Local SEO helps people find and understand your business when they search online for nearby services.
Start by making your information accurate and useful. People need to know what you do and whether you serve their area. They also need an easy way to contact you.
Google says local results depend mainly on relevance and distance along with how well known a business is. No checklist can promise you the top position (Google, n.d.).
This checklist gives you practical places to start.
1. Be clear about where you work
List the towns or counties you regularly serve. Think about travel time and whether you can serve those places reliably.
Separate your main service area from places you can visit only occasionally.
Use this information on your website so customers can tell whether you are a fit.
2. Check your Google Business Profile
If your business is eligible for a profile, make sure it is verified. Google uses verification to help confirm that you are allowed to represent the business (Google, n.d.).
Check who can manage the profile. Your business should have access through an account it controls.
Avoid leaving a former employee as the only person who can update it.
3. Check your contact details
Review your business name and phone number. Test the website link.
If you show an address, make sure it is accurate and suitable for the way your business operates.
Ask whether a new customer could use these details to reach the right person or place.
4. Choose accurate business categories
Check that your profile’s categories describe the work you actually do.
Focus on the main reason customers hire you. Avoid adding loosely related categories just to cover more ground.
Google recommends keeping information about your type of business complete and accurate (Google, n.d.).
5. Keep your hours up to date
Review your regular hours and update holiday changes.
If office hours differ from service hours, explain the difference where customers need to see it.
Give someone responsibility for keeping this information current.
6. Explain your main services
Review the pages for your most important services. Explain what each service includes and how someone can get started.
Answer the questions people usually ask before buying.
Include your service area naturally. A page full of town names still needs to explain the work.
7. Make location pages useful
Create a location page when you have helpful information for people in that area.
You might explain local service availability or give directions to a real office. A relevant project can also be useful when you have permission to share it.
Give people more than the same page with a different town name.
8. Fix old information elsewhere
Check the listings customers are likely to find. These may include industry directories or chamber listings.
Correct old phone numbers and addresses. Remove broken links and update service descriptions.
Keep a list of the profiles you manage so future updates are easier.
9. Have a process for reviews
Ask customers for honest feedback within the review platform’s rules. Assign someone to monitor and respond to reviews.
Google says reviews contribute to how well known a business is. Helpful replies can also help it stand out (Google, n.d.).
Keep responses professional and avoid sharing private customer information.
10. Add current photos
Use photos that help customers understand and recognize your business.
You might show the entrance or team. Depending on your work, completed projects may also be useful.
Check permissions and look for private information before posting an image.
11. Test your contact process
Open the website on your phone. Tap the phone number and try the main contact form.
Check that the form confirms the message was sent. Make sure the inquiry reaches someone who will respond.
A working contact process gives interested visitors somewhere useful to go.
12. Track where inquiries come from
Record the service people request and the area they are in. Ask how they found you when appropriate.
Look for patterns. Frequent inquiries from places you don’t serve may mean your website needs clearer location information.
Use what you learn to improve the next customer’s experience.
Your next step
Mark each item as complete or needing attention. Fix incorrect contact details and broken forms first.
Then choose three more tasks you can realistically finish.
Review the list each month and whenever the business changes. Small updates are easier to manage when they don’t become one enormous cleanup job.
References
Google. (n.d.). Tips to improve your local ranking on Google. Google Business Profile Help.
