{"id":16161,"date":"2022-10-31T09:51:48","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T09:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/local-seo-challenges-enterprise\/460554\/"},"modified":"2022-10-31T09:51:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T09:51:48","slug":"5-top-enterprise-local-seo-challenges-how-to-solve-them-via-sejournal-localseoguide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/?p=16161","title":{"rendered":"5 Top Enterprise Local SEO Challenges & How To Solve Them via @sejournal, @localseoguide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local SEO can be challenging for enterprise brands because it means knowing how to do \u201cnational\u201d SEO, Google Business Profile, and then learning how Google handles your priority search queries in various markets.<\/p>\n

That means there are an infinite number of challenges in local SEO for enterprise search marketers. So what are the most common challenges in enterprise local SEO? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

1. Knowing When To Prioritize Local vs. National SEO<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest challenges enterprises face is knowing when to focus on a \u201clocal\u201d SEO strategy instead of a \u201cnational\u201d SEO strategy and vice versa.<\/p>\n

This is understandable as it\u2019s not always immediately apparent if your priorities are better served by one or the other. It can be challenging to tell if your target top keywords have local intent.<\/p>\n

But, it\u2019s vital to success with your overall strategy because it will significantly impact how well your initiatives serve your business goals.<\/p>\n

Understanding which terms Google regards as local can help you develop your keyword strategy and determine how to approach and support your SEO investment.<\/p>\n

You could lose a lot of traffic due to poor site design or keyword strategy.<\/p>\n

Understanding Local Search Intent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, what do we mean by local search intent, exactly?<\/p>\n

By understanding search intent, you know what kind of features will appear in search results and what content you should prioritize.<\/p>\n

For this discussion, there are four main types of search intents to focus on:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Search queries with national intent.<\/li>\n
  2. Search queries with semi-national.<\/li>\n
  3. Search queries with local intent.<\/li>\n
  4. Search queries with hyper-local intent.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can tell what type of intent your target search queries fall into by the features shown on the SERPs, for example:<\/p>\n

    Queries With National Search Intent<\/strong><\/p>\n

    SERPs feature no state\/city-specific pages and no map pack (example<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \"SERPsScreenshot from search for [newspaper article], Google, September 2022<\/span>\"SERPs<\/div>\n

    The fact that there are no \u201clocal\u2019 results in this SERP probably means Google sees zero local intent for these queries.<\/p>\n

    The minute a large portion of searchers starts to redo this query with location info such as \u201cPleasanton newspaper article,\u201d the SERPs will likely shift to results that have some local results, which brings us to\u2026<\/p>\n

    Queries With Semi-National Search Intent<\/strong><\/p>\n

    SERPs feature no state\/city-specific pages but a map pack (example<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \"SERPsScreenshot from search for [bank], Google, September 2022<\/span>\"SERPs<\/div>\n

    Semi-national queries like [bank] might include a map pack because there\u2019s an equal amount of local and national clicks. This could be because some users are looking for a bank branch close to them, but others are looking for the bank\u2019s main home page.<\/p>\n

    Queries With Local Search Intent<\/strong><\/p>\n

    SERPs feature partial to full state\/city-specific pages and a map pack (example<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \"SERPsScreenshot from search for [plumber], Google, September 2022<\/span>\"SERPs<\/div>\n

    For a term like [plumber], Google will feature a map pack of nearby plumbers, and the remainder of the page one results are filled with location pages. Google predicts that the user intends to find a plumber near their location.<\/p>\n

    Queries With Hyper-Local Search Intent<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Hyper-local keywords are where the searcher\u2019s location is the most significant and significantly impacts SERP results (example<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \"QueriesScreenshot from search for [Auto insurance near me], Google, September 2022<\/span>\"Queries<\/div>\n

    In the case of hyper-local intent queries, the distance between the user and business matters most. You can see that the map pack dominates the SERP real estate for this query. So, Google likely thinks [Auto insurance near me] requires hyper-local results to be helpful for the user.<\/p>\n

    How To Identify Search Intent<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Analyze current SERP outcomes across different geos.<\/li>\n
    2. Examine the SERP for a map element.<\/li>\n
    3. Check for state or city-specific pages.<\/li>\n
    4. Review the titles and URLs.<\/li>\n
    5. Analyze consistency and make an intent determination.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      How To Build A Strategy For Different Types Of Search Intent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      National Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Nationally focused strategies will need a ton of content<\/strong> and authority<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Your main website should be where you invest the most of your SEO budget if you\u2019ve determined that your target keywords are in queries with little to no local intent. This will help you get that ranking by generating backlinks.<\/p>\n

      Semi-Local Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Semi-local keywords will require the bulk of focus to build the content and authority of your main site with one additional point of focus. Because semi-local keywords generate a map pack, you must optimize your Google Business Profile listings.<\/p>\n

      Local Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Your site structure will become significantly more important if you\u2019ve determined that Google treats your keyword as local. You can increase the volume of searches if you create a directory of state or city pages.<\/p>\n

      Hyper-Local Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

      When your priority keywords are hyper-local, creating a directory of state and city-level pages is preferable and optimizing them for near-me keywords with special location pages is preferable.<\/p>\n

      The layers will likely look different depending on your vertical, but broadly, they might resemble this:<\/p>\n