Local SEO: The Definitive Guide

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business’s visibility in local search results. Key tasks include identifying relevant local keywords, optimizing a business’s Google Business Profile, and creating consistent NAP citations. It is an essential process for businesses focusing on increasing localized traffic, leads, and brand awareness.

How Does Local SEO Work?

At a high-level Local SEO works like “normal” Google search.

When someone does a search, Google scans through its index to provide the best results for that person’s query.

What makes Local SEO unique is that Google uses a different set of ranking factors to rank the local search results.

In fact, local SEO has a set of unique ranking signals, including:

• The location that the person is searching from
• NAP citations
• Presence of Google Business Profile listing
• Keywords used in Google Business Profile profile
• Sentiment of online reviews
• Keywords used in online reviews
• Number of “check-ins” at that location
• Shares on social media
• Google Maps star rating for that business

Intro to The Map Pack

The Map Pack (also known as “The Local Pack”) is a set of 3 local business results… with a map of their locations pulled from Google Maps.

For example, when you search for “Barber Boston”, Google has a Map Pack at the very top of the results.

With the “normal” search results underneath it:

I’ll show you how Google ranks businesses in The Map Pack later in this guide. But for now, just keep in mind that The Map Pack has its own algorithm with its own set of rules.

Sure, some ranking factors (like backlinks) can help you rank in local and traditional organic results.

But others (like NAPs) are pretty much only important for ranking in The Map Pack.

One thing I should point out:

Google doesn’t only show local results for keywords that contain a specific city or state. If Google thinks that your search needs a set of local results, they’ll show it to you… even if the keyword isn’t obviously local.

For example, when I recently searched for “gardener” in NYC, Google gave me a Map Pack.

This is important to keep in mind as you do keyword research for your local business. Yes, you want to optimize for “store + city” keywords.

In many cases, the generic “store” keyword without a location gets more search volume than the “store + city” version.

With that out of the way, let’s see how to track your local SEO rankings.

Local Organic Rankings

If you’re a local business, The Map Pack is the place to be.

That said:

You don’t want to completely ignore the traditional local results.

Yes, the local organic results usually show up BELOW the local pack.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking that it’s “Map Pack or nothing”. Because most local searches have an insanely strong commercial intent, it’s totally worth ranking in the local SERPs too.

And, unlike Map Pack results, the local results are basically the same for any Google SERP.

So to optimize your site for local organic rankings, you want to use your keyword in your title tag, in your URL… and all the traditional on-page SEO stuff.

Basically, everything covered in this video:

Plus: backlinks. 🙂

Actually, the only unique thing about local organic rankings is how you track them. Remember: “store + city” only make up a fraction of all local searches.

So in addition to “Boston barber”, you also want to track your rankings for keywords like “Barber” and “Barber near me”.

For example, if you wanted to track rankings for “barber near me” for people searching in Boston, you just need to specify the location in your rank tracking tool of choice:

And if you want to get a better idea of where you rank around town, you can track your rankings for that same keyword across lots of different spots.

Yelp Suggest

This works the same as Google Suggest.

Type in a keyword that someone in your area might use to find your business…

…and check out the suggested results.

What’s cool about Yelp is that they sometimes show you keywords that don’t contain the term you typed in.

For example, if you search for “Japanese”, they also suggest “Asian Fusion Food”.

Very cool.

Local Voice Searches

According to Google, 20% of all Google searches done on mobile are now voice searches.

20%!

The main difference between voice and keywords searches is that voice searches tend to be longer and use natural language.

For example, take a local keyword like “gluten free pizza brooklyn”.

Well, that same search done via someone’s voice will probably be more like: “gluten free pizza in brooklyn that’s open right now”.

As far as I know, there aren’t any tools to help you find voice search keywords. But it’s something to keep in mind as you go through this process.

Google Business Profile > Your Website

Few years ago Moz ran its annual “Local Search Ranking Factors Study”.

And they found that the #1 ranking factor for ranking in the map pack was your Google Business Profile.

Your local business website is still important. The content on your page and the links pointing to your site play a role in your Map Pack rankings.

But for your business to rank #1 in The Map Pack, your Google Business Profile needs to be on point.

(Which is why I dedicated an entire chapter of this guide, Chapter 5, to optimizing your GBP.)

Online Reviews

Moz’s local ranking factors study also found that “Review Signals” played an important role.

Specifically, they state that negative reviews on your Google Business Profile can hurt you. And that Google probably also uses reviews on 3rd party sites (like Yelp) too.

So yeah, getting positive reviews can help you (assuming that you don’t incentivize folks to leave reviews or ask in bulk). And negative reviews can hurt you.

According to one panelist that participated in the study: “ Reviews (along with an owner’s response) show that consumers trust a business, and trust is a foundational factor in ranking.”.

This means that replying to reviews, even negative ones, can help your local SEO efforts.

Keep Everything 1000% Consistent

When it comes to GBP, consistency is HUGE.

Not only should everything you enter into the GBP match your website, but it should also match your NAP citations around the web.

When Google sees that your business info is consistent in your GBP, on your website and 3rd party sites like Yelp, they say: “OK, this business is legit. And their local info all matches up.”

But when your local business has one address listed in their GBP and another on the website, that’s a huge red flag to Google:

So if your business changes its name, physical location or phone number, it’s important that the new data gets updated ASAP. And that includes citations on local business directories.I also recommend double-checking that your business’s address is written out the exact same way on your Google Business Profile and everywhere else it shows up.

Google doesn’t like it when one address says “Avenue” and another version uses “Ave.”.

This kind of thing won’t stop the mailman from delivering your Amazon package. But it’s a confusing signal for Google.

Keep Crucial Business Data Updated

Double-check that your opening hours, holidays and other basic business info are all accurate and up-to-date.

This kind of thing may not directly impact rankings.

But when someone drives to your restaurant, only to see a “Closed” sign, you can expect a bad review from a hangry person.

So you want it to be second nature that when opening hours change, that change is also made inside Google Business Profile.

Write Unique Content for Every Location

You probably already know that you want to write 100% unique content for every page on your site.

So if your business serves Boston and Brookline, you want the content for each page to be completely different.

But what you may not know is that, as long as you avoid duplicate content, you can create these sorts of landing pages for cities that you’re not physically based in.

This obviously won’t help you rank in the Map Pack.

(You need a Google Business Profile for that location for that.)

But you can totally rank in the local organic results for lots of different local keywords. And as long as you serve folks in that area, the traffic will convert well too.

For example, this roofing service has pages optimized around “Brockton” and “Natick”.

The best part? They’re not located in Natick OR Brockton.

Yet they rank in the local SERPs for both of their target keywords.

Use Title Tag Cliffhangers

I picked up this technique from Facebook Ad guru Nicholas Kusmich.

And I’ve found that it works GREAT for local business sites.

The idea here is that you start your title tag off with a strong, benefit-driven statement.

Then, make sure the statement goes beyond Google’s title tag limit (currently 500-600 pixels or 50 characters).

This cutoff creates an open loop that can lead to more clicks.

Backlinko reader Andrew Holland used this technique on his local agency site a while ago.

And he told me that this tactic led to a significant increase in his organic CTR and rankings.

Run a NAP Audit

You want your NAP data to be 100% consistent everywhere.

On your website.

On your Google Business Profile.

On business directories.

On local listings sites.

Basically: any place that mentions your business online.

There are a million citation tools and services out there. I personally recommend WhiteSpark and Semrush.

But like I said, there are quite a few options to choose from.

That said:

No matter what tool or service you use, the most important things you’ll need to have before you start are:

1. The current, up-to-date NAP for the business.
2. Any historic NAP info (that way, you can find and update outdated citations).

With this information, the tool you use will scour the internet for NAPs. And you’ll get a report like this:

Find Citation (and Link) Opportunities With Link Intersect

After you’ve built citations at Yelp, FourSquare, Angie’s List, and the other usual suspects, what’s next?

In my experience, your best citation opportunities come from local sites. Local citations are super relevant citations that can give your Map Pack rankings a real boost.

And because you’re reaching out to folks in your local area, your outreach conversion rate is usually going to be insanely high.

Question is:

How do you find these local citations?

I recommend checking out the Backlink Gap feature in Semrush.

As the name suggests, this feature is designed for link building. But, as you’ll see in a minute, it definitely works for citations too.

In fact, you can sometimes “double-dip” and get a link and citation from the same place.

With that, here’s the step-by-step process:

First, take a batch of 2-3 competitors and pop them into the tool along with your website on top:

Pro Tip: You don’t always need to use direct competitors here. Any business in your area can work. After all, they’re also building citations from local business directories.

Then, you’ll get a report that lists all the sites that have linked to the competitors you used in step #1.

Finally, sift through the results to find citation opportunities.

Link opportunities:

Or both:

I don’t recommend worrying too much about nofollow links here. Remember: the main goal here is to get your NAP on the page. If you get a link (even a nofollow one) that’s a bonus.

Other Local Businesses

Most local businesses have relationships with other businesses in their local area.

Even though you’ll probably need to tap into cold email outreach at some point, I recommend starting off by building links from people that you already know.

So I recommend listing out every:

• Distributors
• Supplier
• Wholesaler
• Contractor
• Neighboring business

That you have any sort of relationship with.

Then, look for a specific page on their site where a link to you would make sense.

(This is the step a lot of people overlook.)

For example, this paving contractor has a page that links to some of their favorite distributors.

Sponsor Local Events

It’s a fact:

Most local events need sponsors.

And if you can sponsor a local event, you’ll usually find yourself with a nice link on the event’s website.

For example, this local non-profit circus has a page that links to their supporters:

And your support doesn’t have to be straight cash. Run a pizza place? Consider donating a stack of large pepperoni pizzas. Are you a printing company? You can offer to print up flyers. You get the idea 🙂

Thumbtack Suggest

This is yet another way to find local keywords to optimize around.

For example, when you type in “Cleaners”, it gives you a handful of suggestions:

Including a bunch of super-specific terms PERFECT to create landing pages around:

Use Your Location-Focused Keyword Above The Fold

In my experience, this single tip can HELP a lot with local organic rankings.

All you need to do is make sure your local-focused keyword shows up at the very top of your page in a headline.

Something like this:

And I recommend wrapping that title in an H1 tag.

That said:

This is more for UX signals than straight-up on-page SEO.

Why?

When a local searcher lands on your page, they need to know that you serve their area within 2 seconds.

And when they see a headline like this, they’re probably going to go back to the search results to find a business that’s 100% focused on their city.

On the other hand, a headline like this makes someone say: “Great. They serve Boston. I’m definitely in the right place.”

Optimize Meta Descriptions for Local Searchers

It’s no secret that your description is a GREAT way to improve your organic CTR.

Unfortunately, I see a lot of local businesses with keyword-stuffed descriptions like this:

#facepalm

Instead, I recommend going with this formula:

Pro Tip: Use Google Ads to find compelling description copy. After all, this copy is proven to get clicks (otherwise, they wouldn’t use that copy in their ads). So you can’t go wrong by using some of their copy in your description.

For example, when I search for “hotel new york”, I notice that Google ads use the terms like “save”, “free upgrade” and “price guarantee”.

These terms would be PERFECT to use in your page’s description.