BlogSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)

Local SEO Checklist 2021 to Boost Business Performance

After figuring out SEO, now it’s time to delve deeper into Local SEO. And to do that well, we need to have a Local SEO checklist. What exactly do these words Local SEO mean – Local SEO is the practice of increasing the visibility and ranking of a local business…

By Shrishti Jain
June 7, 2017

After figuring out SEO, now it’s time to delve deeper into Local SEO. And to do that well, we need to have a Local SEO checklist. What exactly do these words Local SEO mean – Local SEO is the practice of increasing the visibility and ranking of a local business that services a specific geographic area in organic search results. Local SEO focuses on methods that are exclusively applicable to local firms. Why is it important - Local SEO helps you increase the visibility of your business in search results, allowing you to reach out to potential clients who are looking for exactly what you have to offer. So when the customers who are interested in your products or services are situated in your geographical area, a Local SEO strategy is what is required. And if you’re not showing up in local search, you’re surely missing out. Taking the efforts that lead to a successful Local SEO campaign will allow your business to appear on page one of Google’s search engine results pages. So what steps do you need to take, and what all do you need to add to your Local SEO checklist to improve your visibility in local search results? A proper local SEO will also add to your conversions really well.

Some top tips for a local SEO checklist to get your business going:

#1. Local Keywords

One simple step to take is to ensure that your website and other brand material contain keywords/phrases that are relevant to what local searchers are looking for. When someone searches for "near me," for example, Google looks at your area to see if your objects or services are in close proximity. If you have many locations, make sure to create About Us pages or even separate websites targeted for each area to catch local visitors.

#2. Avoid Over Optimization

Don’t overdo anything. The usage of keywords everywhere in your sentences or blog posts is just going to put the reader off. When you set out to optimise, make sure that the use of keywords is in a few strategic places, that there is a natural flow and that the readers will like what they are going through.

#3. Interesting Content

Search engines will always prefer content that is fresh and unique. You need to gauge what your customers want to know and what exactly are they asking. And then make sure that your content has answers to those queries. There are solutions such as hiring SEO writers in case you are facing a block with writing content. The writers need to churn out SEO optimised content consistently for blog posts, web pages, etc.

#4. Title Tags

They are called titles for a reason! One of the most important elements, the Title tags need to be taken care of. Being the main text that the users see on the browser tab, the titles also tell Google what the page is all about.

You could make your title tags engaging and catchy if you note the following:
Make sure that there are 55 or fewer characters
Try to include the brand name wherever possible

#5. Meta Descriptions

This lets the user and search engines know your page in précis form. Stimulating and explanatory Meta descriptions could lead to a higher frequency of clicks on your page. The description should be 156 characters or less in length, so your words don’t put off the users.

#6. Alt-Text

This is the text you see when an image fails to load. But care should be taken to include the keyword and describe the image.

#7. Anchor Text Optimization

This is that part that is clickable in a hyperlink. Google uses the anchor text of a link to understand what the page wants to talk about.

#8. Image Optimization

Search engines look at images from a different viewpoint. To make things easier for them and help them comprehend the images better, we need to give them additional information to describe the image. This lends itself to improved rankings for you too.

#9. Business Location Pages

Your business locations need to be created separately. All the addresses/locations cannot appear on a single page. This also means that you need to cater to the Geo-targeted location title tags, descriptions, and content.

#10. Listings of local businesses

It makes a lot of sense to complete your commercial enterprise profiles on several websites, such as Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Local, or other nearby commercial enterprise listings, as part of your Local search engine optimisation Checklist. Google My Business (GMB) is the mainstream that keeps your target audience's search engine results coming. It's increased much more when you're a small firm trying to reach out to local clients. Google My Business is also deeply integrated across a number of apps and functions that many consumers use on their mobile devices or in their online browsers.

#11. NAP

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. If you want to be seen and make an impact in local search, NAP is what comes to your rescue. It helps Google know where your business is located. The search engines also care about the consistency and quantity of NAP mentioned as a ranking factor for local search.

#12. Build a Bank of positive Reviews

Who doesn’t crave some good reviews? Customer reviews are one of the best ways to grow and enhance local business. There would have been innumerable times when you looked up a review and were even influenced by it. The same force works for you too. Focus on reviews on Google My Business or Facebook and increase good reviews by linking to your review profile. Make sure reviews are an inherent part of your Local SEO Checklist come what may. While Google forbids businesses from asking for reviews, you can encourage customers to do so by highlighting reviews on your website and so forth. You have the chance to convert an angry client into a repeat customer, or at the very least, to demonstrate to other current and future consumers that you value customer feedback and are prepared to include it when appropriate.

#13. Schema

The Schema is a framework, or language, that allows you to provide information about your site to search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Yandex. It allows them to comprehend your content and provide users with relevant results. You may also use Schema to tell search engines that you want to provide extra information like pricing, hours, and star ratings. Geographic markup, or bits of code that describe your location, can also be used.

#13. Citations and Social Profiles

A citation is where you get the honour of getting an online mention of your business. This could be with all or some of your NAP information. A social profile is one step ahead – it is when you get upgraded from a citation. Examples of social profiles are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

#14. Mobile Search

When the whole world is on the go, is your website mobile-friendly? This is an important aspect that needs to be taken care of. If users are unhappy with your website because of a poor mobile experience, then you should consider updating it to a mobile-friendly website. Google is going to start ranking websites via Mobile first. They have already begun testing on a small scale.

#15. Social Media

You need to have a presence on social media. Not just that, the profiles need to be optimised for local SEO too. For furthering your business, you could consider Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest. For blogs, there are various sites such as Reddit, Bebo, StumbleUpon, Wikipedia, or Slide Share.

#16. Videos

Many users or potential customers prefer moving images or videos. To grab their eyeballs, you could add videos on your website pages, local business listings, and the various social media platforms you’re present on. This will also engage your visitors.

#17. Voice Search Audience

Google Voice Search is growing, and how so get set to join the ride, and you could rank higher with local optimisation tactics. We’ve armed you with enough pointers with the Local SEO Checklist. So wait no more, up the ante with the checklist, and improve your local SEO strategy. At #ARM Worldwide, we provide quality SEO services to drive your business growth exponentially. Hire our professional SEO experts today! Learn more about the Top 6 SEO Trends that will Dominate.