By now, most institutions and businesses with a website have a basic knowledge of what SEO is, but few understand how to channel those SEO efforts towards a localized audience. That is where Local SEO comes in. This form of SEO is especially important for schools seeking to get larger enrollment numbers from students in their area. Local SEO is the process of increasing local search rankings, which are based on location data. Google has transformed its search engine into one that will help searchers find businesses that are near them, especially when Google is being used from a mobile device. For example, if someone were to type in the phrase "private schools near me," a slew of results would show up that listed all neighboring private schools. If you are still wondering if you should be utilizing a local SEO strategy, here are some benefits to this marketing technique that you should consider.

Easier to Rank For

With traditional SEO, you are up against basically every school in the world that offers similar things to your school. However, when using local SEO, the competition is drastically reduced to only include those educational establishments in your area. The lower number of schools there are trying to rank for the same keywords, the better your chances are of ranking well and getting prospective students and their families to click on your website.

Google Favors Local Search Listings

Google has definitely shown some favoritism to local businesses and is not afraid to show it. By offering free tools like Google Analytics and Webmasters Tools, this popular search engine is giving local businesses the things they need to get more online exposure. Google loves local businesses so much that they developed the algorithm known as the Pigeon, which offers web surfers more relevant, localized results in order to improve their distance and ranking perimeters.

More People Will be Using Mobile Devices

Especially for people who are frequently on-the-go, smart phones have replaced the need for using a traditional desktop computer. They are able to look at their social media accounts, check their emails, and use search engines just as easily. Because of the popularity of these devices, more and more people are using them to find search results in their area, driving more geographically relevant information into their network.

Ranking for more localized keywords is an important component in gaining website traffic, increasing rankings, and becoming a more authoritative website in your neighborhood.