Even if local SEO is not a new thing, it still continues to grow in importance. In fact, the numbers shared by Google show that Google Maps searches for “curbside pickup” grew 9,000% Y/Y, and searches containing “local” and “business” grew more than 80% Y/Y.v
In 2022, almost a third of consumers search for a local business online daily, and almost 50% of all searches on Google are for local information.
The numbers prove the fact that you need a local SEO strategy to survive this century. To help that, we share this local SEO checklist with 10 points. Let’s go on!
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to rank higher in local search results. It is an important tool for any business that wants to be visible in local search results, as it can help you reach new customers and grow your business. Local SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, but by understanding the basics, you can get started on the path to success.
Why is local SEO important?
The success of any company is dependent on its ability to connect with the right audience. Local SEO gets involved at that point by improving businesses’ visibility on the internet to reach the target audience. The main rules of SEO are applied, but location-based keywords, ranking factors and user intents take more place.
A successful local SEO strategy can help you reach more potential customers.
But how?
Today, SERP features’ dominance is growing. Ranking high on the first page of search results among all those giant chain stores and popular websites requires new strategies. If you have a local pizza restaurant, it is impossible to be seen by people who search for “pizza.”
Although, with the help of SERP features, you can be at the top of local search results. This is remarkable because 46% of all searches on Google include local intent. Plus, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
Local SEO gives a chance to small businesses to compete with global giants.
How Can I Improve My Local SEO?
This local SEO checklist outlines 11 things you should consider when it comes to optimizing a website to target local areas. By checking off the items in this local SEO checklist, you can increase your chances of getting found for relevant local searches.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
A local business’ Google Business Profile listing is one of the most important local SEO ranking factors. Your Google Business Profile listing includes your business name, address, phone number, hours, website, category, photos, and reviews. Having a complete and accurate listing helps local customers find your business online and improves your chances of ranking higher in local search results.
If you don’t have a Google Business Profile listing for your local business, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to improve your local SEO and attract new customers. Creating a Google Business Profile listing is quick and easy, and it can help your business reach new heights. In fact, you may even find yourself at the top spot!
Citation Basics
Consistency
Google needs to see that your business information matches other websites. All of your “name, address and phone number” (NAP) should match across the web. Consistency is the most important part of Google Business Profile.
If your business is inconsistent, this can be seen as a red flag by Google. When you make a change, it is important to get everything changed as soon as possible.
Ensure you’re using the right keywords
Knowing what queries your potential customers are making in your local area related to your business is important. To do that, conduct local keyword research to build your keyword list.
Keywords are words or phrases that people use to search on search engines. Identifying keywords related to your business, your products or services, and your location is essential so you can target searchers in your area.
You can increase your chance by targeting specific keywords as part of your local SEO strategy.
Optimize Meta Titles And Descriptions
Once you have your local keyword list, it is time to optimize your meta titles and descriptions.
A meta title (aka meta tag) is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page. Search engines typically use the meta title to display a page’s title in search results. They should be between 50 and 60 characters long and include your target keyword.
Meta descriptions give summaries of the contents of web pages. They are commonly used on search engine result pages (SERPs) to display preview snippets for a given page.
Meta descriptions should be between 50 and 160 characters long and include your target keyword as well as a brief about the content on the page.
Let’s give an example for these two.
The meta title of New York SEO page on my website is:
“New York SEO Agency – New York SEO Services | Jimmy Huh”
It is 55 characters, includes keyword, and describes what the page is about.
In the same way, the meta description of same page follows all the rules mentioned above.
“Jimmy Huh and team is the top New York SEO Agency in the Tri-State Area. Call Jimmy for New York SEO Services today 626.231.1183.”
Reach Out for Reviews
Reviews manage purchases. This is the reality of the “new world.” When you think about it, don’t you also check reviews before every purchase?
More consumers are reading online reviews than ever before. According to BrightLocal, in 2021, 77% “always” or “regularly” read them when browsing for local businesses (up from 60% in 2020)
Take advantage of this with satisfied customers’ reviews. You can use “Google Place IDs” to send a direct link to a page where they can leave a review.
Here are a few things you can do to get more reviews:
- Leave a simple review request (or links) on pages.
- Ask for reviews.
- Add a Google Business Profile review request to your email signature.
- Embed reviews systems on your site.
Use SEO-Friendly URLs
Search engines reward websites with clean, well-written URLs. This means that it is important for content creators to make sure their domain name reflects the topic of each page they are covering so as not only do users have an easy time finding what you want them but also because search engine algorithms can’t crawl pages without relevant titles or descriptions.
Use SEO-Friendly URLs
Link building remains a powerful tactic in the local SEO checklist. Local backlink building can signal to search engines that your website is authoritative and trustworthy.
The more websites link to your website, the more visibility search engines give you in their ranking. Also, backlinks lead to a higher volume of referral traffic, generating more potential leads on your website.
Don’t Forget Schema Markup
In the simplest term, a schema markup is a form of microdata that you add to your content to display “extra” information about it in search results — such as ratings, pricing, or location details. For example, you can use it for Google and other search engines to display dates and information about an upcoming event.
A collaboration between Bing, Google, Yandex, and Yahoo!, Schema.org provides some of the most common schema types and tutorials. Before you go hard with Schema markup, it’s worth looking at Google’s guidelines on how to use it. Even if it can be confusing, once you’ve selected the scheme, Google offers a user-friendly Structured Data Markup Helper.
Be Mobile-Friendly
Mobile devices are closer to us than ever. As a result, 64% of the combined data traffic worldwide comes from mobile devices. An increasing number of consumers use mobile devices to search for local businesses, and if your website is not mobile-friendly, you are likely to lose potential customers.
You should ensure that your website is responsive and fast on a mobile device.
Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see how your website appears on mobile.
Create High-Quality Content
Every new article is a new page on search engines. However, when it comes to content, quality is always more important than quantity. For local businesses, there is an additional layer of importance placed on creating content relevant to their geographic location. This is because local SEO relies heavily on content that contains geographical clues and keywords. By including these signals, businesses can ensure that they are more visible to consumers searching for products or services in their area.
In addition, by creating content specific to their city or region, businesses can establish themselves as experts in their field and build trust with potential customers. Therefore, local businesses should prioritize content creation in their marketing strategy.
Make sure you’re creating keyword-focused content and use tools like Google Trends to find out what people are searching for.
Social Media
Having a social media account and local SEO may not seem relevant at first glance. But in fact, they are. First, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have their own maps and search algorithms and almost act like listing sites.
Moreover, social media platforms show up in local search results for your business name, giving your business more visibility on search results pages.
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