This video provides a prioritized SEO checklist for local businesses to improve their Google local three-pack ranking. The checklist is based on research from Whitespark, a leader in local SEO. The video focuses on actionable steps, categorized by priority level, to maximize impact within a limited timeframe. A downloadable checklist is offered in the video description.
Primary Google Business Profile Category: Setting a precise primary category helps Google understand your business and improves search visibility. This is considered the easiest task.
Secondary Google Business Profile Categories: Adding relevant secondary categories expands your reach to a wider range of searches. Also considered easy to implement.
Complete Google Business Profile Details: Completing all profile details (name, address, phone number, website, description, photos) enhances business reliability and trustworthiness in Google's eyes. This is an easy task that requires some time investment.
NAP Consistency: Maintaining consistency across all online platforms (website, Google Business Profile, directories) for Name, Address, and Phone Number is crucial for Google verification and ranking. This task is of medium difficulty due to its time requirement.
Accurate Business Hours: Displaying accurate and updated business hours builds customer trust and avoids negative experiences. This is an easy task.
List All Services and Products: Clearly listing all services and products increases your chances of appearing in relevant searches. Providing pricing is also recommended. This task is easy, the main challenge is thinking of all services offered.
High-Quality Photos and Videos: Uploading high-quality visuals showcases your work, improving customer engagement. This is an easy task.
Google Q&A Feature: Actively engaging with customer questions through Google's Q&A feature builds trust and provides valuable information. This task is easy to start, requiring only a few minutes for initial setup.
Optimize Website Title and Meta Description: Optimizing these elements improves search visibility and click-through rates. This task is easy and involves basic website editing.
Dedicated Service Location Pages: Creating individual web pages for each service boosts local search power. Utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline content creation. This task is of medium difficulty.
Encourage Google Reviews: Regularly requesting reviews from satisfied customers significantly boosts your ranking. This is a medium difficulty task due to the manual effort involved.
High Star Rating: Maintaining a high average star rating is vital for Google ranking. This is a medium difficulty task, requiring the same effort as encouraging reviews.
Keywords in Reviews: Encouraging customers to include relevant keywords in their reviews enhances your local SEO. This is a medium difficulty task due to the indirect influence on reviews.
Booking/Appointment Link: Including a direct link to your booking page on your profile increases customer engagement and signals to Google. This is an easy task.
List on Major Directories (Citations): Creating listings on major online directories builds credibility and increases visibility. This is a medium difficulty task due to its time consumption.
Report Competitor Spam: Reporting competitors with inaccurate or misleading listings can improve your ranking. This is a medium difficulty task due to the need for regular checks.
Quality Backlinks: Obtaining backlinks from reputable websites significantly boosts your search engine ranking. Outsourcing this task is recommended due to its complexity. This is a hard task.
Descriptive Business Name: Using a business name that incorporates relevant keywords aids search ranking. Changing the business name is difficult, however, making sure it's reflected consistently across platforms is easier. This is a hard task.
Physical Address in Target City: Having a physical address in your target city is crucial for local ranking. This is a hard task.
Proximity to Customers: Google prioritizes businesses closer to searching customers. Focusing marketing efforts on your local area is recommended. This is a hard task.
