How to do research for local SEO

Local SEO research is a crucial step for businesses aiming to dominate their regional market. By understanding the nuances of local search behaviour and leveraging the right tools, you can significantly enhance your visibility to nearby customers. This comprehensive guide delves into the most effective techniques and strategies for conducting thorough local SEO research, ensuring your business stands out in local search results.

Local SEO data collection techniques

Gathering accurate and relevant data is the foundation of any successful local SEO strategy. By employing a variety of data collection methods, you can gain valuable insights into your local market and optimize your online presence accordingly.

Google my business insights analysis

Google My Business (GMB) is a goldmine of local SEO data. By analysing your GMB insights, you can understand how customers find your business listing, what actions they take, and which photos attract the most attention. Pay close attention to the search queries that lead users to your profile, as these can inform your keyword strategy and content creation efforts.

To maximize the value of your GMB insights:

• Monitor your listing’s performance over time to identify trends
• Compare your insights with those of local competitors
• Use the data to refine your business description and services
• Regularly update your profile based on customer interaction patterns

Competitor backlink profiling with ahrefs

Understanding your competitors’ backlink profiles can reveal valuable opportunities for your own link-building efforts. Ahrefs is an essential tool for this purpose, allowing you to analyse the quality and quantity of links pointing to your competitors’ websites.

When conducting competitor backlink profiling:

1. Identify your top local competitors
2. Use Ahrefs to analyse their backlink profiles
3. Look for high-quality, locally-relevant link sources
4. Develop a strategy to acquire similar or better links
5. Monitor your backlink growth compared to competitors

Brightlocal’s local search audit tool usage

BrightLocal offers a comprehensive Local Search Audit tool that can provide a holistic view of your local SEO performance. This tool analyses various aspects of your online presence, including citations, reviews, and local rankings.

Key areas to focus on when using BrightLocal’s audit tool include:

• Citation consistency across directories
• Review quantity and quality compared to competitors
• Local pack rankings for targeted keywords
• On-page optimization for local search

Leveraging moz local for citation consistency

Citation consistency is crucial for local SEO success. Moz Local is a powerful tool that helps you manage and optimize your business listings across various online directories and platforms.

Inconsistent citations can confuse search engines and potential customers, potentially harming your local search rankings.

To effectively use Moz Local:

1. Conduct a thorough audit of your existing citations
2. Identify and correct any inconsistencies in your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information
3. Systematically build new citations on relevant platforms
4. Monitor your citation health over time

Keyword research for Geo-Targeted content

Effective keyword research is the cornerstone of creating content that resonates with your local audience. By focusing on geo-targeted keywords, you can attract more qualified local traffic to your website.

Utilising google keyword planner for Location-Specific terms

Google Keyword Planner is an invaluable tool for discovering location-specific search terms. When using this tool for local SEO research:

• Enter your primary services or products along with your location
• Analyse search volume and competition for local terms
• Look for long-tail keywords with local intent
• Consider seasonal variations in local search behaviour

Analysing local search trends with google trends

Google Trends can provide insights into the popularity of local search terms over time. This information is particularly useful for identifying seasonal trends and emerging local interests.

When using Google Trends for local SEO research:

1. Compare search interest for different local terms
2. Identify peak seasons for specific products or services in your area
3. Discover related topics and queries popular in your region
4. Use the data to inform your content calendar and marketing campaigns

Extracting Geo-Modified keywords from SEMrush

SEMrush offers powerful tools for identifying geo-modified keywords that can boost your local SEO efforts. To effectively use SEMrush for local keyword research:

• Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find location-based variants of your main keywords
• Analyse the keyword difficulty and search volume for local terms
• Explore the “Questions” feature to find local search queries in question format
• Utilise the “Keyword Gap” tool to compare your keyword strategy with local competitors

Long-tail local keyword discovery with AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic is an excellent resource for uncovering long-tail local keywords and understanding the questions your audience is asking. This tool can help you create highly targeted content that addresses specific local needs.

Long-tail keywords often have lower competition and higher conversion rates, making them valuable targets for local SEO campaigns.

To make the most of AnswerThePublic:

1. Enter your primary local keywords
2. Analyse the questions, prepositions, and comparisons generated
3. Identify patterns in local search behaviour
4. Use the insights to create FAQ pages and blog content addressing local concerns

Local consumer behaviour analysis

Understanding local consumer behaviour is crucial for tailoring your SEO strategy to meet the specific needs and preferences of your target audience. By analysing local search patterns and user interactions, you can create more effective, targeted content and marketing campaigns.

Conducting Geo-Targeted surveys with SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a versatile tool for gathering direct insights from your local audience. When creating geo-targeted surveys:

• Define clear objectives for your survey
• Use targeting options to reach respondents in specific locations
• Include questions about local preferences and pain points
• Analyse results to inform your local SEO and content strategy

Analysing local search intent via google search console

Google Search Console provides valuable data on how users find and interact with your website in local search results. To leverage this tool for local SEO research:

1. Review the “Queries” report to identify local search terms driving traffic
2. Analyse click-through rates for different local keywords
3. Identify pages performing well in local search and those needing improvement
4. Use the data to refine your local content strategy and on-page optimisation

Extracting Location-Based insights from facebook audience insights

Facebook Audience Insights can provide a wealth of information about your local target audience. To use this tool effectively for local SEO research:

• Define your audience based on location and relevant interests
• Analyse demographic data to understand your local customer base
• Identify popular pages and interests among your local audience
• Use these insights to tailor your content and local SEO strategy

Local link building opportunities research

Building high-quality local links is crucial for improving your local search rankings. Researching and identifying local link building opportunities can significantly enhance your website’s authority and relevance in your target area.

To uncover valuable local link building opportunities:

• Engage with local business associations and chambers of commerce
• Sponsor local events or sports teams
• Collaborate with complementary local businesses
• Contribute guest posts to local blogs and news sites
• Create location-specific resource pages that attract natural links

Competitor local SEO performance benchmarking

Benchmarking your local SEO performance against competitors provides valuable insights and helps identify areas for improvement. To effectively benchmark your local SEO efforts:

1. Identify your top local competitors
2. Analyse their local search rankings for key terms
3. Compare your Google My Business profiles
4. Assess the quality and quantity of local reviews
5. Evaluate their local content strategy and execution

Use tools like SEMrush or Moz Local to streamline the benchmarking process and gain more comprehensive insights.

Local schema markup implementation strategies

Implementing local schema markup is an advanced technique that can significantly improve your visibility in local search results. Schema markup helps search engines understand the context of your content and can lead to rich snippets in search results.

Key local schema types to consider include:

• LocalBusiness schema for your main business information
• GeoCoordinates to specify your exact location
• OpeningHoursSpecification for your business hours
• Review schema for customer reviews and ratings

When implementing local schema markup:

1. Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to validate your markup
2. Ensure all information is accurate and up-to-date
3. Implement schema across all relevant pages of your website
4. Monitor the impact on your search visibility and rich snippet appearances

By following these comprehensive local SEO research strategies, you can gain a deep understanding of your local market, outperform competitors, and significantly improve your visibility in local search results. Remember that local SEO is an ongoing process, and regularly updating your research and strategies is key to maintaining and improving your local search rankings.