Deciding whether or not to invest in a local SEO audit can be a delicate question. How much are you currently investing in your SEO (search engine optimization)? Do you need substantial growth to support your profits? Or are you ticking along quite happily on an upward trajectory without it?
It can seem overwhelming for anyone who hasn’t delved into the world of SEO before. Furthermore, an audit can seem an unnecessary expense without knowing how you’re moving forward with the strategy.
In this guide, we’ll clear these muddy waters for you. You’ll find out exactly what an SEO audit entails, what to budget, and what information and benefits you’ll gain. As a business owner, it can be tricky to know where you’ll stand already for traffic performance.
Are you ready for game-changing insights? Learn whether you should invest in an audit in as little as five to ten minutes.
What Is a Local SEO Audit?
A local SEO audit is a review of your current SEO performance, which stands for search engine optimization. In simpler words, an SEO local audit checks what positions you appear in when customers search for relevant keywords.
This positioning is essential. For instance, consider a pizza restaurant in a medium-sized town. When a customer searches for the best pizza places there, they might only read the top-ranking restaurants. That means that out of — for example — five local pizza restaurants, the top one to three get the most business. You should never overlook restaurant SEO.
It doesn’t just work for business listings on Google Maps, either. A good SEO strategy will supplement this by targeting keywords related to the business through blog posts and on-page SEO. You could write articles revealing the best pizza recipes or date night ideas in that town. Customers then discover your company through an organic search.
It’s clever, isn’t it? And it’s not just about search engine optimization for restaurants. An audit is a great way to measure how you’re doing across all industries. You can find SEO experts, consultants, and marketing businesses to run a paid search audit. Alternatively, use online tools like the Semrush website checker.
A local SEO audit tool scans all of your online presence. This includes your Google Business Profile, which you create to utilize Google Maps and collect reviews. It automatically checks relevant keywords for your business (it might let you input specific ones you wish to rank for). It will also scan to see where your website pages and any blog posts rank.
In summary, it considers the following things:
- Google Maps
- Google My Business
- Your website landing page
- Any blog posts
- Listings in directories
- Mentions in social media
Top 3 Benefits of Using SEO Audits
You know what an audit is, so the real question that remains is, why should you care? You need to understand why local SEO is important and, specifically, why audits can help. These are vital bits of information in order to keep your motivation levels high.
These are the top three benefits of using SEO audits to keep in mind. When deciding whether or not you need to take the plunge, weigh whether these are useful.
The biggest benefit of investing in an SEO audit is that it provides you with an immediate starting point. You know where you’re at — the most important information when planning any future strategy. An audit is the perfect solution to quickly establish a base point.
2. It Creates Clear Goals
Off the back of that, a good audit then gives you goals. Because you’ve got a quantitative measurement of your current performance, you can clearly decide what you’d like to hit. For instance, you might want to increase your average ranking from 15 to 10 or five to one. Audits enable the nitty gritty side of your SEO strategy.
3. They Hold You Accountable
Because of those stats and clear quantitative data, audits hold you accountable. You can routinely use tools or a specialist consultant to analyze whether or not you’re improving. It’s a great way to stay motivated and on track with your SEO.
Can You Find a Free Local SEO Audit?
Yes, you can absolutely find a free local SEO audit. There are tons of tools online, the best one being Semrush’s free website scanner. However, Birdeye also offers an audit tool for free, as does brightlocal.
These tools offer a general overview and performance statistics that you can then use to improve your SEO. It’s not unlike checking your credit score! It’s a fantastic way to get some fundamental insight into your current performance.
However, it’s important to note that if you want further guidance on improving, you’re better off consulting a human expert. Accessing free software online is a great first step. But if you aren’t SEO-savvy, you’ll need to outsource to fix any issues it finds. Think of it as a free first step of a journey of many miles.
How To Improve: 6 Ways To Beat a Local SEO Audit Checklist
It’s all good talking about how SEO audits work and how they benefit businesses. But what about how to improve your search ranking score?
If you decide to go it alone after your audit, you need to know how to boost your performance. And even if you outsource, it’s good to know what to ask specialists to do. With that in mind, here are six ways you can beat a local SEO audit checklist:
- Open a website (it can be a simple WordPress site) and Google My Business account.
- Create a meta description for all your pages and website posts. This will require an upgraded account if you host through WordPress.
- Register with local directories.
- Use tools like Semrush’s keyword searcher to find green-flagged keywords to try to rank for. Then, optimize existing content by organically adding these a handful of times through your content and titles.
- Ensure that your content is actually being reviewed and uploaded by Google. If you genuinely can’t find certain pages, it might not have been crawled yet. You can manually speed up the process using Google Search Console.
- Organize collaborations with high-traffic sites and invest in PR for organic coverage. Any links back to your website should boost its reputation, and your business will be mentioned in higher positions.
Beambox: The Role WiFi Plays in a Local SEO Audit Report
So, where does WiFi come into the whole business of launching a local SEO audit report? Can your internet boost your search visibility? The answer is yes; with a bit of creativity, your guest WiFi can become your most valuable business asset.
The secret lies in a specific type of software called a captive portal system. This syncs to your existing guest WiFi network (because who doesn’t already have one of them) and temporarily blocks customers. This temporary block redirects them to an entirely customizable web page form. Hold that thought for just a second.
There are many ways to boost your SEO audit performance. One way is to simply divert more people to your website to demonstrate authority and gradually improve your traffic. You could do this by linking to your website in your captive portal system. Or you could request contact details to subscribe them to an email list or loyalty program.
By harnessing this captive portal system, you could facilitate growth strategies to build traffic and boost your audit results. Here at Beambox, we have the software to help you.
We offer an all-in-one WiFi marketing platform that assists businesses like yours with boosting their reach — from SEO to beyond. You’d be amazed at what a simple captive portal can do, and subscriptions roll on a minimal commitment monthly basis.
Start your Beambox free trial today and get ready for a great local SEO audit!
FAQ
Don’t go just yet. We’ve got some information coming up on how you can utilize your WiFi to boost your audit scores. You don’t want to miss it!
Before that, though, let’s just rehearse the basics. Can you answer these quickfire questions to consolidate your knowledge? How much information can you remember?
What is a local SEO audit?
A local SEO audit is a review of your current ranking performance. A good SEO score (search engine optimization) means you’re appearing at the top of search results for relevant keywords. To measure this, an audit crawls through all of your blog posts, website pages, directory mentions, and Map appearances. Essentially, it measures how findable you are.
You can run an audit through a consultant or SEO expert or launch one independently using tools online.
Why is a local SEO audit important?
It’s really important as it shows you how you’re currently performing. You won’t know how to improve your SEO until you see where the pain points are. It also provides concrete, quantitative data that helps to keep you motivated and set challenging but attainable goals. If you want to boost your SEO, you’ll need an audit — preferably sooner rather than later.
How much should I budget for a local SEO audit?
An expert audit of your business, including actionable insights and an in-depth report, should cost an average of $800. However, many SEO companies and freelancers offer complimentary audits as part of a wider package. Keep an eye out for similar offerings.
If you don’t want in-depth information, it might be worth using a free SEO audit tool online to save money.
