How to Conduct a Local SEO Audit

Local SEO is critical for small businesses looking to attract nearby customers. If you're a small business owner in the UK, ensuring your business appears in local searches is vital for growth. But where do you start? Conducting a local SEO audit is the best way to evaluate your current efforts and identify areas for improvement. This guide walks you through the steps of performing a local SEO audit. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of what's working, what needs fixing, and how to enhance your local search presence.

Understanding the Basics of Local SEO

Before the audit, it's essential to understand local SEO and why it matters. Local SEO optimises your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches on Google and other search engines. For example, if someone in Manchester searches for "best coffee shops near me," local SEO helps your coffee shop show up in those results. It's all about making sure your business appears when people in your area search for services or products you offer.

Step 1: Verify Your Google Business Profile

The first step in your local SEO audit is to check your Google Business Profile. This is often the first place potential customers will find information about your business, so ensure your profile is up-to-date and complete.

  Key Elements to Check:

- Business Name must match your business name exactly.

- Address and Phone Number should be correct and formatted consistently.

- Business Hours are accurate, wildly if they vary by day.

- Choose the most relevant categories for your business.

- High-quality photos of your business can make a great first impression.

Regularly updating your profile can significantly impact your local SEO. If you need help optimising this profile, tools like BrightLocal can simplify the process and help you manage your listings effectively.

Step 2: Audit Your Business Listings

Next, take a close look at your business listings across the web. Consistency is crucial for local SEO. If your business information is consistent across different directories, it can be transparent to search engines and harm your rankings.

Check for the Following:

- Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) details must be consistent across all platforms.

- Remove or merge any duplicate listings as they can dilute your online presence.

- Your business should be listed on reputable sites relevant to your industry.

Moz Local is a helpful tool that can scan the web for inconsistent business information and provide actionable insights on fixing it.

Step 3: Review Your Website's On-Page SEO

Your website plays a crucial role in local SEO. It's where search engines go to find detailed information about your business. Reviewing your on-page SEO involves checking elements like title tags, meta descriptions, and content to ensure they're optimised for local search.

Focus on the Following Areas:

- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions must include your primary local keywords and city or region in these elements.

- Create content that speaks directly to your local audience. Blog posts, service pages, and location-based landing pages can help.

- Implement Local Business Schema Markup to provide search engines with more detailed information about your business.

Tools like SEMrush offer comprehensive website audits that can highlight issues with your on-page SEO, making it easier to address them.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Local Keywords

Keywords are the backbone of any SEO strategy. For local SEO, you'll want to focus on keywords that reflect the services you offer and the areas you serve.

Tips for Local Keyword Research:

- Consider what your customers might type into Google when searching for your services.

- Use Long-Tail Keywords. These are specific and often less competitive, making them ideal for local SEO. For example, "affordable plumbing services in Leeds" is more targeted than "plumbing services."

- Include local keywords like the names of your city, town, or neighbourhood in your keywords.

Tools like Screaming Frog can help identify which keywords your competitors are ranking for and suggest new opportunities for your business.

Step 5: Analyse Your Competitors

Knowing your competitors' actions can provide valuable insights into your local SEO efforts. Please analyse the strategies of the top-ranking businesses in your area.

Key Areas to Examine:

- See how your competitors' websites are structured and what content they produce.

- Look at where their backlinks are coming from. Are there opportunities for you to earn similar links?

- Review their Google Business Profiles to see if they're doing anything differently or better than you.

Using BrightLocal or SEMrush, you can conduct competitor analysis to discover areas where you can outperform them in local search.

Step 6: Optimise for Mobile Users

More people are using their phones to search for local businesses. If your website is mobile-friendly, you could be gaining out on a significant amount of traffic.

Steps to Conduct Mobile Optimisation:

- Your website must adapt to different screen sizes to make your design responsive.

- A fast-loading site is crucial for mobile users.

- Simplify navigation and ensure content is easily read on smaller screens.

Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool can help you check how your site performs on mobile devices. Fixing any issues identified can improve your local search rankings and user experience.

Step 7: Monitor and Build Local Citations

Local citations mention your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. They play a crucial role in local SEO by helping search engines verify your business information.

Building and Monitoring Local Citations:

-Your business should be listed on popular directories like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and industry-specific sites.

- Use tools like Moz Local to monitor your citations and identify inconsistencies.

Having accurate and consistent citations across various platforms helps establish trust with search engines, which can boost your local rankings.

Step 8: Assess Your Social Media Presence

Your social media profiles can contribute to your local SEO efforts. Engaging with your local audience on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can drive more traffic to your website and improve your search visibility.

Tips for Social Media Optimisation:

- Use location tags in your posts to make them more discoverable to local users.

- Keep your profiles active by posting regularly and interacting with your followers.

- Include links to your website in your social media bios, posts and stories.

Remember, social signals can influence local search rankings, so staying active on social media is necessary.

Step 9: Clean Up Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can confuse search engines and negatively impact your rankings. Identifying and fixing any instances of duplicate content on your website is essential.

How to Fix Duplicate Content:

- Use Canonical Tags to indicate the preferred version of a webpage.

- Redirect duplicate pages to the original page.

- Remove or consolidate thin or duplicated content.

Screaming Frog is an excellent tool for identifying duplicate content on your site. By cleaning up these issues, you can improve your overall SEO performance.

Step 10: Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress after completing your local SEO audit is essential. Regular monitoring will help you see what's working and where adjustments are needed.

Tools to Help Track Your SEO:

-  Google Analytics provides detailed insights into your website's traffic and performance.

- Google Search Console can show your site's appearance in Google search results and highlight any issues.

-  BrightLocal helps you track your local search rankings and offers insights into how to improve them.

Tracking your SEO efforts allows you to make informed decisions and improve local visibility.

Key Takeaways

Conducting a local SEO audit might seem overwhelming, but it's essential for small business owners looking to improve their online presence. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you'll be able to identify areas of improvement and take actionable steps to enhance your local search rankings. Tools like BrightLocal, Moz Local, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog can make the process easier and give you the insights you need to optimise your local SEO effectively. Local SEO is an ongoing process, so regular audits will keep you ahead of the competition and ensure your business stays visible to local customers.