update so you don’t have to worry about fields that don’t concern your business.
And finally, I want to add things that are going to help your Local SEO on your website. I’m not exactly sure what that’s going to look like, but everything that gets added to the plugin will have that in mind.
