Local SEO Checklist – 5 Simple Steps 

Digital marketing is so much more than just using interesting images and working colour theory into your website. It’s a complex process that requires that marketers do some serious and creative thinking, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial.

All businesses – big and small – should be optimizing their websites, and local SEO must never be underestimated. Whether you’re in Alaska, Thailand, or Canada, use this local SEO checklist to attract new customers.

So, what is local SEO, exactly?

It’s the act of optimizing your website, so it shows up in local searches and gets noticed by the people who are actually going to buy from you.

For example, if you’re a clothing shop that doesn’t sell online, why would you want your website to be seen by folks in another country?

If you use this local SEO checklist to optimize your website, you will show up in the searches made by people in your area, and they’ll be more likely to visit your business. 

Right, now that we have the ‘technical stuff’ out of the way, let’s get into how you can optimize your website and business’ local SEO.

Local SEO Checklist

Step One: Get a Google My Business Account

This may be the most important part of this local SEO checklist. If you want to show up in the local results on Google Search, a My Business Account is essential.

You will rank higher on Google Maps as well, which means your business will stand out a little bit more.

Google will optimize your Business Profile (Google listing) if you have a My Bussiness account associated with it. Here’s an example screenshot of a google maps search:

You will provide relevant information about your business in your account dashboard, and all of that info will be added to your Business Profile. All of this valuable information will then appear in the local search results on Google. It will also show in Google Maps and the Google Search Knowledge Panel.

Just note that you have to verify ownership of your business to make the most of your account. Your information needs to be up-to-date and accurate, and you should add your hours of operation, payment methods, and service or product information.

Throw in lots of images as well to entice your potential clients.

Step Two: Get Your Happy Customers to Write Online Reviews

Admit it: an online review has swayed you into making a purchase more than once. If not, you have more self-control than most of us. Online reviews matter a lot more than many business owners realize, and you can use them to your advantage.

You can encourage all your happy customers to tell the world how much they love you and gain more customers as a result.

Even Google thinks it’s a good idea and says that positive reviews will increase the chances of customers coming to your store. It will also help to increase your business’s visibility.

It’s possible that Google uses Google My Business reviews to rank businesses, so you have to get as many good ones as possible.

Of course, we’re not saying you should buy reviews. That’s an old trick that never really works – people can almost always tell when a review is fake or forced.

Google actually helps with this by giving you Google Place IDs that you can give your customers. That way, they get direct links to a page where they can review your service or product.

Step Three: Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

We live in an age where many smartphones are better than laptops or PCs, so mobile-friendly websites are a must.

Most of your visitors will likely be on their mobiles, and if your site is wonky, you’ll lose their attention and business. 

There are a few easy ways you can make sure that your website looks fantastic, whether it’s viewed on a smartphone or desktop. 

• Use big fonts that are easy to read, and make sure your pages load within at the most three seconds.
• Don’t use too many images or long walls of text because it can waste a lot of space in mobile view.
• Ensure that your user interface is convenient and easy.

If you’re not sure if your website is mobile-friendly, or if you found it isn’t, consider hiring a website designer to give you a few tips. The money you invest in this will be made up for with the customers who love your site and will visit your shop!

Step Four: Don’t Forget to Use Local Keywords

We are constantly hearing about the importance of keywords, but many of us don’t even realize that local keywords can carry a lot of weight.

But it makes sense, right? If you want to attract local customers, you need to use the local keywords they’re using to search for information related to your business.

But don’t overthink your keywords. Searches aren’t always as fancy or complicated as one would imagine.

For example, searching a simple term such as ‘local seo calgary’ will introduce you to Calgary-based SEO agencies. There’s no need for a long sentence such as ‘the best SEO agency in Calgary’ because the result will show that anyway.

Just focus on getting local SEO keywords most relevant to your business worked into your website and marketing efforts.

Step Five: Use Local News and Events  

There’s nothing like local events and news to help your content hit home. If you can use the latest news of your area on your website, you’ll definitely grab the attention of all the right people. 

You can write blog posts about activities such as festivals, big competitions, or even sporting events. If you can find a way to use these events to promote your service or products, even better!  

Videos about causes or charities that you support will also work well to get your local customers interested in your business.

Final Thoughts on Local SEO

With the local SEO checklist we shared here, you can make your business stand out especially if you’re in a very competitive industry. As long as you keep your efforts sincere and well-planned, you should be just fine. Good luck!