What is local SEO vs SEO?

Local SEO targets a specific geographic area: a city, a service radius, "near me" searches. General SEO targets broader reach, competing for rankings regardless of location.

Most small businesses need local SEO first, since customers are searching for services near them, not nationally. General SEO becomes more relevant if you sell online or serve customers anywhere.

This gets asked as 'SEO vs. local SEO' or 'what's the difference between SEO and local SEO,' and the short answer is scope: one targets everywhere, the other targets your area.