How Local SEO is Different from Traditional SEO: Key Differences You Need to Know [Propel Playback]

This episode breaks down the difference between traditional SEO and local SEO for clinics and healthcare practices. You will learn how Google decides which clinics to show in search and maps, and what you can do to improve your local visibility so more patients find and choose your practice.

• What SEO means for clinics and healthcare providers
 • How traditional SEO and local SEO work together for your practice
 • Why local intent matters when patients search for care nearby
 • How to know if your clinic needs a local SEO strategy
 • Key local SEO ranking factors that impact where your clinic shows up
 • Practical tips to optimize your Google Business Profile listing
 • How local citations and online reviews influence patient visibility and trust

💥 Episode Webpage: https://propelyourcompany.com/local-seo-vs-traditional-seo/

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Hello and welcome to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
I'm your host, Darcy Sullivanfrom Propel Marketing and
Design.
Today we're diving into theworld of SEO, search engine
optimization, and breaking downkey differences between
traditional SEO and local SEO.
Whether you're new to digitalmarketing or just want to better

(01:34):
understand how search engineswork, this episode will help
give you insights you need totarget the right audience the
right way.
Now, before we dive in, if youhaven't already, I would love to
invite you to join a freewebinar that will walk you
through how to create a winningSEO campaign.

(01:55):
You can find it by visitingpropellyourcompany.com slash
learn.
There you can sign up, and it isan on-demand webinar.
So you can go ahead and getwatch it and get started right
away.
Let's start with some basics.
What is SEO?
First, a quick refresher.

(02:16):
SEO or search engineoptimization is the strategy of
optimizing signals both on yourwebsite and off of your website
to influence how it appears insearch results online.
When most people think of SEO,they immediately tend to think

(02:37):
of traditional SEO.
This works great if you'retargeting a global or national
audience or you don't reallyhave a physical location tied to
your business.
But here's where things getinteresting.
Google doesn't have just onealgorithm.
It actually has multiplealgorithms tailored to different

(03:00):
kinds of searches.
When a user enters a searchquery, Google works to
understand the intent behind thequery.
The query being what they eithertype into Google or speak into
Google asking.
For example, is someone lookingfor information, an online

(03:21):
product or a nearby service?
If Google determines the searchhas local intent, it then
switches to its local algorithmto deliver results that are
relevant to a specificgeographical area.
Local intent means that theperson searching is likely

(03:45):
looking for something near them,whether that's a restaurant, a
plumber, a chiropractor, oranother service.
And here's the kicker.
Local intent does not alwaysrequire a geographical modifier
in the search.

(04:06):
Let me explain.
Let's use an example.
If you type pizza delivery intoGoogle from your office, you
will see a list of pizza placesnear your office.
Now, if you're at home and youtype pizza delivery from your
home address, you'll see acompletely different list of

(04:29):
results, even though you enteredthe same exact query or search
term.
That's Google's algorithm atwork.
It knows you're searching for apizza place closer to your
current location without youneeding to add that near me or
city name or zip code in yourquery.

(04:50):
So, how do you know if yourbusiness really needs local SEO?
If you see the map back, thelittle map with three businesses
located underneath it, and thesearch results for your targeted
keyword, Google is usually usinglocal algorithms for that query.
This is extremely important forbusinesses like chiropractors,

(05:15):
massage therapists,acupuncturist, physical
therapist, clinic owners of allsorts, restaurants, coffee
shops, retail stores, homeservice providers like
electricians, plumbers, andmore.
Essentially, if you do aface-to-face business at a
physical location or servecustomers in a specific

(05:39):
geographical area, then youabsolutely need local SEO.
And my guess is if you'relistening today, you fall in
that category.
Where the local algorithmapplies.
Now, local SEO isn't just aboutshowing up in the map pack.
The local algorithm influencesseveral areas of search results.

(06:04):
The map pack.
This is the most obvious placewhere the local algorithm is at
work.
The local finder, when you clickview all at the bottom of that
map pack, you'll see an expandedlist of local businesses.
You have Google Maps.
The search results in Maps appare entirely powered by the

(06:28):
local algorithm.
And localized organic results.
Even the regular organic searchresults below the map pack are
often localized for queries withintent.

(06:49):
If you're in a highlycompetitive area, the search
results might be smaller.
For example, a big city like NewYork, someone searching for a
chiropractor might only seeoptions within a couple of
miles.
But in a rural area, the searchradius could extend much, much
further.

(07:10):
So what does this mean for you?
Well, again, if you haven't hadthat opportunity to check out
the free webinar that walks youthrough mapping out an SEO
strategy that works, I highlyrecommend you visit
propellyourcompany.com slashlearn and sign up for that free
webinar.
Now, there are a couple keydifferences between traditional

(07:34):
SEO and local SEO.
So to wrap things up, let'squickly highlight some of the
biggest differences between thetraditional SEO and that local
SEO.
First, there's search intent.
Traditional SEO focuses onranking for keywords regardless
of location.

(07:55):
Local SEO targets searches withlocal intent, aiming to connect
users with nearby businesses.
We also have ranking factors.
Traditional SEO emphasizescontent, backlinks, and overall
site authority.
Local SEO adds additionalfactors like proximity to the

(08:18):
searcher, local reviews, andyour Google Business Profile
optimization.
We have tons of information ifyou're looking to optimize your
Google Business Profile listing.
There are a number of episodesthat we've done about the Google
Business Profile listing, whichI will include in the show
notes.

(08:38):
And again, also we go over thatin that free webinar.
And if you are a member of ourReady Set Frank DIY SEO program,
there's a section in there abouthow to optimize your Google
Business Profile listing thatgoes into advanced strategies.
Next, there's search features.

(08:59):
Traditional SEO results arepurely organic, no maps
involved.
Local SEO results include thatmap pack, the local finder, and
Google Maps.
So if you're wondering what'snext when it comes to optimizing
for local SEO, please staytuned.

(09:19):
We'll be breaking down some ofthe most important local SEO
ranking factors and information.
Again, we go into a lot ofdetail about specific elements
of your Google Business Profilelisting, building local
citations, and online reviews.
In the meantime, think about howyou want your business to show
up in search.

(09:40):
If your customers or clients orpatients come from a specific
area, it's time to focus onlocal SEO.
And if you're not sure where tostart, don't worry, we've got
you covered.
Again, you can check out thatfree training by visiting
propelyourcompany.com slashlearn.
Thanks for listening to theClinic Marketing Podcast.

(10:04):
Make sure you subscribe to thepodcast so that you will be
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And please share these episodeswith people that you think would
find them helpful.
That's it for today.