I founded Lakeshore Local SEO in 2022 to help local businesses survive and thrive in our uncertain times — and make local SEO accessible for local businesses who want more online visibility and conversions when people search “near me” or “open now” for products and services.
Local SEO is local search engine optimization.
My Local SEO Story Begins
My interest in local business actually goes back 39 years to a girlfriend I’ve been trying to forget for 38 years. We used to fight — not disagree, but argue — over the stupidest things imaginable, like which is correct: chickpea or garbanzo bean? I’m not making this up. In case you don’t know, they’re the same thing: the first is the East Coast term, the other, West Coast. We finally had to settle it in a grocery store because there was no Google in 1985.
To her credit, though, whatever our conflicts, she was the first person I ever knew who made a point of shopping at local stores instead of big chains. It wasn’t just about convenience, it was a point of principle. I didn’t fully understand it then, but it stayed with me, even though I’ve tried to forget everything else.
Global and Local Traveler
When I was a reporter for the San Francisco Bay Guardian in the late 1990s, we always put a strong emphasis on supporting local business. I did that first as a visitor’s guide editor and later as a consumer affairs reporter. Today I’m the content coordinator of Montclair Living magazine, where again I have a journalistic role in supporting a community and local businesses. I enjoy that.
When I lived in Europe in the early ’90s — in Germany and the Czech Republic — I always loved going to the local bakery, butcher, apothecary, or whatever. So different from the vast malls of my suburban southern California childhood. It took more stops than a grocery store but it was fun making the rounds. I felt more in touch with my food.
When I moved into my Oakland apartment more than 20 years ago, I didn’t have a car so I frequented the shops around Lake Merritt. And then the recession ended in 2010 and what I call the Oakland Renaissance began, and my neighborhood sprang to life with new shops and restaurants. When a coffeehouse opened at the end of my block, I finally had one of the Top 5 things I want in a living situation. I was very happy.
Pandemic Pivot
So when the pandemic struck and half of my neighborhood shops closed or curtailed their hours, I felt it keenly. The businesses I’d watched come to life over the years and make my neighborhood awesome were now getting extinguished en masse. The coffeehouse — practically my second living room — went out of business early in the pandemic.
I pivoted my business to local SEO when I realized that helping local businesses was something I’ve actually cared about for a long time. It’s about more than just getting found on the web. We’ve all seen firsthand how our lives are diminished when our favorite shop or restaurant around the corner isn’t there any more.
The Local Difference
Local SEO is a branch of search engine optimization (SEO) that’s the foundation for marketing a neighborhood or local service area business. When Google detects a search with local intent, it actually uses a different algorithm to deliver results that meet the searcher’s need. If you type “pizza,” Google assumes you’re hungry, not researching the history of pizza in Roman times, and displays nearby pizzerias in the local pack (aka map pack) and other search results. (To get the history, ask more specific questions.)
I founded Lakeshore Local SEO in 2022 to be the go-to agency for business owners wanting to get started improving their local search presence. Now we provide both basic and advanced local SEO services that your business needs to survive and thrive.
If this could be you, please contact us or start with our free Local Search Report. We look forward to helping your local business do more than survive, but thrive.
Randy Lyman
Owner, Lakeshore Local SEO