While looking at your local competitors and working to beat them is probably
the best overall strategy, progressing through the following checklist will put
you on your way to ranking high at the top of the local search results.
1. Verify your business profile on Google My Business.
2. Fill out as much information as possible on your Google My Business
profile, including description, category associations, images and videos.
3. Include your business name and location somewhere on your website, this
could be your contact page or home page.
4. Include your full business name, address and phone somewhere on your
site, these should be grouped together so Google will register it as a citation.
5. Include the appropriate schema.org tags in your website markup, following
their specification for local businesses at the following URL.
Schema.org Local Business Specifications.
https://schema.org/LocalBusiness
6. Encourage customers to review your business.
7. Submit your website to the major business directories like Yelp, Yellow
Pages, CitySearch and so on. You can use tools like Moz Local to submit
your business to all of the major directories in one go.
Moz Local.
https://moz.com/local
8. Cross-check your business listings for correct NAP data. These details
need to be consistent across your Google My Business listing, website
contact page, and external business listings.
A downloadable copy of the above steps is also available in the SEO
checklist at the end of the book.
Essential local SEO resources for keeping up to date.
Just like traditional SEO, local SEO constantly changes and becomes more
complex over time. To keep your skills sharp you need to stay up to date with
the latest knowledge in the industry. The resources below should be
considered essential reading for anyone looking to hone their local SEO skill
set.
Local SEO Guide
https://www.localseoguide.com/
Andrew Shotland’s Local SEO Guide is an enduring commentary of local
SEO techniques and updates in the industry. His useful blog has been around
for as long as local SEO has been a thing and popular among the SEO
community for good reason—the blog’s regular contributions and willingness
to give away valuable and actionable advice.
Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
https://blumenthals.com/blog/
Mike Blumenthal is another stalwart blogger providing a running
commentary on local SEO. This is a great resource for keeping abreast of the
very latest changes in the local search space as they are rolled out.
Moz Local Learning Center
https://moz.com/learn/local
The pre-eminent pundits at Moz have compiled a very useful and detailed
guide for managing all aspects of local marketing. Their guide is both
extensive and easy to read, making it a great resource for both beginners and
advanced practitioners.
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