My Target Market is Local - Why SEO vs. Google My Business?

Why Do Small Businesses Need a Blog / E-newsletters? Aren’t Google Maps and Yelp Enough?

Platforms like Google Maps and Yelp are invaluable for establishing a local presence but by focusing exclusively on these platforms, you limit your reach. 

In this article, we will cover how platforms like Google My Business and Yelp hinder your progress if you aren’t integrating search engine optimization (SEO) into your digital marketing strategy. There are many benefits of website optimization, including:

• Attract organic search traffic

• Capture broader traffic (outside of a specific locale)

• SEO as a long term, cost effective investment

• Webpage view duration and what it signals to Google

• Prevent drop offs

• Showcase branding on your website

• Measure progress and pivot accordingly

• Establish authority and trust

Websites, Not Databases, Attract Organic Search Traffic

Not everyone goes directly to Google Maps to search for “wellness center in Bellevue” or “window treatments.” Some may conduct broader, informational searches in Google, such as “how do I find a good wellness center near me” or “reputable window treatment companies in Seattle.” If you don’t have a web strategy focused on capturing that traffic, you will lose potential customers to competitors.

Website Marketing: Capture Non‑Local & Informational Queries

You might rank highly on your website for “best mom and pop shops Seattle” but rank only for “mom and pop shop Seattle” on Google My Business. 

It seems like a small distinction, but think of the times you search for specific stores or restaurants, particularly when planning a trip, you may be more likely to look up a top 10 list - “top 10 things to do in the PnW” or “top 10 seafood restaurants near Seattle.”

Why SEO Is All the Rage

With a well-structured website, you can rank for as many keywords as you like, including long tail keywords such as “how to alleviate my back pain” or “buy yoga supplies” or “holistic exercise class.” You aren’t relegated to local searches such as “yoga studio near me” or “Pilates near me.” 

There is no limit to the long tail keywords you can rank for, across the country and abroad, allowing you to open up your customer base significantly and capitalize on opportunities outside of local spaces, such as virtual yoga classes or quarterly yoga retreats. 

You want to get people on your site so that, even if international yoga retreat hosting is a distant dream, you can capture e-newsletter sign ups to directly advertise new service offerings (like a yoga retreat) decades down the line.

SEO: A Long Term, Cost-Effective Investment

SEO gives you direct control over your engagement with customers. You control the flow of information, the pop ups, the calls-to-actions. You aren’t competing on a platform that is putting you directly against your competitors, 10k positive ratings vs 8.4k.

SEO is a long term investment. The initial strategizing and set up takes some time but it sets you up for future traffic. Well‑ranked pages attract organic traffic months or years after publication, unlike paid ads or Google My Business promotions that end when you stop putting money into it.

Google My Business and Yelp see plateaus because of their heavy reliance on new reviews and paid features.

Website Views Help You Reach the Top of Google

When Google sees you as a trusted source, you are rewarded with higher rankings. Google can’t assess for itself what makes for quality content. It needs human input to show that content is valuable to other humans.

Basically, if you can get people to spend more time on a single page of your website, Google is signaled that this is quality content and should be promoted over other content. If Google sees two blog posts with the keyword “small businesses in Seattle” and one has double the reading time, it will boost the rank of the one with the longer read time.

No Drop Offs!

Think about your search behavior when you look for a service on Google Maps. If you’re in the market for a hair salon, are you going to book an appointment with the first one you find? Or, are you going to look at a few options, skimming reviews and pictures?

It’s amazing that consumers have all of that information and so many options at their fingertips but there are downsides for businesses trying to earn a sale.

With optimized call-to-actions (CTAs) on your website, you drive prospective customers to engage with you and your brand long after they log off. While on your website, they might sign up for your newsletter, fill in their email for a coupon or follow you on social media. You have the opportunity to re-engage with them and continue showing your value to convert them into a paying customer.

An Opportunity for Branding

Through your website branding, you don’t simply hope that your reviews and images alone will convince potential customers to use your products or services. You aren’t one of the faceless local “doggy daycares” or “landscaping professionals,” with a similar looking listing. 

Instead, you have the opportunity to show customers what you’re all about. On your landing page, show a video of dogs running through a field, tongues out happily while being shampooed at a day spa. 

Show prospective customers why you are the superior, luxury dog boarding experience…after all, you aren’t simply a “dog boarding” facility, you’re a “dog resort” - “the luxury your dog deserves.”

Everything about your user experience oozes with luxury. Every picture features a pampered, happy dog.

Your Website: The Greatest Tool at Your Disposal (Measuring & Tracking)

One of the coolest things about search engine optimization is that you have a ton of free tools at your disposal to track user behavior right on your website. Website listings on other platforms give you limited insight into what resonates with your users and where users drop off. 

Google Search Console 

...focuses on search performance and incorporates data such as:

• Clicks

• Impressions

• Click-through Rates

• Average Position

• Queries

• Pages

Google Analytics 

...delivers in‑depth traffic and behavior data, including:

• Sessions

• Users

• Pageviews

• Session Duration

• New vs. Returning Users

• Traffic Sources (organic search, direct, referral, social)

• Bounce Rate

• User Demographics

• Conversion Paths

• Visualize User Journeys

• Assess Landing Page Performance

All of this information is invaluable in determining larger goals - how best to reach your users, how to keep them on your page longer - as well as more granular challenges, including which buttons receive few clicks.

You can even conduct A/B testing (where you change one feature about a page, such as button color or placement) to more easily convert users.

None of this tracking and reporting is available outside of your website.

A Way to Establish Authority & Trust

A listing on Google My Business or Yelp won’t show the wealth of experience and value that your company has. It won’t showcase your case studies, clients, blog posts, white papers, presentations and other information to position you as an authority in your industry.

You want customers to view you as the expert in your field. What better way to do that than to show your value directly on your landing page? As a consumer, I want to see that your product has been featured in The New York Times and Consumer Reports and repeatedly listed as the top product of the year. I want to see all of the studies you conducted that show your product is superior to others.

A directory listing won’t show me any of that, not in the same way as your website content can.

The Bottom Line

While Google My Business and Yelp provide a foundation, they’re just one piece of the local marketing puzzle. To stand out and acquire more customers, you need:

• SEO & website content that captures every stage of the buyer journey

• An e-newsletter list to drive repeat business

• Authority‑building assets (blogs, case studies, guest posts) to earn trust

By investing in a holistic digital‑marketing approach, you transform your online presence from “just another listing” into a powerful, customer‑magnet engine. Rather than being at the mercy of listing algorithms and updates that don’t favor your company, you can direct your outcome completely. A robust SEO strategy sets you up for long term success.