Local SEO is one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies for businesses that serve specific geographic areas. However, many business owners and decision-makers still struggle to understand why investing in local SEO is crucial. For agencies, consultants, and in-house marketers, getting buy-in from potential clients or bosses often requires building a compelling case backed by data.
In this guide, we'll break down getting local SEO clients on board (or convincing your company to invest in a local search marketing strategy) by building a case with competitive research, key local SEO metrics, geo-grid rank tracking, and AI-powered insights. We'll also explore how Local Falcon can equip you with the tools necessary to demonstrate the value of local SEO with undeniable proof!
1. Understanding the Business's Local SEO Needs
Before pitching local SEO services, it's crucial to identify a business's specific local search challenges. Many business owners know they need "SEO," but they don't realize how different local SEO is from traditional organic SEO.
Start by assessing their current local search performance and analyzing existing (or missing) tactics that can potentially support local SEO:
- Current local rankings: Where does the business rank in the local pack for key search terms?
- Competitor performance: Are competitors outranking them in local searches?
- Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization: Is their listing fully optimized and actively managed?
- Customer reviews and engagement: Do they have enough positive reviews to establish trust and boost rankings?
- Local content strategy: Are they producing location-specific content that attracts nearby customers?
With these factors in mind, you can tailor your pitch to directly address their pain points.
2. Conducting Competitive Research to Show Missed Opportunities
Nothing motivates a potential client more than showing them that their competitors are stealing their business. Conducting competitive research helps you get local SEO clients by illustrating the potential traffic and business they're missing out on.
With Local Falcon, you can:
- Analyze competitor rankings in the geo-grid rank tracker to show exactly where they dominate in search results.
- Compare visibility trends over time to highlight how the competition is improving.
- Identify gaps where your potential client has the chance to outrank competitors with the right strategy.
For example, if a business ranks well in one part of town but loses visibility in another, you can use geo-grid maps to visualize this weakness and present a plan to fix it. This type of data-backed insight makes it much easier to justify investing in local SEO.
3. Using Key Local SEO Metrics to Build a Strong Case
Numbers speak louder than opinions. When trying to convince a business to invest in local SEO, focus on key metrics that prove its importance.
Some of the most compelling local SEO metrics include:
- Average local rankings: Where does the business show up for high-value searches?
- Share of Local Voice (SoLV): A measure of overall presence in local search results.
- Review count and sentiment: The number and quality of customer reviews compared to competitors.
- Click-through rates (CTR): How many people are clicking on the business's listing?
- Engagement metrics: For example, calls, website visits, and direction requests from Google Business Profile Insights.
With Local Falcon's reporting tools, you can generate clear visualizations of these metrics, including key GBP Performance Metrics available in Falcon Guard, making it easier to show business owners the reality of their current local search performance.
4. Making Local SEO Tangible with Geo-Grid Rank Tracking
One of the biggest challenges in selling local SEO services is that rankings fluctuate based on location. Traditional rank tracking doesn't show how a business ranks across a geographic area at a hyperlocal level, but instead only shows general rankings for a single zip code or broad area. This is where geo-grid rank tracking from Local Falcon comes in.
Geo-grid rank tracking reports display search rankings across multiple data points, or map pins, in a geographic area, allowing businesses to see:
- How their local rankings change from one block or neighborhood to another.
- Where they have strong visibility vs. weak visibility.
- How they compare to direct competitors at different locations.
Using a visual ranking map, you can demonstrate the direct impact (or potential impact) of local optimization efforts, proving the value of your local SEO services. Instead of just saying, "Your rankings can improve," you can show them exactly where their performance is weak and explain in visual terms how your strategy will help.
5. Using AI-Powered Insights to Strengthen Your Pitch
With AI, local SEO professionals can analyze vast amounts of data faster and more accurately than ever. Local Falcon's AI-driven insights, powered by Falcon AI, help identify trends and provide strategic recommendations that can make your pitch even more persuasive.
Here's how Falcon AI can help:
- Predictive analytics: Show businesses what their rankings could look like with proper optimization (e.g., potential improvements to key metrics like SoLV score).
- Automated review sentiment analysis: Analyze customer sentiment at scale to find improvement areas.
- Keyword opportunities: Get AI-generated suggestions of high-value, local-specific keywords businesses should target.
- Competitor weakness detection: AI can reveal where competitors are vulnerable so you can capitalize on those gaps.
Incorporating AI-powered insights into your pitch helps you get local SEO clients by presenting data-backed strategies rather than just general SEO advice.
6. Creating Data-Driven Reports to Win Clients
Most business owners and decision-makers don't have time to analyze SEO data on their own. That's why professional reports play a crucial role in closing deals.
With Local Falcon, you can generate custom reports that include:
- Local ranking snapshots from geo-grid tracking.
- Competitor comparisons.
- Visibility trends over time.
- Review performance insights.
- Actionable next steps.
Providing a visually compelling, easy-to-understand report helps potential clients see why local SEO matters and how it directly affects their business revenue.
7. Positioning Yourself as the Local SEO Expert
Beyond just showing data, your personal expertise and authority play a huge role in getting local SEO clients. Position yourself as a trusted local SEO advisor by:
- Publishing case studies that showcase past success stories.
- Writing educational content (blog posts, LinkedIn articles, or YouTube videos) to demonstrate your knowledge.
- Speaking at local business events to network with potential clients.
- Offering free local SEO audits to spark interest.
The more you establish yourself as a knowledgeable local SEO professional, the easier it becomes to attract and close clients.
8. Overcoming Common Client Objections
Even with a data-driven pitch, potential local SEO clients may have concerns. Here's how to handle some of the most common objections:
"We already rank well."
Use geo-grid rank tracking to reveal gaps in their rankings across different locations and highlight specific opportunities for improvement, especially when it comes to outranking top competitors.
"We tried SEO before, and it didn't work."
Explain that local SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix, and show new competitive insights that previous efforts may have missed.
"We don't have the budget."
Compare the cost of local SEO to the revenue potential from increased local visibility and customer acquisition.
Addressing these types of objections with data and clear reasoning boosts your chances of closing the deal and getting a new local SEO client!
Key Takeaways on How To Get Local SEO Clients with Local Falcon
Getting local SEO clients or convincing your boss to invest in local SEO comes down to building a data-backed case that highlights the direct impact on visibility, customer acquisition, and revenue.
With Local Falcon, you can:
- Show real-time ranking data with geo-grid tracking.
- Conduct competitive research to highlight missed opportunities.
- Get AI-powered insights for smarter strategies.
- Create powerful, highly visual reports to make your case undeniable.
The best way to sell local SEO is to let the data do the talking, and Local Falcon gives you the tools to make your pitch stronger than ever!
