A Comprehensive Local SEO Checklist for 2023
In today’s digital landscape, ensuring that your business is properly positioned to attract local customers is more important than ever. If you’re ready to enhance your online visibility and drive more traffic to your brick-and-mortar location, this step-by-step guide will walk you through essential local SEO strategies that you can implement right away.
Step 1: Set Up Your Local Listings
First and foremost, establish your local profiles on key platforms. This includes:
- Google My Business: Create and verify your listing.
- Bing Places for Business: Don’t overlook this search engine.
- Yahoo Local: Ensure your business is listed on this platform as well.
Step 2: Optimize Your Business Listings
Once your listings are established, it’s time to optimize them. Focus on the following elements:
- Business name and address
- Accurate map location
- High-quality photos and videos
- Up-to-date contact information
- A compelling introduction to your business
- Appropriate categories and relevant keywords
- Regular business hours
- Verification to authenticate your listings
Step 3: Cultivate Client Reviews Monthly
Encouraging customer reviews can significantly impact your local ranking. Here’s how to get started:
- Analyze your competition to see how they gather reviews.
- Begin requesting feedback from your most satisfied customers.
- Target platforms like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and TrustPilot for reviews.
Step 4: Build Regular NAP Citations
Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) should be consistent across the web. Begin by:
- Identifying the most important NAP citation sites relevant to your industry and location.
- Making sure you are listed accurately on these platforms.
- Adding new citations each month to enhance visibility.
Step 5: Participate in Industry Directories
Boost your SEO by getting listed in industry-specific directories. Perform research to identify these directories and check where your competitors are listed to ensure you’re included.
Step 6: Create Dedicated Pages for Each Product/Service
To enhance user experience and SEO, create individual pages for every product or service you offer. Each page should be unique and contain relevant content.
Step 7: Develop Long-Form Content
Ensure that you have long-form content (minimum of 500 words) for each of your products/services. Look through past presentations, proposals, and FAQs to repurpose into quality articles.