Local SEO Checklist [Free PDF Download]

Do you want to attract more customers to your local business? 

The answer is local SEO. Local SEO allows you to attract potential customers at the exact right time and place. Whether they’re looking for a ‘coffee near me’ or a ‘24-hour plumber’, you can drive them straight to your store.

It may sound simple, but local SEO is an ongoing process that requires strategy and refinement to get right. It involves acquiring local backlinks, optimising your website, sharing content, and managing reviews. If your business has more than one location, then you’ll need to tailor your efforts to each location. 

To achieve success, you need to ensure that your website and Google Business Profile are fully optimised with local SEO best practices. To help you get started, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide and local SEO checklist download. 

Let’s get started. 

Why does Local SEO matter?

Local SEO matters because it helps businesses connect with potential customers in their immediate vicinity. With 46% of online searches now including local intent, optimising for local SEO ensures that your business appears prominently when nearby customers search for products or services you offer. 

This visibility is crucial for attracting foot traffic to physical stores and driving online conversions from local searchers. By focusing on local SEO strategies, businesses can enhance their visibility in local search engine results pages (SERPs), build trust among local consumers, and ultimately increase sales and revenue.

How does Local SEO work?

Local SEO works by optimising various aspects of your online presence to make your business more visible to local searchers. Key strategies include optimising your Google Business Profile with accurate business information, such as name, address, phone number (NAP), and operating hours. 

Creating localised content that incorporates local keywords and phrases helps improve relevance for local searches. Acquiring and managing online reviews and citations from local directories also enhances credibility and authority in local search results. Finally, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and optimised for local search queries further boosts your chances of appearing prominently in local SERPs, driving both online and offline traffic to your business.

7 Steps for your Local SEO Strategy

1. Set up your Google Business Profile

To effectively harness the power of local SEO, start by optimising your Google Business Profile (GMB). Begin with setting up and verifying your GMB listing to establish a credible online presence. Once verified, optimise your profile by adding accurate details such as your business name, address, phone number (NAP), operating hours, and relevant categories. This ensures that potential customers searching for local services or products can easily find and contact your business. Engaging actively on your GMB profile by posting updates, responding promptly to reviews, and addressing customer queries further enhances your visibility and credibility in local search results.

2. Optimise for On-Page SEO

On-page SEO plays a crucial role in strengthening your local search presence. Consistency is key. Ensure that your NAP details remain consistent across all platforms, including your website, GMB profile, and other local directories. Incorporate local keywords strategically in your website's titles, meta descriptions, headers, and content to align with local search queries effectively. Implementing schema markup specifically tailored to your local business further enhances your website's visibility and relevance in local search engine results.

3. Build Local Citations

Building and maintaining local citations across authoritative directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Bing Places is essential for reinforcing your business's online presence. Ensure consistency in your business information across all citations to avoid confusion among potential customers. 

4. Seek Reviews

Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like GMB and Yelp not only boosts your credibility but also improves your local search rankings. Actively engaging with all reviews, both positive and negative, demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction and can positively impact your online reputation.

5. Build Local Links

Effective local SEO strategies also include local link building efforts. Collaborating with local businesses and influencers for backlinks can significantly boost your website’s authority and visibility in local search results. Similarly, sponsoring local events or getting mentioned on community websites can enhance your local presence and attract relevant traffic to your business.

6. Engage with Social Media 

Social media engagement is another critical component of a comprehensive local SEO strategy. By leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, businesses can amplify their local presence and foster deeper connections with the community. Share updates about local events, promotions, and company news to keep followers informed and engaged. Interacting with the local community through comments, shares, and direct messages helps build trust and brand loyalty. 

Social media signals can indirectly influence search engine rankings, making active engagement on these platforms beneficial for enhancing overall visibility in local searches. Integrating social media efforts with your broader SEO strategy can significantly boost your business' online reach and impact.

7. Monitor your Performance 

Monitoring your local SEO performance is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of your strategies. Track key metrics such as GMB insights, local rankings, and website traffic using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. This data provides valuable insights into your audience's behaviour and helps refine your local SEO tactics for optimal results.

In addition to these strategies, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a large portion of local searches are conducted on mobile devices. Optimise your site speed for better user experience, and regularly update your website with high-quality, relevant local content to maintain engagement and attract local audiences effectively.

Final Thoughts

Ready to boost your online presence and drive new customers to your local business? Download our local SEO checklist to get started. 

Need a hand? Turn to us. At Margin Media, we are your local SEO agency in Brisbane. We know that SEO is a complex game that requires long-term investment and refinement to get right. It’s not just a simple set and forget.

Getting your SEO strategy right is about focusing on your audience’s behaviours, search patterns and interests, and tuning your strategy to serve the right message at the right time.

We have a holistic approach to SEO that focuses on driving organic growth for your business. Talk to our team of Brisbane SEO specialists today.