Remember the last time you needed gas, a good meal, or a manicure? You probably opened your phone, searched for a nearby place, and clicked on the first option. What you thought was a natural process was actually the outcome of a thoroughly planned local SEO strategy meant to raise that company’s search engine visibility and attract new clients. Getting a high Google ranking is more difficult than ever. Learn how to use effective local SEO analysis to outrank local competitors. Local businesses need to understand that in order to improve their rankings, they need to adopt digital marketing strategies such as local search engine optimization (SEO).

What Is Local SEO Analysis?

Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization (SEO) that makes your company appear higher in Google’s local search results. In 2020, Moz reported that nearly half of Google’s two trillion annual searches were local. No wonder most companies prioritise local SEO.

Local SEO is favourable for any company that operates locally or has a physical location. Local SEO can assist you in expanding your business if, when you search Google for any specific keywords associated with your company, a map with three listings (also called a map pack) shows up beneath it.

How To Perform Local SEO Analysis

A proper local SEO research entails locating your rivals, assessing their tactics, and looking for ways to exceed them. Let’s examine each of these processes in detail:

Determine Your Competitors on Local Searches

When it comes to digital marketing, local rivals are those that appear highly in search results for terms associated with your goods and services in the area you are targeting. They are quite simple to identify. In Google’s search bar, enter your location and a list of your main goods and services.

For instance, you can search for “hair extensions Lagos” or “women’s perm Lagos” if you own a beauty clinic in Lagos. View the companies that show up in Google’s top results. Look at Google’s map pack, where the top three business listings appear in a box with a map, sitting above the organic search results. The businesses that are prominently shown at the top of the page and are highlighted in the map pack are your biggest competitors.

Assess How Your Strategies Stack Up Against Competitors

Once your competitors have been identified, evaluate their strategies for achieving high local search engine rankings. Examine the following aspects of their local SEO strategy and compare it to your own digital marketing results:

Keyword Usage: In order to draw in customers who are especially searching for goods or services in a given area, it is important to examine the keywords used by your competitors.

To find the search volume for particular terms in your area, adjust the location to your service area if you’re using Google Keyword Planner. Verify the competitors’ target keywords by looking at their content.

Backlinks: Search engine rankings are also raised by high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. Your rivals may be at the top of local search results because they have been featured in reliable local news blogs and websites. For a thorough backlink audit, use tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush.

Local Listings: Enter the competitor’s name along with terms like “business listing” or “directory listing” to find out which internet directories they are listed in. You can also use software programs like BrightLocal, which shows the directory sites that are mentioning your rivals as well as the citation authority and value ratings in numerical form.

GBP: Verify that the competitor’s profile contains all the necessary details, images, and videos. Analyze the ratings and reviews based on the volume and tone of comments.

Find Your Competitive Edge

Make a list of the ways you can outperform your rivals in each of the areas mentioned above when you have a general idea of their local approach. For example, by looking at keyword usage, you can identify terms with a high search traffic that your competitors aren’t ranking for.

Include these keywords in your content strategy. Add to your list of directory and backlink partners the credible, high-authority platforms that your rival used for backlinks and local listings.

It’s possible that the Google Business Profile of your rival included extra categories that improved its relevance to users’ search terms. Using this method will help you be discoverable for every part of your organization, especially if you’re providing a large range of goods and services.

How To Outrank Local Search Competitors

Gaining more knowledge about what your rivals are doing will help you properly create a plan that will increase your exposure in local potential customers’ searches and efficiently produce leads. You might want to include these strategies into your campaign:

Populate Content With Relevant, Long-Tail Keywords

Include keywords in your blog post headers (H1 and H2), meta tags (title tags and meta descriptions), online text, and company listings in third-party directories. Long-tail keywords are more specialised and usually have less competition, so try to include them if you can. Because they have a clearer objective, users of long-tail keywords are more likely to convert quickly.

Ask Customers To Leave Reviews

Google interprets favourable customer reviews as evidence of a company’s legitimacy and reputation. Positive reviews build credibility for prospective buyers. They are more likely to believe in your goods and services if they notice that prior clients were happy. Negative reviews aren’t always terrible, either, if they are handled politely and quickly.

Take advantage of online reputation management solutions that let you send automated text messages and emails asking for customer feedback. Look for platforms that notify you whenever there’s a new review, so you can immediately check the customer’s message and address accordingly.

Conclusion

Dominating local search results and surpassing your rivals requires local SEO analysis. You may greatly increase your online exposure and draw in more local clients by studying the tactics used by competitors, figuring out your unique selling point, and putting powerful local SEO strategies into practice.

Keep in mind that local SEO is a continuous effort. Maintaining your top ranking and adjusting to changing search engine algorithms require constant monitoring, analysis, and adjustment. You could reach your company’s full potential and promote long-term success by giving local SEO top priority.