The Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide

In this guide, you'll learn about the basics of local SEO, including why local SEO is important, what you need to perform well in local search, and a checklist for ranking locally.

Local SEO enhances a business's online visibility for relevant searches near its location. The reward of local prominence is that you can effectively connect with nearby customers, drive foot traffic, generate leads, and ultimately increase revenue. They ensure they are highly relevant and easily discoverable from initial inquiries to checking hours and reviews. 

You can do this by optimizing your online presence for local searches. Local SEO tactics include managing your Google Business Profile, researching and targeting popular local searches, building listings on relevant directories and links on local sites, and managing online reviews. Businesses often leverage local SEO tools to streamline these efforts.

Why is local SEO important?

If you work with local clients or have in-person contact with your customers, it is important to understand the unique tactics involved with local SEO. Using the right local SEO techniques helps you boost your business's online visibility within a specific area, connecting you with local customers and increasing revenue. It helps your business appear prominently in relevant local search results, including the Google Map Pack, Apple Maps, organic results, and review sites, making you easily discoverable by nearby potential customers.

Local SEO is different from traditional SEO tactics used by online businesses. While there is also a lot of overlap, the world of Local SEO gives businesses with storefronts or who work directly with customers a unique setup and guidelines to adhere to. 

The best places to rank for local businesses are primarily within Google's local search ecosystem, often referred to as the "Map Pack" or "Local Pack," and the associated Google Maps results. But that's not the only thing you need to think about. Local businesses also benefit significantly from appearing prominently in localized organic search results and on local review sites.

To start growing your visibility in local search, you need to set up and perfect your Google Business Profile, dig into local keywords, build strong citations and links, craft content specific to your location, and actively get those valuable customer reviews.

Because your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) and other information are the core part of local search, it is advisable to get all your ducks in a row before you start the optimization work. 

Here are four key local SEO steps to avoid making any mistakes:

Step 1. Start with your business eligibility 

While other search engines, like Bing and Yahoo, are still important, Google’s dominant market share means that paying attention to their guidelines will keep you out of trouble and one step ahead of your competitors. Among other things, the guidelines teach you how to think of a business in Google’s terms, how to market your business correctly on (formerly Google My Business). Bookmark the guidelines, study the rules they contain, and refer back to them frequently because Google often adds new provisions and clarifications.

Key Eligibility Rule: "To qualify for a Business Profile on Google, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours."

This means if your business location doesn't meet customers face-to-face (whether at a physical store, curbside, or at the customer's site) during its open hours, it usually can't get a Google Business Profile  (GBP) listing. The GBP is central to local search marketing, so local SEO relies on this in-person service.

Once a business is eligible, the guidelines detail how to accurately fill out every part of the Google Business Profile, from naming to addresses, departments, practitioners, and setting hours. Bookmark these guidelines and check them often, as Google updates them regularly.

Step 2. Gather & Verify Core Business Data

Accuracy is a must. Before any optimization, you need 100% accurate and consistent basic information for each business location: Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP), and Hours. Don't get caught up worrying about accuracy in terms of st. vs street, rather make sure you don't have old information from a previous location or incorrect details. 

• Check your current presence: Use a free online presence checker to see how your business is listed on major directories. This will show any immediate inconsistencies.
• Get stakeholder approval: Make sure everyone involved in the business agrees on this core data. Inconsistent information can cause problems for your local SEO efforts from start to finish.
• Organize your business data: Create a spreadsheet to carefully record this information for each location, including a unique store number or code. If the business can have listings for multiple departments or practitioners, add columns for those too. For businesses with 10 or more locations, learn about Google's bulk upload spreadsheet.

Step 3. Clearly Identify the Business Model

Different business types have specific rules and opportunities within Google's guidelines. Carefully figure out the exact model for each location you're optimizing:

• Brick-and-Mortar: Like retail shops or restaurants where customers visit.
• Service Area Business (SAB): Like plumbers or caterers who go to customer locations (their address might be hidden).
• Hybrid: Businesses with a physical location that also deliver or visit customers.
• Co-located/Co-branded: For example, a KFC/A&W location.
• Multi-department: Like hospitals or car dealerships.
• Multi-practitioner: Such as real estate firms or dental practices.
• Mobile Business: Like a stationary food truck.
• Kiosk/ATM: Self-service points.

Knowing the correct model helps you apply the right guidelines and use available features.

Step 4. Define Clear Business Goals

Before you start any tactics, clearly state what "success" means for the local business. Whether your work is broad (covering websites, listings, reviews, social media) or narrow, having measurable goals is key to tracking progress.

If you are agency-side and are starting with a new local client ask the business owner: "What will success look like? How can we measure success over the next 4-6 months." You can then use this to set goals and start working on the right tactics to impact those goals.

Define success using clear business outcomes, that can be backed up by metrics:

• Increase phone calls by X%
• Increase Google star rating from 3.5 to 4.5
• Increased visibility in the local pack for specific searches (e.g., "best coffee shop near me")
• Increase backlinks from quality domain by X%

In some scenarios, your goal will be to develop the entire spectrum of online (and possibly offline) assets for a local business location. You’ll be touching everything from the website to local business listings to email marketing to social media profiles to review management. At other times, you may only be focusing on a smaller piece of the picture. But whether the scope of the work ahead of you is broad or narrow, setting goals at the outset is the only way to measure your success after completing your tasks.

Steer clear of vanity metrics like “I want to be #1” or “I just need more website traffic. Focus on tangible, achievable SMART goals with direct business impact. 

At the end of the day, what most businesses really want is increased profits. How to get from A to Z is where strategy comes in, defining which tactics and messaging may result in reaching the stated goal that then translates into increased profits.

Once any relevant contributors have agreed on a goal, set a timeline. In-house and third-party marketers should be extremely clear about developing realistic time estimates. It takes time for the impacts of nearly all local search marketing efforts to mature fully, so be sure any timeline you offer avoids overpromising and underdelivering.

Google Maps and local search are different systems that require unique but related strategies to succeed. It's possible to be outranked in local search but perform well on Google Maps, or vice versa. 

Understanding these unique systems will help inform your goals. For example, if you want to improve your Google star rating, focus on requesting reviews from satisfied customers. If you want to increase visibility in organic search, then focus on building link-attracting content and easy-to-use, well-optimized landing pages. 

Want to learn more about aligning your local business with your online SEO tactics? The Moz Academy course has videos, tasks, and quizzes to help improve your online visibility. Take the course now: In Real Life: Local SEO Tactics.

Your Local SEO Optimization Checklist

Now that you have accurate business data, know your business model and goals, and understand Google's guidelines, you're ready to optimize. These strategies will help you rank in Google's Map Pack and the Local Pack in Google Search.

Here's a breakdown of the main steps:

1. Google Business Profile Optimization (Your Main Focus)

• Claim & verify: Make sure your GBP is claimed, verified, and accurately represents your business on Google Maps and local search.
• Complete all required sections: Fill out your business name, address, phone number, hours, website, attributes, services, and products in detail. There are 11 known GBP fields that impact your rank, prioritize these. 
• Enter relevant categories: Choose the most accurate primary and secondary categories that describe your business.
• Add high-quality photos: Upload attractive, relevant photos of your storefront, interior, products, services, and team.
• Publish regular posts & Q&A: Use posts for updates, offers, and events. Monitor and answer questions in the Q&A section. Tools like Moz Local can help streamline this process. 
• Respond to reviews: Interact with customers by professionally responding to all reviews, both good and bad.

2. Local Keyword Research

• Find relevant topics: Discover the exact words local customers use when searching for your services or products in your area.
• Identify location-based keywords: Include your city, neighborhood, or region in your keywords (e.g., "electrician in Manchester," "bakery near Soho").

3. Citation Building

• Directory listings: List your business on important local, national, and industry-specific online directories (e.g., Yelp, Yellow Pages, industry associations).
• NAP consistency: It's crucial that your Name, Address, and Phone number are exactly the same across all these listings. Inconsistencies confuse search engines.
• Use listing management software like Moz Local to help expand your citations and track your listing presence and accuracy across major directories. 

4. Local Content Creation

• Build location-specific pages: Create dedicated pages on your website for each physical location, or for specific service areas if you're a Service Area Business (SAB). These pages should have unique, relevant content.
• Publish local blog posts: Write content that connects with your local community – for example, "Top Events in [Your City]," "Supporting Local Businesses in [Neighborhood]," or articles related to local news relevant to your industry.

5. Customer Reviews & Reputation Management

• Encourage reviews: Set up ways to politely ask happy customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile and other key platforms.
• Respond quickly: Engage with customers by responding to all reviews, both positive and negative. This shows you value feedback and helps build trust.

6. Website Optimization (Local On-Page & Technical SEO)

• On-Page SEO: Optimize your website's content, title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and image descriptions using your target local keywords.
• Location schema markup: Use schema markup (structured data) on your website. This gives search engines clear, readable information about your business, its location, hours, and reviews.
• Impliment mobile-friendly design: Make sure your website is responsive, loads fast, and works well on all mobile devices, since many local searches happen on phones.
• Manage your internal linking: Create a logical internal linking structure, especially linking between your main service/product pages and location-specific pages.

1. Understanding Google Local SERPs

A breakdown of the different ways local businesses appear in Google search results. You'll learn about the "local pack," Google Maps listings, and localized organic results, understanding how each contributes to a business's online visibility and how users interact with them.

2. Assessing Demand & Analyzing Markets

Dive into understanding what local customers are searching for and who your competitors are in your specific area. This section guides you through researching local search volume, identifying popular keywords, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of other businesses in your target market.

3. On-Page SEO & Local Business Listings

Learn how to optimize your website content and structure specifically for local searches. This chapter covers essential on-page SEO elements like title tags and meta descriptions, and provides detailed guidance on creating, verifying, and optimizing your Google Business Profile and other local online listings.

4. Developing a Reputation & Reviews Strategy

Building trust in your community is key. This section teaches you how to proactively encourage positive customer reviews, effectively respond to all feedback (good or bad), and manage your online reputation to enhance credibility and attract more business.

5. Analyzing Content & Creating a Publishing Strategy

Discover how to evaluate your existing website content and develop a plan for creating new, valuable material. This chapter focuses on generating location-specific blog posts, articles, and other content that resonates with your local audience and reinforces your expertise in the area.

6. Building Your Local Authority

This chapter is about establishing your business as a trusted leader in your local area. It covers strategies for earning high-quality backlinks from local sources, forming community partnerships, and engaging in local initiatives that boost your credibility and search ranking.

7. How to Craft a Robust Local Marketing Strategy

Bringing all the pieces together, this section guides you through designing a comprehensive local marketing plan. You'll learn how to integrate your SEO efforts with other marketing channels like social media, email, and offline promotions to create a unified and powerful strategy.

8. Analysis, Automation, & Reporting

Measure your success and streamline your efforts. This chapter shows you how to track your local SEO performance using various tools, automate routine tasks for efficiency, and create clear reports to demonstrate the impact of your work to clients or stakeholders.