No, local SEO is not dead.
That’s it, thanks for checking in.
But, for real, what’s going on currently in the local SEO space and what makes people, maybe even you, think that it’s “dead?”
How do you even define “dead?” Dead as in not working at all or not working only for you?
Let’s look at some great examples of local SEO, current trends, and future predictions.
And no, none of them are negative or pessimistic. In fact, this may be the best time ever to be in local SEO. And here’s why.
~4 Minute Read
Quick Answer
Local SEO is not because, as Google pushes their Google Maps results more and more to people and organic website results become less and less clicked on, local SEO is actually ought to become even more important than before. Companies are making money, and so can you.
Why Local SEO is Harder Than Ever Before
As AI took over the content creation game, almost all companies suddenly got access to pretty much unlimited SEO resources.
By these resources, I, of course, mean content.
Content is what drives SEO success, besides backlinks, and now all of your competitors have the ability to print out content that gets leads and sales for dirt cheap.
What does this mean?
Local SEO is not dead; it’s just more competitive than before.
The overall consciousness regarding digital marketing is growing among business owners every year too.
It’s not just the nerdy young guys anymore doing local SEO—now even the “old heads” are investing heavily into marketing their seemingly boring businesses on Google and social media.
Think of roofers, plumbers, HVAC contractors, and similar.
AI has now leveled the playing field for everyone—you, me, and the billion-dollar company with 100s of locations.
Yes, they can outspend you on Google Ads, but now everybody can create limitless content using AI.
But you still have to know how to do it, leading us to the next part of the equation.
Why Your Local SEO Strategy Isn't Working
First of all, are you 100% sure your SEO is not working?
If not, make sure to check by following this guide.
Most business owners are impatient. Here’s how a typical SEO campaign pans out in terms of ROI:
Image Credit: SEO Notebook
Also helpful articles:
Now, there’s a million reasons why you might be getting leads:
- Wrong keyword selection
- Wrong website structure
- Spammy/low-value website
- Spammy backlinks pointing to a website
- Sometimes, you might be getting traffic, but your website is poorly optimized for conversions
Companies Making Money With Local SEO
It definitely takes a lot of time, effort, and money to make money with local SEO, but we don’t have to go further than checking out one of our clients, Superior Contract Cleaning.
Their current SEO results are great:
There’s a lot more to see about this campaign in a dedicated case study, but this surface-level overview of what we’ve been doing pretty much says it all.
The reason why local SEO is worth it to them is because their average job value is around $5,000, whereas the cost of their local SEO is much less.
BUT there’s one thing to note when you’re about to sign up for an SEO service – your existing web presence really determines how fast the results will be.
Some companies may not get a single call for months due to the hefty competition (typically present in major metro areas for high-job-value niches like roofing) but, underneath, their local SEO is growing each month.
Again, check out our post on how to know whether your SEO is working or not.
Will Local SEO Ever Die?
Even if Google goes out of business, there will be a company that will replace them.
The concept of “search engines” has been proven to work and make advertisers money long ago.
So, no, local SEO won’t die, it will just change, depending on the platform(s) we advertise on.
What to Do from Here
It’s simple. Give us thousands of dollars upfront so that we can show you local SEO isn’t dead.
Just kidding! Kinda.
What you need to do now is get an SEO audit of your website to see what you’ve been doing wrong.
Because, again, SEO isn’t dead; it’s just you who made a mistake (most likely).
So, let us evaluate it and get back to you with a gameplan – for free.
Bogdan is a local SEO expert with over 3 years of experience helping businesses grow using Google. When he is not helping businesses grow, he works on his own SEO projects, works out, takes long walks, and watches Suits, which is completely ironic given how rarely he dresses up in a suit himself.