If you’re a small or medium business, it’s incredibly important to be visible to customers in your neighborhood. That’s because local customers are the lifeblood of your business they’re the ones most likely to visit your store, purchase your products or services, and recommend you to others.
It’s no secret that most people these days use the Internet, including many of your potential customers. If you want them to find your business online, you need to have a website and optimize it for local search. This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) can be a huge help.
In this post, you will learn how optimizing your website for local search benefits your business and how you can do it with a local SEO audit.
Local SEO audit and why it matters
To understand the importance of local SEO audits, you need to know what local SEO is about. You might have heard of general SEO, which aims to make your website visible to Internet users regardless of their location.
Local SEO is similar, but its target is users within a specific geographic area, such as a city or county. It’s preferred by small and medium businesses not just because their customers are usually within their vicinity but also because its smaller reach means it’s often cheaper to implement.
What’s more, SEO for local businesses works. Consider these numbers:
46% of all Google searches seek local information.
97% of potential customers go online to learn more about local businesses.
76% of people who search for local information contact or visit a business within the day.
78% of location-based searches lead to a purchase.
92% of search engine users pick businesses at the top of the search results.
SEO for local businesses involves several crucial processes, among the most important of which is conducting a local SEO audit. It thoroughly examines your online presence and how well it’s optimized for local search. This audit helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, as well as which aspects need improvement to attract more local customers.
For example, someone in your city searches for “electrician for wiring installation near me.” Google uses location-based factors to display businesses close to the searcher. An audit identifies if your business is optimized to show up in searches like this.
How to conduct a local SEO audit
You can hire a professional SEO audit service provider to conduct an audit for you. However, you can also do it if you have the right tools. Here’s how:
Check your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Formerly known as Google My Business or GMB, GBP helps your business appear in Google’s local map pack and local results. The local map pack is found above the organic search results, so appearing in it almost guarantees that potential customers will find you. These are the steps to optimizing your GBP:
Claim your GBP listing if you haven’t done so. It’s free and easy.
Update your information, specifically your business’s name, address, phone number, website URL, and hours.
Add photos and videos of your business, products, and team.
Collect reviews by encouraging customers to leave their feedback.
Optimizing your GBP is the foundation of your SEO efforts, so never forget this step.
Ensure NAP consistency
Your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be consistent across all platforms, whether listings, directories, or social media profiles. This consistency helps search engines validate your business, making it more likely to rank higher in local searches. It also prevents potential customers from getting confused by different versions of your NAP.
Optimize for local keywords
Keywords are a key element in SEO strategies for local businesses. When looking for keywords, choose those with your location and the products or services you offer. For example, if you are an electrician in Houston, the keywords “electrician” and “lighting installation” may not be enough; “electrician in Houston” and “lighting installation in Houston” are more ideal.
Make sure these keywords are in content on your homepage, service pages, and meta descriptions. Keywords should also be found in titles and content headings. Use your blog page to publish local content specific to your community. Using the above example, you can post titles like “Preparing Your Home’s Lighting for Houston’s Hurricane Season” or “3 Tips to Hire an Electrician in Houston.”
Check your online reviews
Search engines use online reviews as social proof of your business’s credibility. They also factor in the quality and quantity of these reviews when ranking you in search results. The more positive online reviews your business has, the higher your ranking will likely be, so encourage your customers to leave feedback on Yelp, Google, and relevant platforms.
However, even negative reviews can work for your benefit. When you respond to them, you show potential customers that your business values customer satisfaction and is willing to address any concerns.
Audit your website’s technical health
Technical issues can hurt your search rankings, so be sure to check the following areas:
Security
Navigation
Technical elements matter to user experience, which search engines consider to be an essential ranking factor. If users find your website too clunky or slow, they will likely leave, increasing your bounce rates. High bounce rates are a common cause of lower rankings.
Check your citations and backlinks
Citations are mentions of your business on other websites, while backlinks are links from those websites to yours. Both indicate to search engines that others trust and recommend your business. However, having inaccurate or inconsistent citations can hurt your rankings.
Check that all citations of your NAP are accurate and consistent with what appears on your GBP and website. Furthermore, make sure you have high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. Avoid purchasing backlinks or participating in link schemes, as these practices go against Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties.
Conducting an audit is crucial for the success of your small or medium business’s SEO strategy. It tells you where your business stands in terms of search optimization and what you need to do to improve. With the right tools and processes, you can conduct an audit yourself and take control of your SEO efforts.
However, if you don’t have the time and resources, consider hiring an SEO audit service provider instead. Often, these companies do not only handle audits; they can also help you develop and implement SEO strategies for your business.
Make your business more visible to customers online by partnering with an SEO agency today!