The plan aims at improving local SEO by focusing on specific, quantifiable metrics to enhance online visibility and drive more organic traffic from local search queries. For example, by optimizing the Google My Business profile and ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information, businesses can improve their local search ranking, aiming to consistently appear in the top 3 positions.
Another important metric is organic traffic from local search, which should constitute 10-30% of the total traffic. Using local keywords and optimizing meta tags for local search can help achieve this benchmark. Finally, metrics like customer reviews and ratings help build trust and credibility, with a target of a 4+ star rating with over 50 reviews, which can be encouraged through prompt responses and incentives for reviews.
Top 5 metrics for Improving local SEO
1. Local search ranking
Measures the position of your website in search engine results for local queries
What good looks like for this metric: Top 3 positions
How to improve this metric:- Optimise Google My Business profile
- Ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information
- Encourage customer reviews
- Create local content
- Build local backlinks
2. Organic traffic from local search
Tracks the number of visitors to your website coming from organic local search results
What good looks like for this metric: 10-30% of total traffic
How to improve this metric:- Use local keywords in website content
- Optimise meta tags for local search
- Improve mobile site performance
- Add local schema markup
- Create location-specific landing pages
3. Click-through rate (CTR) from local search
Percentage of users who click on your website link in local search results
What good looks like for this metric: 3-5%
How to improve this metric:- Craft compelling meta descriptions
- Use local reviews in snippets
- Improve title tags with local keywords
- Use attractive URLs
- Implement rich snippets
4. Local citation volume
Number of mentions of your business on other websites, especially directory listings
What good looks like for this metric: 50-100 citations
How to improve this metric:- Submit to local directories
- Ensure accurate and consistent citations
- Monitor and clean up duplicates
- Get listed in industry-specific directories
- Leverage data aggregators
5. Customer reviews and ratings
Quantifies the number and quality of reviews on local platforms such as Google My Business and Yelp
What good looks like for this metric: 4+ star rating with over 50 reviews
How to improve this metric:- Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews
- Respond promptly to reviews
- Address negative feedback constructively
- Offer incentives for reviews
- Highlight positive reviews on your site
How to track Improving local SEO metrics
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your metrics.
