SEO is an important concept for e-commerce businesses, and that cannot be overstated enough.  But SEO is also not a simple, cut-and-dry concept. In fact, there are different types of SEO for different types of businesses and even different types of searches.  

Local SEO and Organic SEO are two such examples.

Knowing and understanding the difference between the two of these can allow you to use the one best suited for the circumstances of your business and really allow it to shine!

Local SEO

Local SEO’s usefulness is given away in its name: it’s best suited for physical, location-based businesses.  

For example, if you’re running a Google search for ‘e-commerce consultants in Cleveland,’ that relies on Local SEO to determine the best results for you.   Google will look for keywords, reviews, and trusted locations related to what you’re looking for and pile them up for you.

Typically, Local SEO results come with reviews, addresses, hours, etc in order to help provide you with the most convenient option and help you make the most informed decision. The ultimate goal when it comes to Local SEO, then, is to be the most relevant listing when it comes to results for your target location.  Good business and citations are things that work wonders for good Local SEO, along with a well put-together site and a good location.  

Citations are mentions of your business across the web, be it on other websites, forums, or more. Having these in important and relevant places for your business’s niche really boosts your Local SEO.  

Making yourself relevant is important for Google to recognize and recommend you.  Local content, good reviews, getting your name in local directories, and a well built website and Google My Business account are all good ways to build your credibility with Google and earn yourself a top spot with local results.

Organic SEO

Where Local SEO focuses on the physically-based business, Organic SEO focuses on the digital.  

Organic SEO involves ranking according to mainly keywords and the merits of your site, rather than your specific location.  Businesses who make use of Organic SEO in fact may not even have a physical location and may be completely web-based.

Organic SEO relies on catering to the search engine and proving yourself relevant with regards to the keywords you’re trying to target and rank higher with.  To do that, you need to have good content that Google sees as relevant and trustworthy.

But just slapping a blog, a few pages, or links on your site isn’t necessarily going to win Google’s heart.  Organic SEO is a little more complex than that. Optimizing things like your images, headings, titles, videos, and more are required in order for Google to like what they see. Check out our post on effective SEO in Shopify to see some practical tips and methods on how to achieve good Organic SEO.

Which Is Right For You?

As stated earlier, both Local and Organic SEO are important to understand and apply for your business, but it can have powerful results to apply to one more than the other when it comes to your business.  

If you’re unsure which one would be best for your business to cater to, then we can help. Gapstow Design offers a number of SEO Packages to choose from to best fit the needs of you and your business.  We’d love to help you and your business achieve its maximum potential!