First thing to start your Local SEO journey is to get a Google My Business Account.
If nothing else that has to be paramount. It’s quick and stupid simple to do. If you need help I can help just ask here.
This will boost any local SEO efforts and it’s free. This will show up in Google search in a big box, that will show your Address, Phone Number, hours and reviews. This tool will help you get reviews for your business.
Today I will tell you the 10 Top 10 items that you need to look at for your sites Local SEO Audit. These are simple easy to do steps to accomplish for your Local SEO Needs.
Checklist: Local SEO Audit
1. Optimized Home, About & Contact Pages
Make sure your Home, About and Contact Page has your location information some where on the page.
I see this missing all of the time, especially on the Contact Page.
2. Optimized Footer
If you Name, Address and Phone (NAP) are not in the footer of your website then you should fix that now.
No DO IT NOW!!
3. Clickable Mobile Phone Numbers
Since you are going for the mobile phone user sitting outside your door make sure your phone number is clickable. That way it triggers their phone to call you.
Don’t know code? Ok here it is, find your telephone number highlight it and put this in the link box tel:YOURPHONENUMBER
Yes this is for WordPress Users. And replace the YourPhonenumber text with your number. I have to say that? Yes, yes I do.
4. Consistent NAP
Make sure you display your NAP is stupid simple. I know but you have to take the stupid out of it or you lose the customer.
Don’t shorten anything, write out south, street you get the picture. I hope.
5. Structured Data Markup
This is kind of codey and above some of your heads. But there is a way to put this in your site in one click and we will go over that soon with a new free tool that is stupid simple to use.
But this is for every page on your site. You need to have structured Data Markup to help Goolge display your NAP and Hours in the search results.
6. Google Search Console
Every website needs to be in Google Search Console. YES YOURS TOO!!!
Everysite I do goes in there. This FREE tool helps with looking at traffic trends, technical issues and submitting your site to Google.
7. Bing Webmaster Tools
This is also important since this is Microsoft’s version of Google Search Console. And yes I do this as well.
8. Optimized URLs
You need to make sure your URLs have location words in them. For example “SEO Help Bainbridge Island.”
9. Optimized Title Tags
Hey what do you know, you do the above in WordPress then you already did this.
Make sure your not going over 60 characters. No not words.
10. Optimized Descriptions
So now in 160 characters you need to put a location word in and make people want to click on the link. Have fun with this one, you will struggle but I have faith you can make it work.
So that is it for now. I will be sharing more things you will need to be doing but these are the most imporant to start with. And the easiest to do. If you have any questions feel free to ask here. There are no stupid questions, if you dont know the only way to figure it out is to ask.