The Ultimate Local SEO Checklist

Let’s face it... if you’re not taking advantage of local SEO right now... or if you’re still sitting on the fence thinking “Ummm yea, but not sure if it will be worthwhile” you might as well pack up shop now...

Harsh?

Yes maybe... but if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know I'm blatant when it comes to making money and not afraid to dish out a dose of reality if it's going to get results for my readers.

So if that's what you're after, you're in for a sweet ride - without the sugar coating!

O.K with that out the way, let's move on...

If you're here to take advantage of Local SEO you obviously know it's pretty much replaced costly print media and has left the yellow pages for dead.

Yet, many local business owners have no idea how to tap into this ever-increasing honey pot of sales - let alone figure out where to start.

So in true Websites That Sell fashion, let’s not drag things out longer than they need to be and dive in.

Here’s Your Checklists For All Things "Local SEO" You Need To Ensure Your Website Ticks Off!

On-Site Optimisation

This by far is still the most important aspect of ranking your site on Google, without properly optimising your website around the keywords you would like to rank for... well you’re just not going to rank - because Google doesn’t know what your site is about. So here’s what aspects you need to keep in mind and what needs to be checked.

Your Onsite Optimisation Check:

Want A FREE Step-By-Step SEO Optimisation Guide?

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Schema

This one really deserves its own topic and I’m not going to go into depth as it’s irrelevant to this post, however as soon as we have a detailed post about this I will post a link here.

For now... know this!

Schema markup otherwise known as structured data will be the future of the Internet or rather the Semantic Web.

So until we have a full guide, here’s what you need to ensure right now.

Your Schema Check:

RESOURCES:

Google Schema Testing
Google Structured Data Testing Tool

Other Important Directories

These are the major directories along with Google Places, they will drive traffic and leads to your website on their own - so yes you should be on there if you want to fully take advantage of local traffic.

Your Important Directory Check:

Citations

Citations are pretty much a reference of your business (Business Name, Address & Phone Number aka NAP) on different directory sites. While it’s a time-consuming task... again many of these directory sites (eg. TrueLocal, Yellow Pages, Dlook) will drive traffic to your site on their own - so it’s only to your benefit to have a presence on these sites.

Your Citations Check:

If you need help with creating, cross-referencing on submitting your business to these directories, or if you’d rather spend your time drinking cocktails on the beach while we work hard for you in the background, then check out our fully done for you Citation building service here: Done For You Local Citations

Reviews

Your reputation is everything! This is business 101... and it’s more important on the Internet than ever before. Not only will reviews boost your local places page rankings, but they will also give people searching for your business confidence in that you’re credible, trustworthy and deliver a great service.

Here's how Google put it:

Your Reviews Check:

Conversion

We’re now moving a little further into marketing and ensuring that your website is optimised for converting all that local traffic into enquiries and sales.

So here’s a quick started of the most important aspects of local conversion optimisation of your website.

Your Conversion Check:

Not sure where to start with your website? Contact us!

Social

If nothing else, these profiles will give your business authority. In terms of SEO, we’ve seen them give our sites a boost every time.

However, I don’t think posting messages on Facebook or Twitter all day long will actually produce an ROI.

So below is a basic checklist of the bare minimum of what you should be doing to get the above benefits.

Your Social Check:

SIDE NOTE: if you’d like to know how to turn Facebook, Twitter or Youtube from a Time-Waster into a Traffic-Maker, then I encourage you to read about The Social SEO Loophole here.

Not only will you learn about our secret social strategy, but you’ll find a resource that sets up these platforms fully Google optimised for just 20 bucks...

Click Here To Find Out More

Website Structure

This one can’t be summed up quickly, below is your checklist... but if you want to find out the full benefit of structuring your website correctly I highly recommend reading up on our Secret SEO page - you’ll have a way to rank for your keywords with 80% less ongoing promotional cost!

And that’s gotta be a good thing...

Right?

You can read more about it here: Secret Sauce SEO

Your Website Structure Check:

Backlinks

This could make or break your local campaign. If you’re under a penalty at the moment it doesn’t matter how much of the above checklists you get 100% right - your site will not rank as effectively as it should if it’s under a penalty.

Now this one is a bit techie, but here’s the basics to look for.

Your Backlink Check:

Helpful resources for Penguin Proofing Your Site: Penguin Recovery Guide
Helpful resource for building quality backlinks: Authority Links

Citation & Sources:

Original Checklist: http://localseochecklist.org