It is critical to have a local search strategic plan. Customers in all industries are looking for the finest products and services near them – and they want local responses and services as soon as possible. It is a major missed opportunity if your firm does not appear when someone in your region conducts a search. This extensive local SEO checklist can assist you in optimizing your website, marketing your business, reaching more local clients, and increasing revenue.

Do you want to stay one step ahead of the competition? Here’s a comprehensive local SEO checklist to help you get started.

Local SEO Checklist

Optimizing Your Website

• Define your location strategy. Multi-practitioner firms have distinct, more complex processes than single-location, brick-and-mortar enterprises or home-based businesses.
• Make a contact page, an about page, and a home page for your website. Include the full name, address, and phone number (NAP) for each location on the contact page.
• In the website’s footer, provide all of the addresses. Make sure to add all company phone numbers and make them available on the website. Ensure phone numbers are clickable from a mobile device.
• Add a Google Map to the Contact page to help consumers locate you and to optimize your local SEO.
• Complete your Google My Business page and validate your website.

Content

• Create a consistent website content approach that is user-friendly.
• Localized keywords will be used to optimize title tags and meta descriptions.
• Semantic versions of local keyword targets are employed to optimize static text content and blog content
• Include local photos and videos (optimized with relevant keywords) to add and improve the text. Publish unique content.
• Detach any duplicate listings. You can accomplish this with a free tool.
• While you’re at it, eliminate any additional issues of duplicate content that may be hampering your SEO efforts.

Citations

• Citations can be manually or automatically added. The benefit of manual citations is that you have control over them, but monitoring them might be time-consuming if the business decides to relocate or rebrand. On the other hand, automatic citations save you time and work but provide you less control over your company listings in the long run.
• Don’t compromise on the domain authority of the websites or directories that feature your company’s citations. Google Local, Facebook, Bing, Yelp, and Four Square are examples of high DA sites.
• A local citation is equivalent to backlinks in terms of SEO tactics for your website. Keep in mind that not all citations are created equal, and their efficacy is greatly depending on the circumstances. Local citations help to establish a brand and improve the customer experience.

Social Media & Customer Reviews

• If you haven’t added your company to Google My Business. This might have the greatest influence on your SEO because Google reviews are the first reviews people encounter when they search for your business on Google.
• Use client testimonials and reviews to promote your products and services. Upload them to your website.
• Select a business listing management tool to assist you in optimizing your local company information throughout the web and to update you promptly about customer reviews that may necessitate additional action.
• Create a profile for your company on each major social media network. Create accounts for social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
• Your all social media networks should be localized and linked to your website. Include the NAP+W into each social media listing.
• Designate or employ someone for affordable SEO packages to manage all social media accounts, so that client questions are handled, and a consistent content strategy is maintained.
• Encourage clients to provide reviews on your Google My Business profile, but don’t compel them to do so! Too many reviews at once might raise suspicion and result in account suspension. 
• It is unavoidable that your company will receive a negative review at some time. Be prepared to react.
• Keep track of and evaluate your rankings, including organic keyword position.
• Conduct a site audit on a regular basis to look for any red flags.

Schema (or Structure Data Markup)

• Schemas assist search engines in understanding your structured location-based information, such as your NAP – business name, addresses, dates of events, phone numbers, and so on.
• Schema markup can assist a local company in appearing in unique SERP features such as carousels and comment boxes.
• Before adding Schema markup, evaluate its validity using Google’s Structured Data testing tool.

Local SEO is a lifeline for businesses that predominantly operate in small geographical areas and rely on locals for sales. Specific local website SEO services can help you effectively optimize your website, market your business, and reach more local customers. Following this local SEO checklist can help you can get ahead in your local search.