SEO for Local Businesses 2024: Google Local Guide Benefits

Unable to rank your business higher on local search queries? Lower search rankings mean fewer leads, reduced credibility in the local market, and declining sales. 

So, optimizing for local searches in 2024 is important when 46% of Google searches account for local businesses. Also, Sages reports that 53% of shoppers research before purchasing to find the best option.

Therefore, you must leverage Google Local Guides for better local search optimization. It can improve your visibility on Google Maps and customer engagement and update business information. So, let's learn more about the benefits of local SEO and Google local guide.

What Is Local SEO?

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy implemented for businesses with geographical locations. This strategy optimizes businesses’ digital presence to convert local customers on search engines like Google.

Let's say you sell “sweet treats bakery” in New York City. You want your bakery shop to appear on Google's first page when people near your area search for "the best bakery near me” or “vanilla cake in New York.” 

Now, implementing local SEO will boost your store’s SERP ranking in New York. This will drive more foot traffic and online orders to your local business. Some local small business types can include restaurants, retail stores, and service providers. 

Key Elements of Local SEO 

There are several elements that synergize and improve your local SEO ranking factors. Here are those elements:

• Google My Business (GMB): An optimized GMB profile with current business info, such as name, address, phone number, business hours categories, offers, etc, is essential for local SEO.
• Keywords for Local SEO: Optimize relevant local keywords naturally in the content, including blogs, their title meta description, and different pages, including service pages, about us pages, etc.
• NAP Citations: All search engines, including Google, see NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) as a trust signal. Consistent NAP citations enhance search engines' trust in your business. It boosts the authenticity of your business. 
• Online Reviews: Positive reviews, comments, star ratings, and images encourage customers to leave reviews on Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, etc. 
• Backlinks: Backlinks linked to your business from other local sites indicate to search engines that your site is trustworthy within the local area.

Why is Local SEO Important for Local Businesses in 2024?

With the increase of mobile users and “near me searches” local SEO is getting ever more important for local businesses and organizations in 2024. Here are some major reasons why local SEO works and is important.

1. Increased Mobile Usage 

About 46% of all Google search accounts are used to find local information. It confirms that half of all Google searches are for finding local businesses or services. In fact, SagaPixel reports that 22.6% of all web traffic results from local searches. 

This trend predicts the importance of optimizing for local SEO. 

2. Consumer Behaviour Trends

SemRush states that “open now near me” searches skyrocketed by 400%. This indicates that customers are looking for immediate product availability and convenience in their shopping experience. Here, local SEO approaches help businesses show up on local queries.

3. E-Commerce Influence 

With the rise of e-commerce business and online shopping, buyers are used to a range of product availability and efficient delivery.

So, if you own a brick-and-mortar store, you must ensure everything meets your customers’ expectations. And local SEO will help you do so by optimizing your:

1. Google Business Profile
2. Business website
3. Google map
4. Geotags 
5. Local keywords
6. Mobile friendly website
7. Voice search. 

4. Competitive Advantage in Search Results

An effective local SEO strategy can help you find your business and stand out from your competitors in a very cost-effective way. Here are some steps to follow:

• A well-optimized Google My Business listing, 
• Targeted audience and geographical area, 
• Localized content creation in regional languages,
• Confirming new algorithm updates and incorporating those changes,
• Building backlinks from other local businesses and influencers.

These local SEO best practices can significantly outrank your competitors in the local organic search market and fortify foot traffic, conversion rate, and constant growth.

Who Are Google Local Guides?

Google Local Guides is a global community-run program by Google in which users contribute their knowledge to Google Maps, aiming to help online users find new places.

It was rolled out in 2015 and has become tremendously popular, with 120 million active local guide members covering 24000 cities and towns.

Local Guides offer information regarding local businesses, places, and attractions and enhance Google Maps, making it efficient for local searchers and businesses online. They help by:

1. Writing reviews,
2. Writing captions and descriptions,
3. Sharing photos,
4. Rating places,
5. Editing roads,
6. Fact-checking information,
7. Answering questions,
8. Adding accessibility information,
9. Reporting issues.

In return for their contributions, Local Guides obtain points and unlock various rewards.

Is Google Local Guide a Ranking Factor in Local Search Results?

To ensure that Google Local Guide is a local ranking factor, I visited “Google’s Help Guide” to learn how to improve your local ranking on Google. And Google hasn't clearly mentioned that Local Guide is a direct ranking factor in local SEO.

However, the contributions from Local Guides can indirectly influence your local rankings in various ways. Contributions like user-generated content (UGC), positive reviews, fresh business information, and community engagement can improve your digital presence and rankings in the local market.

What Are Key Benefits of Google Local Guides for Local SEO Ranking?

Google Local Guides contribute their writings, answers, and photos to Google Maps and help businesses improve their local SEO rankings. Here are some benefits of Local Guides for local SEO marketing:

1. Positive Reviews that Build Trust

In the digital realm, positive reviews and ratings serve as social proof in building trust. High ratings, positive reviews, and quality images of products and services directly impact your potential customers' purchasing decisions.

When Google Local Guides positively reviews a product, it increases the product and the company’s reputation. Consequently, users choose businesses with high ratings on the SERP.

BrightLocal reports that 56% of customers select a business with positive reviews in Google Local Pack results. 

Moreover, Google stresses Local Guides owing to their local experience. Therefore, various positive reviews from top local guides can help rank higher in local organic results.

2. Higher Organic Rankings

BrightLocal studies state a 5-star reviewed business attracts 25% more clicks in the Google local pack compared to a 3-star rating and 39% more clicks than a 1-star review.

As Google prioritizes both the quality and quantity of reviews, genuine reviews from local guides that include photos, videos, and star ratings are key ranking factors in local SEO. Here are some factors that determine higher local rankings:

• Positive Reviews: Positive 5-star reviews largely improve a business's local ranking, especially on Google Maps and Google My Business.
• Quality and Quantity of Reviews: Research says the number of reviews and their average ratings are a major factor in local ranking. This indicates encouraging positive reviews from local guides affects businesses’ local rankings
• Fresh Content: Fresh, up-to-date content holds a strong online presence:
  • Fresh reviews update the content of Google My Business Profile, which Google favors a lot.
  • Reviews often include keyword-rich content that your potential customers might search for, improving your business' relevance in the local search.
  • Reviews with photos make your business profile appealing, driving more clicks and interactions, altogether improving CTR, impressions, and overall SEO.

Also, surveys say top-ranking businesses on Google local results have an average of 47 reviews. Therefore, since Google Local Guides are active contributors and offer real reviews, their feedback has a higher value in the algorithm. 

3. Enhanced Business Profile

Local Guides typically enhance your Google Business Profile by including missing details and ensuring your business information is current and up-to-date. Such contributions are adding hours of operations, contact information, website links, photos, etc.

Additionally, reports say Local Guides comprise 62% of all Google reviews. These contributions make your business profile trustworthy, making it a primary source of reviews for businesses in the local search.

Therefore, A complete business profile offering quick and relevant details is more likely to get more:

• in-person visits, 
• making a phone call or 
• browsing your website. 

4. Word-of-Mouth Marketing 

Studies say 88% of consumers trust friends’ recommendations over traditional media and brand-created content.

Now, an expert guide who frequently visits businesses and leaves positive reviews helps build a stronger community with the local residents. Such contributions can improve engagement on your profile in the following ways:

• Questions: Local Guides answer the community’s queries and offer valuable information, influencing potential customers.
• Direction Requests: When a potential customer discovers a local guide on Google Search or Google Maps, the “Directions” button enables them to reach the store, increasing foot traffic. 
• Appointment Bookings: Positive feedback and UGC can lead to more appointments and in-person visits. UGC content also improves on-page SEO.

Additionally, BrightLocal reports that 89% of consumers between the ages of 35 and 54 rely on online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

Now, local guides are the trusted voice and significantly influence the community. Consequently, all these positive experiences can skyrocket your customer base organically through community-driven promotion. 

5. Competitive Advantage

Under the Google Local Guide Program, top contributors receive several new features and tools on Google Maps as they advance through the different levels. Henceforth, high-level guides have an extra edge over the general public.

With the updated tools, they provide more comprehensive and visually–rich business information. This can cover:

• Updating business hour services and contact details,
• Providing high-quality photos displaying businesses,
• Offering in-depth reviews emphasizing businesses’ strengths,
• Answering questions from potential customers.

As a result, improved and optimized business information updated by top local guides leads to higher ranking, both in Google Maps and Google's local search results. This drives more clicks, calls, and foot traffic and builds trust in the market.

How to Leverage Google Local Guides for Your Business

Google Local Guides are an effective way to enhance your local search ranking and drive customers. Here is how to leverage and maximize the potential of Google Local Guides: 

1. Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

An optimized Google Business Profile, or GBP for short, is pivotal to improving your business visibility in the local SERPs.

Hootsuite says an optimized local listing can stand out in search results about 2.7 times more than an incomplete profile with insufficient information. Additionally, a complete profile increases the chance of a visit by 70%.

Why is a Complete Google Business Profile so Important in Local SEO? 

Google algorithm considers these three major factors to rank businesses in the local search:

• Relevance: How perfectly your profile meets users’ search intent. 
• Distance: How far away your location is from the customers. 
• Prominence: How notable your business is depends on reviews, review scores, and other ranking factors.

How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile?

To ensure your Google business profile is current and up to date, do these practices:

• Complete Information: Include accurate business name, addresses, phone number, hours, website, categories, etc. Wrong information can affect your rankings. 
• High-quality Photos: Add quality photos of your store, products, and services to professionally showcase your business. 
• Business Categories: Choosing the right business category is vital as it helps Google understand and decide how relevant your business is to the search queries. Google offers 4000 types of categories. Pick one that is appropriate.
• Consistent Branding: Present your business as a brand across Google's business profile and other digital platforms.

Thus optimizing your GBP profile encourages Google Local Guides to contribute reviews, photos, and answers, increasing more visibility and user-generated content. Overall, informative GBP will help you achieve higher local rankings and local customers.

2. Engage with Local Guides 

Host events or meet-ups for local guides to visit your business and give positive feedback in exchange for discounts and special offers. Ensure these discounts follow all the Google guidelines. 

Such events enable local guides to test products or services and share their real experience through reviews and photos. Here are some benefits of hosting Local Guide Events: 

• Generate more reviews and photos from local guides, improving visibility on Google Maps. 
• Build a strong relationship between businesses and local guides.
• Motivate guides to write reviews with photos.
• Enhance credibility and attract potential customers through positive reviews from local guide events.

Thus, engaging with local guides through events can help build strong connections with influencers and improve businesses’ online presence.

3. Maximize User-generated Content

Making the most of UGC from local guides enhances your business credibility and customer satisfaction. To effectively utilize UGC, you need to:

• Highlight and feature local guides’ contributions on your business site and social media platforms. 
• Separately, create a UGC section on your website and social media pages to showcase the best reviews and photos from local guides.
• Engage with the reviews from local guides by liking, replying, and sharing their works.
• Carefully review their feedback and improve your product and services.

So, businesses must leverage UGC from local guides to establish a strong community around their niche, improve customer satisfaction, and boost visibility on Google Maps.

My Google Local Guide?

I began using Google Local Guide a few months ago and have reached around 650 points (level 5) so far. I follow this practice: wherever I go, whatever place I visit, I leave a detailed review. Regularly, you get messages showing how often your specific review has been seen. Some of my reviews have been seen around 10,000 times. 

Every month, Google My Business sends you a report that tells you how many times someone asked for directions to your company or visited your website. I’ve noticed that the more reviews I leave, the more people visit my website and contact me with requests for my services. 

So, it boosts engagement and visibility for your business. However, your reviews need to be authentic and genuine. Comments like “Great place” won’t do the magic. 

Challenges and Limitations of Relying on Google Local Guides?

Google Local Guides indeed offer several benefits, including user-generated content on Google Maps for your local business. However, local guides also have many challenges and limitations.

1. Fake Reviews of Local Guides:

Under the Google Local Guides Program, participants contribute their reviews, photos, and knowledge to earn points and reach higher levels. Here, guides are supposed to offer authentic information, but this involves many spammy activities.

• This program has no verification steps; therefore, sometimes, local guides leave reviews for the businesses without actually visiting them. 
• Many businesses receive fake reviews from contributors who do not have experience with the company.
• Google can't manually examine numerous reports submitted by users and businesses and verify fake local guides. 

In short, while local guides enhance the user experience of businesses, some fake guides and reviews fool customers and hurt authentic businesses.

2. Unclear Review Handling

Businesses cannot control how Google manages their reviews, leading to the Opaque Review Management Process. It is an algorithm that determines how Google handles reviews without providing clear details to businesses.

Here, businesses are unaware of the factors that Google prioritizes in determining whether a review should be removed or presented. Moreover, Google removes reviews and flags them as spammy without sharing the criteria.

So, the algorithms controlling reviews are not transparent to local businesses, leading to frustration and an online reputation without any clear grounds from Google.

3. Content Limitations 

Google limits Local Guides with some restrictions when writing reviews. This can compress the worth of the reviews. Such limitations are:

• On Google Maps, reviews are limited to 4000 characters. Though these many characters are sufficient, many guides feel it forces them to limit the review over nuanced, informed insights.
• Besides, Google allows video to be up to 30 seconds long. A half-minute video guide cannot share a detailed video tour displaying the features of products and services.

The conditions of Google bound guides to go into detail, resulting in less informed reviews and preventing users from making knowledgeable decisions about a business.

4. Limited Control over Contributions 

Another major challenge is that Google Local Guides cannot control their contributions. Google can modify or delete reviews without giving any notice to the contributors.

Also, local guides often believe that Google overlooks and does not appreciate their submissions and contributions. This raises questions regarding the honesty of the review system.