Local SEO Consulting Tips

July 25, 2021

Local SEO influences the unpaid “organic” results on search engines so a specific site or page ranks higher in a defined region. The consulting tips below explain citations, the inbound links that matter most, why social media mentions rank low, how to run a local SEO audit, what competitor keyword research uncovers, which on-page issues to fix, and how to measure results over time.

What are citations in local SEO?

Citations are the numbers associated with your link. In plain terms, they are the way Google can quantify how many people have accessed a particular website or link, and what they were looking for.

Which inbound links matter most for local SEO?

Some of the most valuable citations come from within the inbound links on your website. The most valuable inbound links include content within your own domain authority, links within other domains, and social media mentions. Domain authority refers to the number of inbound links you have coming from trusted websites, such as your company’s own website. Domain authority is increased by creating relevant and useful content that people want to link to or share, and by submitting your content to trustworthy sources.

Why are social media mentions the least valuable citation?

Social media mentions are hard for local SEO to optimize, since most social media profiles are automatically flagged by search engines as spam. To optimize your local SEO, do not link to anything within your network that is not relevant, such as affiliate offers. Look instead to other places where your niche may be lacking and create content that encourages readers to share your page with their friends.

Why run a local SEO audit?

The only way to truly optimize your local SEO is to undergo a local SEO audit. This means digging deep within your own company website and examining how the various pages are optimized. You can conduct a Google search for local SEO audits and look at the results.

How does competitor keyword research help?

In addition to conducting a Google search for local search terms, you should also consider conducting competitor keyword research. Keyword research lets you find out what other local businesses are doing to reach their goals. Once you have gathered a set of keywords related to your niche, study them to see whether they are highly searched for in Google. If they are, focus on optimizing those pages so they show up higher on Google. The task is not glamorous, but it is one of the most effective ways to get your business the exposure it deserves.

What on-page issues should a local SEO audit catch?

A local SEO audit can also reveal whether you need to optimize your website in line with Google’s policies. Google restricts many local webpages from using certain tags, including the meta description and page title. If you have not already implemented an internal linking structure, you should think about doing so. Internal linking structure ensures that users are able to link to any other pages within your site, which can be extremely beneficial.

How do you measure results over time?

As long as you have an optimized site that meets Google’s requirements, there should not be too many issues. Continue to monitor how your page ranks with Google. Google has a lot of data aggregators, including Google Analytics, which is the best tracking tool available for this type of search. Google’s Data Aggregator is especially beneficial because of the amount of detail that you can obtain.

FAQ

What is the difference between organic and paid local search results?

Organic search engines present results based on the site’s input rather than paid placement. Paid search engines pay for every click on a sponsored link or visit to the advertiser’s website. Local SEO targets the unpaid “organic” or “free” results.

Which inbound links carry the most weight for local SEO?

The most valuable inbound links are content within your own domain authority, links within other domains, and social media mentions. Domain authority can be increased by creating relevant, useful content and submitting it to trustworthy sources.

What does a local SEO audit cover?

A local SEO audit examines how the pages on your own website are optimized for search. It also checks whether your pages comply with Google’s policies, including restrictions on tags such as meta description and page title, and whether you have an internal linking structure in place.