A Helpful Guide to Your Company’s Local SEO Checklist

If your company’s relatively new to search engine optimization and how things work, you’re probably in chaos. After all, you have yet to learn what you’re supposed to do to rank in local search. Don’t worry, though—you’re not alone. In fact, most business owners have no idea where to start regarding SEO.

That’s where this checklist comes in handy. Observe the following components below so your search engine optimization can be as best as it can be. 

Understand How Local SEO Works

Of course, it’s important to understand how local SEO functions before you review the list and determine what you can do with your campaign. Basically, local SEO entails optimizing your website and online presence so you can rank higher in local search results. This means including your city and state name and relevant keywords in your website and online profiles. You can also get involved with local directories and online listings and optimize your website for local search.

There are three main factors to local search engine optimization:

• Proximity: This refers to how close your business is to the searcher. Generally, the closer you are to the searcher, the higher you rank in local search results.
• Relevance: This factor considers various factors, including the relevance of your keywords, your website content, and the relevance of your business to the searcher.
• Prominence: This factor looks at how well-known your business is. The more well-known your business is, the higher you rank in local search results.

Evaluate Keyword Positions

Once you fully grasp local SEO, it’s time to analyze what keywords you will use and where to place them. In this situation, you can use a keyword research tool to help you find keywords relevant to your business and with a high search volume.

However, remember that these keywords must be relevant to your business and easily rankable. Once you have a list of target keywords, it’s time to start incorporating them into your website. You’ll want to place them in the following areas:

• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• Headings
• Anchor text
• Content

Run a Full Local SEO Analysis

Of course, your SEO campaign will only be complete with testing it. After all, you need to ensure that your target audience finds your website and that you are getting the desired results. Make sure to schedule these test runs weekly to determine what areas to work on and what methods are best for your company.

Ensure Your NAP Details Are Consistent

NAP is referred to as Name, Address, and Phone Number. Remember that these details are often the first ones your customers will check for when doing a local search. If any of your NAP details are inconsistent, make sure to correct them right away. You can use a tool like Moz Local to help you identify any inconsistencies.

Final Thoughts

Following these steps should help your company improve its local SEO. While many other factors go into a successful SEO campaign, these steps will give you a good place to start. And remember, always consult with an experienced SEO specialist to get the most out of your campaign.

Nick the Marketer specializes in providing helpful search engine optimization services in Birmingham, AL to support companies with their local SEO campaigns. Get in touch with us today for more information!