How to Perform a Local SEO Audit in Under 60 Minutes

Want to perform a local SEO audit? It might seem like a challenging thing to do that’ll take up the whole day. However, you can actually streamline the process and get it done in under 60 minutes.

By focusing on key areas like your Google My Business listing, technical aspects, and local keyword optimization, you’ll set a solid foundation for improvement.

But what are the actionable steps you need to take to guarantee nothing slips through the cracks?

Lets get started

Importance of Local SEO Audits

Local SEO audits are key for any local business looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. By performing these audits, you can identify areas where your online presence needs improvement, helping you attract local customers.  Regular audits boost your local search visibility, especially by optimizing the one and only Google My Business listing.

With 87% of consumers preferring to engage with businesses through reviews, it’s important that you keep track of what’s being said about you. In an ideal world, you should perform these audits every six months to stay updated on changes in search engine algorithms and local SEO trends. This consistency helps maintain your relevance in the market.

Local SEO audits can also improve customer trust; 82% of consumers check reviews before deciding to trust a business. Monitoring and managing your online reputation is crucial in this regard. Also, maintaining positive online reviews can can lead to increased customer spending, which is vital for boosting your business’s profitability.

It’s also important to verify your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information is consistent across all platforms. Discrepancies can negatively impact your local search rankings, making it harder for potential customers to find you.

Essential Tools for Auditing

Effective auditing requires the right tools to streamline the process and provide valuable insights into your local SEO performance. Start with Google Search Console. It helps you track your website performance by showing clicks, impressions, and query data, which are essential for understanding your local search visibility.

Screaming Frog. This tool crawls your website to find technical issues like broken links and missing metadata. Addressing these issues guarantees your SEO remains healthy.

For keyword research, Ubersuggest is a user-friendly option. It helps you identify local keywords and search trends, which can guide your content optimization efforts. You can try the tool here

Don’t forget about PageSpeed Insights. This tool evaluates your website loading speed and performance metrics, highlighting areas that need improvement to improve user experience and boost search rankings.

Theres also Moz Local. It allows you to manage your online presence across various local directories, guaranteeing your NAP information is accurate. This accuracy improves your local search credibility. Optimizing local business listings also helps your brand awareness and visibility in search results.

Quick Steps for Your Audit

Now that you’ve gathered the right tools for your local SEO audit, it’s time to put them to use with a structured approach.

Start by reviewing your website’s title tags and meta descriptions. Make certain they include relevant keywords and local modifiers, keeping title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions around 135 characters for better visibility.

Second step, check your Google My Business (GMB) listing for accuracy and completeness. Verify your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information is consistent across all online platforms to avoid penalties.

Conduct a citation analysis to verify your presence on major local directories like Yelp and TripAdvisor. All listings should have accurate and consistent information to strengthen your local SEO credibility.

Don’t forget to assess your social media presence. Confirm your NAP information is consistent and that you engage regularly with your audience, as this can improve your local visibility. Additionally, remember that local searches represent 60% of all voice search queries, highlighting the need for optimized local content.

Try using tools like Moz Open Site Explorer to analyze your backlink profile. Aim for a spam score below three while seeking quality backlinks from authoritative sites to boost your local search rankings.

Following this SEO audit checklist will set you on the right path.

GMB and Citation Checks

Making sure that your Google My Business (GMB) listing is fully optimized will massively improve your local visibility. You should verify that your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information is accurate, and that your business hours and categories are correctly listed. This attention to detail helps boost your local search rankings.

Conversley, you should check for duplicate listings. Having multiple GMB entries can confuse search engines, which may lead to reduced visibility in local searches. Use tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal to conduct a citation audit.

Make sure your business information is consistent across local directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Thompsons etc.

By focusing on these GMB and citation checks, you’ll set a solid foundation for your local SEO efforts. You should also be mindful and recognise that AI-driven keyword research can boost your local search rankings by identifying effective terms for your business.

Content and Keyword Review

Your website’s content plays an important role in local SEO success, so it’s imperative to conduct a thorough review. Start by performing keyword research to identify local search terms that matter to your business. Make sure these keywords include geographic modifiers to increase your visibility. I.e.: Emergency plumber ‘Preston’

Review your current website content for optimization opportunities. Integrate targeted local keywords into your title tags and meta descriptions to help improve your search rankings.

Your content should be original and provide value to local users as search engines prioritize high-quality and relevant content

You can use tools like Google Trends to analyze the popularity of local keywords over time. This will help you refine your content strategy based on current search behaviors. Also use structured data to help search engines understand your geographic context.

It’s also a good idea to check for duplicate content across your website and local listings.

Search engines may penalize sites with duplications, which can hurt your overall SEO performance. So make sure the same content is not repeated more than once across your website.

To help avoid duplicate content issues that can sometimes go under the radar and get missed or overlooked. You should disable author archives in the backend of your website.

Analyzing Backlinks and Competitors

After optimizing your content for local keywords, it’s time to turn your attention to backlinks and competitor analysis. You should analyze your backlinks to better understand your website’s authority and its potential to rank well.

Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to assess your backlink profile. These tools help you identify quality backlinks, which boost your credibility, and toxic links. Be sure to Disavow any spammy or low-quality links that may negatively impact your site’s reputation.

Internal linking plays a crucial role in improving the visibility and ranking of your website’s pages. By strategically linking relevant content within your site, you create a logical structure that helps search engines understand the relationships between your pages.

Competitor analysis: Look at the backlink strategies of your top-ranking local competitors to uncover opportunities for acquiring similar quality links. By examining their total number of incoming links and domain authority, you can identify gaps in your own link-building efforts.

This ongoing assessment will keep your SEO performance strong and improve your visibility in local search results.

Conclusion

There you have it. In just under 60 minutes, you have performed a local SEO audit. By checking your Google My Business listing, using helpful tools, and reviewing your content, you’ll identify areas for improvement.

Don’t forget to analyze your backlinks and online reviews, as they play an huge role in your local search visibility. Regular audits help keep your business competitive and guarantee customers find you easily.

Stay proactive, and your local SEO efforts will pay off.