Hyperlocal SEO – The Latest Craze or Buzzword?
March 2, 2010 by admin
Many of the latest SEO blogs I read have mentioned the appearance of ‘hyperlocal’ in SEO. I was confused as to what hyperlocal could mean since it’s pretty well set in the industry that there is local SEO, so what could hyper be?
Wikipedia defines hyperlocal as:
“Firstly, it refers to entities and events that are located within a well defined, community scale area. Secondly, it is intended primarily for consumption by residents of that area. Thirdly, it is created by a resident of the location (but this last point is discussed because for example a photo can be hyperlocal but not locally produced).”
In the SEO world, it’s mainly characterized by locally-based blogs that cover happenings, restaurants, and anything else in a small geographic location.
Why is Hyperlocal SEO a Big Deal?
As SEO has become more pervasive over the years, ranking on a national keyword is pretty difficult. There are some shortcuts, but in the long run, national keywords tend to be ultra competitive and ROI has slowed noticeably. Since then, many have moved locally. Even though the term ‘SEO’ would be extremely difficult to rank for, stick a geo qualifier like your city on there, and suddenly it looks possible to show on the first page.
Local vs. Hyperlocal
So ‘Denver SEO’ would be a local keyword used in local SEO, but what would make it hyperlocal? Nothing. The term by all definitions is already hyperlocal. What makes it hyper is the positioning and intent of the website or blog. Hyperlocal Denver SEO would seem to connote a Denver SEO firm that services only Denver businesses.
Hyperlocal Builds Trust
It is so easy for someone to throw up a website targeting the term ‘Scranton PA attorney’, but it is quite another thing to be an attorney in Scranton and have a name, address, and contact phone. Your potential customers can sense when things are grass rooted, and when it’s astroturfed. With Google making hundreds of adjustments to its algorithm per year to counter spam, you can count on counterfeits always being unearthed eventually.
Hyperlocal is Nothing New in SEO
So as the title of the article suggests, I hope to decide if the term hyperlocal is a new craze, or if it’s a buzzword used by execs who don’t actually know the definition. As it happens, hyperlocal seems to be a new name with the same old concept of local SEO. That seems to rest on buzzword status. No one says you can’t make money by throwing around buzzwords, but I would like to see less new terminology, but more innovation with our current tech.
About The Author:
A.J. Wilcox has been studying and practicing SEO for 2 1/2 years, and is the
local/national team leader over at OrangeSoda’s SEO department.
