In today’s digital landscape, local SEO has become an essential component for businesses aiming to attract customers from their immediate geographic area. Conducting a local SEO audit is where I begin with all new clients who are primarily targeting appearing in the regional SERPs as it is from here, I can shape the resulting strategy. This guide will walk you through the steps I complete to perform a comprehensive local SEO audit, to enhance your visibility and competitiveness in local search.
1. Google My Business Audit
Claim and Verify Your Listing: Ensure that you have claimed and verified your Google My Business (GMB) listing. This is the cornerstone of local SEO.
Complete Your Profile: Fill out all the information fields in your GMB profile, including business name, address, phone number (NAP), website URL, business hours, and category.
Consistent NAP Information: Ensure that your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across your GMB listing and all other online directories.
Photos and Posts: Regularly update your GMB profile with high-quality photos and posts about your business. Engage with customers through updates and offers.
2. Citation Audit
Check Major Directories: Verify your business information on major directories such as Yelp, Bing Places, TripAdvisor, and Yellow Pages. Consistency is key.
NAP Consistency: Ensure that your NAP information is consistent across all directories. Discrepancies can confuse search engines and customers.
Clean Up Inconsistencies: Use tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal to identify and correct any inconsistencies in your citations.
3. On-Page SEO Audit
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Optimise your title tags and meta descriptions with relevant local keywords. Ensure they are unique and descriptive.
Header Tags: Use header tags (H1, H2, H3) appropriately, incorporating local keywords where relevant.
Content Optimization: Include local keywords naturally in your content. Create location-specific pages if your business serves multiple areas.
NAP Information on Site: Display your business name, address, and phone number on your website, ideally in the footer or on the contact page.
Schema Markup: Implement local business schema markup to help search engines understand your business details and improve local search visibility.
4. General Website Performance Audit
Mobile Friendliness: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check for any issues.
Page Speed: Analyze your website’s loading speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize CSS and JavaScript to improve load times.
SSL Certificate: Ensure your website is secure by having an SSL certificate installed (HTTPS).
5. Local Reviews Audit
Review Quantity and Quality: Assess the number and quality of reviews on your GMB listing and other review platforms like Yelp and Facebook.
Respond to Reviews: Actively respond to reviews, both positive and negative. Engaging with customers shows that you value their feedback and can improve your local search ranking.
Encourage Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Make it easy by providing direct links to your review profiles.
6. Local Backlink Audit
Analyze Backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to analyze your current backlinks and see whether the domains currently linking to your website are thematic and high quality
Build Local Backlinks: Focus on acquiring backlinks from local websites, such as local news sites, blogs, and business directories. Participate in local events and sponsorships to earn mentions and links.
7. Social Media Presence Audit
Consistent Branding: Ensure your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all social media profiles.
Active Engagement: Regularly post content and engage with your audience on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Local Engagement: Participate in local groups and forums, share local news, and connect with other local businesses to increase your visibility.
8. Competitor Analysis
Identify Local Competitors: Identify your main local competitors and analyze their online presence.
GMB Insights: Compare their GMB profiles, reviews, and posts to yours. Identify areas where you can improve.
Backlink Analysis: Use tools to analyze the backlink profiles of your competitors. Identify opportunities to acquire similar local backlinks.
9. Analytics and Reporting
Track Key Metrics: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track key metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, and local search performance.
Set Goals: Define clear goals for your local SEO efforts, such as increasing local traffic, improving local search rankings, or generating more local leads.
Regular Reporting: Create regular reports to track your progress and adjust your strategy as needed. Monitor changes in local search rankings and adapt to algorithm updates.
10. Dedicated Landing Pages For Different Localities
Landing Page Specific: If your business has a storefront at multiple locations then a dedicated landing page is needed in order to target each of these keywords. A business that sells electrical supplies with a premise in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle for instance would need */location/leeds , */location/manchester , */location/newcastle pages in order to target, “electrical supplies leeds”, “electrical supplies manchester” and “electrical supplies newcastle” keywords.
Conclusion
Conducting a thorough local SEO audit is essential for businesses looking to dominate local search results. By following this step-by-step guide, you can identify areas for improvement, implement effective strategies, and ultimately enhance your visibility in local searches. Consistency, engagement, and optimization are the keys to success in local SEO, helping your business attract more local customers and drive growth.