Let\u2019s talk about each point on our checklist in more detail.<\/p>\n
Google Business Profile<\/h2>\n
You should first check off your local SEO checklist by setting up your Google Business Profile. <\/p>\n
Why is setting up a Google Business Profile important for local SEO?<\/p>\n
A Google Business Profile lets you be more visible on Google Search and Google Maps, where potential customers can find your info.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll have your profile where you can add your business\u2019s information and photos and showcase reviews in the search results.<\/p>\n
To set yours up, either add your business<\/a> or claim the existing business on Google Maps. Google offers instructions with a helpful video here<\/a>. <\/p>\n A critical step in this process is to choose the most relevant category for your business.<\/p>\n Regarding SEO, choosing this category is like choosing your site\u2019s main target keyword for your product or service.<\/p>\n As of 2023, there are close to 4,000 categories<\/a> you can choose from to label your business.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to choose a category that applies to your business and is a popular search term.<\/p>\n For example, if you have a summer fishing camp, you could choose \u201cFishing Camp\u201d or \u201cSummer Camp.\u201d<\/p>\n Suppose you punch these two terms into Semrush\u2019s Keyword Overview tool. In that case, you\u2019ll see (image below) that the \u201cSummer Camp\u201d got many more national searches versus the \u201cfishing camp\u201d (1.9 thousand vs. 49.5 thousand monthly searches in the United States, on average). <\/p>\n But you can get even more specific than that. The Keyword Overview tool is now equipped with a local metrics filter to help you determine what people are searching for in your chosen location.<\/p>\n The tool can narrow your keyword research to a state, county, region, or even municipality.<\/p>\n Once you have your keyword, you must type in the location you are looking for. <\/p>\n The local search metrics of these popular keywords will help you determine if you\u2019ve picked the correct category for your chosen location. <\/p>\n Note: Some widgets in the Keyword Overview tool will only yield national results. <\/p>\n There are many ways to optimize your business listing further, which we cover in our Ultimate Guide to Google Business Profile<\/a>. <\/p>\n The details you add to your profile will be appreciated by potential customers searching online, as it could help answer some of their questions or concerns about choosing your business.<\/p>\n In conclusion, your checklist for GBP is:<\/p>\n Now, how can you optimize your local business website for local SEO?<\/p>\n Generally, you\u2019ll need to follow the basics of SEO<\/a> like any other website: <\/p>\n Then, some ranking factors, like Citation Management and mobile-friendliness, become more critical for local SEO. <\/p>\n Citation management is essential because it will help Google trust your business when it sees more consistent citations of your business name, address, phone number, and other info.<\/p>\n You can save hours updating relevant local business directories with this information using our local citation software<\/a> to automate the process.<\/p>\n Mobile-friendliness is essential because many people search for local services on smartphones. <\/p>\n You can get started by unifying your citations with Listing Management<\/a> and checking your technical SEO<\/a> with Site Audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n First, display your business information clearly on your home page or footer so visitors will easily find it. This means your NAP (name, address, and phone number) and other important info. <\/p>\n This information must be consistent with every citation to send trust signals to search engines. Conflicting info about a business can negatively impact your SEO. <\/p>\n This issue can be fixed with citation management.<\/p>\n To manage your local citations on Semrush, use our local SEO services Listing Management tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alt text: Listing Management makes monitoring and optimizing business listings easy. <\/p>\n Just enter your business information, and Semrush will do the rest to make sure your business info appears consistently on every primary citation site<\/a> on the web (including Facebook, Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, and more)<\/p>\n Next, you\u2019ll need to identify your website\u2019s technical issues that could impact Google\u2019s ability to find your web pages. <\/p>\n To do this, run the Site Audit tool<\/a> to receive a list of top errors, warnings, notices, and instructions on fixing each issue. <\/p>\n Simple things like fixing broken pages, writing title tags and meta descriptions<\/a>, and optimizing internal links will go a long way towards future SEO success.<\/p>\n To audit how well your site is optimized for mobile, choose to crawl the mobile version of your site in the configuration settings<\/a>. <\/p>\n For more tips on mobile SEO, check out our Beginner\u2019s Guide.<\/a><\/p>\n So, you\u2019ve set up a Google Business Profile, managed the rest of your citations, and now have a list of technical issues to address to improve your site. What else can you do? <\/p>\n The basics of link building come down to simply making connections. Can you make connections in your local community and, in turn, receive links from other websites? <\/p>\n Can you create content other sites in your niche want to link to?<\/p>\n Getting linked from local blogs, neighboring businesses, or other websites about your specific niche or industry could go a long way in boosting your SEO.<\/p>\n In Semrush, you can set up the Link Building Tool<\/a> to gather prospects for your domain, which you could reach out to to build new links. <\/p>\n Read this blog post to learn more about how to build links<\/a>.<\/p>\n Schema markup<\/a> can help a local business show up and appear in special SERP Features like carousels and answer boxes. <\/p>\n For example, here are some schema markups relevant to local business:<\/p>\n These markups help search engines better understand and trust your site.<\/p>\n You can see how much of your website (if any) is using any markups in the Markups report of our Site Audit. This report also tells you if any of your markups are currently invalid. <\/p>\n To learn more about getting started with schema, check out this Beginner\u2019s Guide to Structured Data.<\/a><\/p>\n In conclusion, your checklist for Website Optimization is:<\/p>\n Your online reputation is a massive factor in winning over potential new customers searching for local services online. <\/p>\n You can manage your reputation in a few ways:<\/p>\n The first thing you can do to get more online reviews is ask your customers for them. <\/p>\n Google offers a Marketing Kit<\/a> where you can get free stickers, posters, and more to encourage people to review you on Google.<\/p>\n When you get reviews, respond to show you are engaged with your customers. Let them know you appreciate their positive reviews and have an answer or apology for any negative reviews.<\/p>\n You can review all your online reviews within the Listing Management tool on Semrush if you go to the Reviews tab. <\/p>\n If you have a Premium location, you can reply directly to those reviews on GBP and Facebook from Semrush! <\/p>\n Social media allows you to connect with the local market and speak directly to customers. <\/p>\n But \u2014 managing your representation on multiple channels is not an easy job. <\/p>\n To make things easier, you can use a scheduling tool like the Social Media Poster to plan out your posts in advance and stay ahead of the curve:<\/p>\n All of these channels can be managed and analyzed with the Social Media Toolkit, which features three tools:<\/p>\n In conclusion, your checklist for local online reputation is:<\/p>\n Lastly, you\u2019ll need to track the impact of your efforts, namely your visibility on Google Search and Google Maps, in the local packs, hotel packs, and other SERP Features on your target SERPs. <\/p>\n To set up a tracking campaign, go to Position Tracking<\/a>, and configure<\/a> the tool to track your target keywords in your target area. Options for targeting include country, state (in the US), city, and even zip code. <\/p>\n Depending on your account level, you can track multiple device types and locations in the same Project. <\/p>\n Your campaign will update your site’s current positions and competitors daily, so you can never miss a change in anyone\u2019s position.<\/p>\n Once your Position Tracking campaign is set up, you can filter the report to find the keywords with SERP Features.<\/p>\n Filters can include local packs, hotel packs, images, featured snippets, and other exceptional results you could target with (remember: schema markups can help!).<\/p>\n Finally, if you want to track your positions in Google Maps, you can do so with a premium location in Listing Management. <\/p>\n Once your location is premium, you can configure your heatmap with your desired radius size (miles or km) and grid size (3×3, 5×5, or 7×7). <\/p>\n This map will update your positions every month. This lets you see how you rank in precise locations within your area and how your visibility grows. <\/p>\n These tracking methods offer great visuals and reports to find growth points and areas that still need improvement throughout your SEO campaign. <\/p>\n In conclusion, your local tracking checklist is:<\/p>\nChoose the Best Business Category<\/h3>\n
![\"Once](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/ynMDCF4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/mwCBl5J.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/nSz4t9T.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
Website Optimization\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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Citation Management<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/S9TlN8L.png\")
<\/p>\nTechnical SEO Audit<\/h3>\n
![\"Gxeqh59YIRcJeAn2ok41dpKCBlAZoNlCtvpU8oi2O5U0t3zqcrHEQYAAd5txu5pFR64_9mA2H9ZiUgpylhJkvMflY5ztEX3p_TpmLKJh6vlvWeNfQIWr9BsEB-nbM2nc48BKbH4xvA56P_ArRKGEvnE\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/71jquh0.png\")
<\/p>\nLocal Link Building\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"image.png\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/3QVyzxe.png\")
<\/p>\nSchema Markup for local SEO<\/h3>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/oTQjdDU.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
Online Reputation<\/h2>\n
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How to Use Review Management for Local Business<\/h3>\n
![\"KrghBf_BcWphbEQ3RWN2KZhu3Cl981nYRFnZHOiqVZQyx0G6i7dXFYAmZ1UvFXRSV-A9d2Bn1Olbd0sll4Z11S7fm9vqC9aNjOuCY6VsW1YrO4L-NhvQfJQ3hRYyKZ6aV_hRVMenuv58p0Ulppvuzso\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/Qjh5s9d.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"image.png\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/wCmWFcJ.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to Manage Reputation by Engaging with Customers on Social Media<\/h3>\n
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Tracking<\/h2>\n
![\"mlDD_E5FWQuho5CyudOdoNKtOE9S03gUo5p_-5fdzPiGw5XZ8tKdZ24Ho2X0PV1D8jcsCCXBdJyQG5jluY-10XcVrF1MCB_Fj4n23ghDp1gwE0SfM75tPQkV9pW_oJjzqbqAnP1zjQNHC0ZQTkzOeSg\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/KQb4E2Z.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"PGakyXfvzxIaPs5aufcqOp530CVC9SivIJl9iEXzo1Zx8r3DxhoP36yw6CPFPBvmMinE7jIfhM4CACnG4IIdC1qlTftJ7RyXrTn71V4NB8KEBc3Ovaw7N21Xey4InOUatLwNjXDHXjbFRDG98S7sJE8\"](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/fYiAtCC.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
Download the free Local SEO check lists<\/h3>\n
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