Lokaal SEO - Waarom het ertoe doet en hoe u kunt scoren in lokale zoekresultaten

Als u een bedrijf runt dat klanten bedient in specifieke geografische gebieden, je bent hier aan het juiste adres. In deze praktische lokale SEO gids, leiden we je door het hele proces van het optimaliseren van je site & duiken we diep in hoe lokaal zoeken werkt door het ontwikkelen en uitvoeren van een lokale zoekstrategie die je bedrijf laat groeien.

Dus of je nu een bedrijf hebt dat kan profiteren van lokale SEO of eigenaren van lokale bedrijfswebsites helpt, in deze gids vind je alles wat je nodig hebt.

Dit is wat je leert in deze lokale SEO-gids:

1 What is Local SEO? An Introduction

Local SEO is a subset of search engine optimization that refers to optimizing your business’s online presence to help your ideal customers, who are already looking for a business like yours, find you wanneer ze relevant presteren lokale zoekopdrachten op Google en andere zoekmachines.

In short, local SEO is all about increasing the visibility of your website in search results for businesses that serve customers in person. This includes brick-and-mortar businesses with physical locations serving customers (i.e., coffee shops and restaurants) and service-area businesses operating throughout a particular geographic area (i.e., electricians or cleaning companies).

It involves everything from reviews, on-site optimization, content, and digital PR (such as earning press in local news). While local SEO is most commonly associated with brick-and-mortar businesses, it can also be used by online businesses that serve specific local areas to improve their visibility as well as drive leads from local searches. This article is tailored to those who run a business serving customers in-person – think cafes, restaurants, retail stores, gyms, plumbers, electricians, and more…

2 Het belang van lokale SEO - waarom is het belangrijk?

We like data, and think it’s essential to every aspect of running a business, especially marketing & SEO. Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to convey the true importance of local SEO with the help of 2 simple statistics.:

• 46% van alle Google-zoekopdrachten are looking for local information
• 88% aan zoekopdrachten naar lokale bedrijven op een mobiel apparaat bel of bezoek het bedrijf binnen 24 uur.

To put that into perspective, this means that of every single Google search made every single day, 46% of them are specifically looking for information (and often businesses) relevant to a local area. 88% of searches for those local businesses (on mobile devices) lead to a call or visit binnen 24 uur.

The key with local SEO, as with SEO in general, is that you’re grabbing someone’s attention while they’re actually interested. As opposed to other forms of marketing, which are all really about putting stuff out there to see what sticks, with SEO, you already know the intent is there. And better yet, with local SEO, if you can fulfill that intent, 88% of the time they’ll become a lead within 24 hours…

When travelling to a new city, how often do you unlock your phone and perform a quick Google search to find a nearby restaurant or coffee shop?

Now, ask yourself this question: how many more customers do you think Brewshot or The Grind Shop gets compared to Cafe Layette or one of the many coffee shops that don’t even make the list?

This is the difference ranking well on Google can have – you can be the go-to solution, the go-to service in your area, or you can struggle to consistently earn customers (because you have to spend time acquiring customers in other ways).

Hier is een grootschalig onderzoek van Geavanceerde webrangschikking in zoekresultaten en klikfrequenties laat zien dat het eerste bedrijf op lokale zoekopdrachten 54,16% van alle klikken krijgt, vergeleken met slechts 6.88% voor bedrijven #2.

Dit is een duizelingwekkende statistiek en laat echt zien hoe belangrijk lokale SEO is voor bedrijven die beter willen presteren dan hun concurrentie.

3 Zoekwoordonderzoek en inhoudsstrategie

Niet plannen is jezelf voorbereiden op mislukking in SEO. Zonder het nodige onderzoek te doen en een geweldige strategie te ontwikkelen voordat u het geld (of de tijd) investeert, krijgt u niet de resultaten waarnaar u op zoek bent.

So, let’s say you run a local Mexican restaurant – and it’s called Don Julio…

3.1 Bottom of the Funnel Keywords (“Service + Location”)

For most local businesses, figuring out what the primary (i.e., most important and relevant) keywords to target are generally relatively straightforward and self-explanatory. Using our example from earlier, assuming you run a Mexican restaurant in London, just try to picture what you would search to find your own business as a potential customer?

• “Mexicaanse restaurants in Londen”
• “Beste Mexicaanse restaurants bij mij in de buurt”

Een trend opmerken? De meeste klanten zoeken naar lokale bedrijven met behulp van een variant van 'service + locatie' wanneer ze zoeken naar bedrijven die doen wat u doet.

Opmerking: Now, to swap up the examples and make things more interesting, our next imaginary business will be a dog grooming service also based in London.

To automate/speed up this process, you can use this Bulk Keyword Generator from Higher Visibility, which will help you target a list of local keywords. Applying this to our second example, we know that a great starting point for a dog grooming business in London would be the following search terms:

• Hondentrimsalon in Londen
• Hondentrimsalon bij mij in de buurt
• Hondentrimsalon + locatie
• Hondensalon + locatie
• Hondentrimmers in Londen
• Hondenboetiek Londen

In addition, people will also be searching for “dog grooming” on its own, without a location. You might think it’s better to focus on queries involving locations, but Google has gotten pretty smart over the years. When somebody searches for a service, their location will be automatically factored into the results.

3.2 Google Autocomplete en gerelateerde vragen

Although we already have a decent base of keywords, it never hurts to keep looking for more. One way to do this is to utilize Google’s powerful autocomplete feature and the “also asked” questions that appear in SERPs (search engine results page).

Als we enkele van onze zoekwoorden in Google typen, krijgen we nog meer ideeën:

• Honden trimmen Londen prijzen
• Hondenverzorgingsproducten in Londen
• Mobiele hondentrimsalon Londen
• Londen mobiele hondentrimsalon
• Luxe hondentrimsalon in Londen
• Hebben hondentrimmers een vergunning nodig?
• Hoeveel moet hondenverzorging kosten?

As you can see, these methods yielded some beneficial results, especially as they highlight the terms “luxury” and “mobile” that could be incorporated into our strategy. We’ve now got a growing list of keywords. To take it a step further, last but not least, we’ll take a look at what our most significant competitors are ranking for.

3.3 See What Keywords Competitors Rank for (Ahrefs/SEMrush)

If you want to take your SEO game to the next level, you’ll want to invest in a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush. They allow us to gather key information on keywords, competitors, performance trends, etc.

From our previous searches, we identified the top competitors for dog grooming in London are:

• Hou van mijn mens
• London Dog Grooming Co.
• Purplebone Shop & Hondentrimsalon

With this information, we can head into Ahrefs Site Explorer and input each website. Once it’s loaded, click the “Organic search” tab at the top and scroll down to the bottom, or navigate to “Organic keywords” on the left to get a list of their most popular keywords…

Zoals je kunt zien in de onderstaande schermafbeelding, wordt een groot aantal zoektermen die we niet eerder hadden overwogen aan ons onthuld.

In dit geval vallen de volgende op:

• Dierenverzorging (in tegenstelling tot alleen hondenverzorging)
• Verzorgingsdiensten
• Hondentrimsalons
• Dierenspa Londen

If we search the other competitors, we don’t get much else from London Dog Grooming Co., en Hou van mijn mens ranks for a lot of keywords, many of which are related to dog toys, supplies, and supplements, all of which perhaps our make-believe business has no interest in selling?

This is where understanding your actual business strategy and plans comes into play. If you plan to sell supplies, supplements, and toys at some point, then targeting these now could put you in an excellent position for when you do start offering & selling those products as well…

Nu we dieper zijn gedoken in inhoudsstrategie en zoekwoordonderzoek. Hopelijk heb je dit artikel gevolgd en het uitvoeren van het onderzoek voor uw eigen bedrijf. If not, go back through this section to build an initial list of keywords for your business.

4 Lokale SEO – On-Page SEO Setup

If you’re running your website on WordPress, many tools are available to help speed up the optimization process. Whether you’re looking to implement Local Business Schema Markup, set up pages for each of your business’s locations & more – you only need a single plugin.

En de plug-in die we gaan gebruiken is natuurlijk Rank Math. Niet alleen omdat we het hebben gebouwd, maar omdat het de beste SEO-plug-in is die wordt vertrouwd door de beste SEO's in de branche (en de wereld). Wat Rank Math zo krachtig maakt voor bedrijven, is de mogelijkheid om alles wat je nodig hebt voor lokale SEO te beheren vanaf één intuïtief dashboard.

Als u Rank Math nog niet gebruikt – leer meer en ga hier aan de slag. Overstappen van uw oude SEO-plug-in kan niet eenvoudiger en duurt niet langer dan een paar minuten...

De meeste reguliere SEO-conventies en best practices zijn nog steeds van toepassing op lokale SEO, inclusief maar niet beperkt tot:

• Trefwoorden in H1s
• Keywords in title tags
• Zoekwoord in permalink
• Korte/gemakkelijk te onthouden URL's

That being said, a few unique & specific things are important when trying to rank for local searches, such as using Schema Markup to your advantage and displaying location information for your business locations. Alternatively to Rank Math, you can always use a single-use plugin such as the Vijfsterrenbedrijfsprofiel plug-in om de gestructureerde gegevensimplementatie voor uw WordPress-website af te handelen.

Als u echter momenteel geen WordPress gebruikt (en daarom niet kunt profiteren van de Rank Math WordPress SEO-plug-in), kunt u met behulp van deze nog steeds profiteren van en profiteren van Schema Markup Schema Markup-generator.

4.1 Optimaliseer uw startpagina voor lokaal zoeken

In general, the best way to optimize your homepage for local search is to focus on the primary location your business serves. That means a photographer based in London would optimize their homepage for search terms like “London portrait photographer” even if they serve other areas in the UK.

In the long run, this wouldn’t prevent them from ranking for other UK-centric search terms (i.e., ones outside of London). However, removing references to any location from your homepage is a bad idea because ranking for the more generic “portrait photographer” search term is far more complex.

Met Rank Math wordt de Schema-markering (die we hierna in meer detail zullen bespreken) automatisch toegevoegd aan uw startpagina zodra u uw bedrijfsinformatie invoert tijdens het installatieproces.

En u kunt ook uw Soort bedrijf:

We raden echter ook aan:

• Uw naam, adres en telefoonnummer zichtbaar toevoegen aan uw startpagina (voor potentiële klanten, evenals citaten, zoals we later zullen zien)
• Getuigenissen/reviews/etc…

For bigger, international businesses serving locations worldwide, a homepage that guides users to the correct part of their website is the best solution. A good example is Europcar, as they don’t only serve specific locations and can safely use messaging like “Looking for a vehicle? You’re in the right place…” and then let people enter their area.

4.2 How to Create Multiple Locations (With Schema) Using Rank Math

Naarmate uw bedrijf groeit en u meerdere locaties/steden gaat bedienen, wilt u zich opzetten lokale bestemmingspagina's zodat u op elk van die locaties kunt rangschikken.

Rank Math maakt dit ongelooflijk eenvoudig.

Opmerking: Gebruiken Meerdere locaties van Rank Math functionaliteit, lees hier meer en zorg ervoor dat de Local SEO-module actief is.

Let’s use Europcar as an example again, as it’s relevant even for businesses that aren’t operating on the same scale as them. They have excellent site architecture and are a prime example of how they have location-specific landing pages ranking very highly for keywords like:

• Autoverhuur Frankrijk
• Autoverhuur Italië
• Autoverhuur Londen

Enzovoort…

You can easily do this on your WordPress website with the help of Rank Math’s Local SEO module.

When setting up these different local landing pages, as you grow, it can be tempting to change the title tags and some headings on pages and reuse the rest of the content for dozens of pages. This isn’t ideal, and it’s ten zeerste aanbevolen dat u de moeite neemt om unieke inhoud voor deze pagina's te schrijven. So, suppose your business serves both New York and California. In that case, you want to write different content for each page (even if the core service offering/information to portray is almost identical).

And the benefit of this is that you can then create landing pages (with unique content) for locations you serve, even when you’re not physically based there.

So a plumber based in Brighton may, for example, also want to serve surrounding areas and would be able to set up local landing pages for all the places he serves, rank, and generate leads that way. While you can’t set up a Google Business Profile listing for your operation in the surrounding areas since you aren’t based there, you can still rank for the local organic search results for the whole range of local keywords we covered earlier.

Bijvoorbeeld, Behulpzaam Loodgieter is a plumbing service with pages optimized around Birmingham en Redditch (locaties in het Verenigd Koninkrijk).

And while they don’t have physical locations in both places, they still rank in local SERPs for their target keywords.

4.3 How to Use Schema Markup for Local SEO

De volgende is Schema-opmaak. Er is een hele categorie markeringen gewijd aan lokale bedrijven.

Fortunately, Rank Math’s Schema Markup module makes adding the necessary structured data to your site extremely easy. Automate the implementation based on the information you enter when setting up the Local SEO module under Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta → Local SEO.

Note: The data you enter in this section must be identical to your official information. Every phone number, address format, opening hours, email address, and social link needs to match.

En dankzij Rank Math PRO de ... gebruiken Meerdere locaties option, you can easily add local landing pages for your business into a separate custom post type, making handling dozens of locations effortless and manageable.

4.4 Embed a Google Map on Your About/Location Pages

You may have noticed by now that Google likes regularity. Data needs to be formatted in a particular way, headings should be appropriately structured, and the same goes for Google Maps. Using a specific string of numbers, known as an API key, the search engine can quickly connect your business to a Google profile and pull information automatically.

If you followed the process linked earlier to get your API key, that’s great; you can move on to the next step. However, if you haven’t got your credentials yet, open deze link, klik op de blauwe knop met de tekst "Ga naar de pagina Inloggegevens”, en volg de instructies.

Once you’ve obtained the Google Maps API key, head back to the Rank Math dashboard, navigate to the local SEO tab, and near the bottom, you’ll see a section to input the key:

Nadat u dit heeft gedaan, raden we u aan een interactieve kaart op uw over-pagina of in uw voettekst in te sluiten, zodat bezoekers en Google gemakkelijk kunnen achterhalen waar u zich bevindt en hoe ze hun weg naar uw pagina kunnen vinden. locatie(s)…

Dit kan ook worden gedaan met behulp van een paginabuilder zoals Elementor, Zuurstof, of Divi, as well as other single-use plugins such as WP Google Maps of Kaarten-widget.

4.5 Lokale SEO Titel Tag Optimalisatie

The same title tag optimization principles apply to local business websites, but it is important to note that local search results are generally more sensitive to exact match keywords in title tags and descriptions. By setting a focus keyword in Rank Math, optimizing your meta title, description, and content is much easier with the help of the insights.

Titel: Elke pagina op uw website heeft één titel. Het moet uniek en boeiend zijn en gericht zijn op de zoekintentie van uw ideale klant.

koppen: Headings follow a hierarchical structure that determines the importance of each section on your page. For example, there’s only one H1, a few H2s, and maybe some H3s underneath the second-level headings. H4s can also be used, but they’re less common.

Meta omschrijving: Een korte beschrijving van uw pagina die wordt weergegeven in de zoekresultaten van Google. Het moet er ook voor zorgen dat mensen door willen klikken voor meer informatie.

Google gebruikt elk van deze om een idee te krijgen van waar uw site over gaat, en hoewel het verleidelijk kan zijn om zoekwoorden aan elke site toe te voegen, dit is zo ongeveer het slechtste wat je kunt doen. Local SEO meta tag optimization is relevant to all of the pages of your website – which is why we highly recommend setting focus keywords with Rank Math for all of the pages that have zoekintentie (specifically for the keywords/search terms you wish to rank for) so that you can always keep tabs on which content you need to focus on improving…

5 Google Business Profile, Bing Places & Apple Maps Listings

Now that you’ve mastered the basics of local SEO and optimized your website, it’s time for the most critical lesson: start ranking at the top of Google and appearing on the kaartenpakket als een aanbevolen bedrijf.

Above is an example of what we’re referring to when we say map pack for the local search “pizza near me,” but there’s more to these listings, too:

First, we’ll cover everything you need to know about setting up the map pack. Once this has been set up, you’ll learn about getting reviews, tracking your rankings, and managing SEO when you have multiple or no business locations.

5.1 Een inleiding tot het "Local Maps Pack" van Google

We hebben in dit artikel al voorbeelden van lokale pakketten laten zien, hoewel we de term tot nu toe hebben vermeden. Simpel gezegd, het Google Maps Pack is een uitgebreid zoekresultaat dat de beste bedrijven op een kaart toont, samen met belangrijke informatie over elk.

As we mentioned earlier, appearing at the top of this section is critical for your business’s success, but optimizing your website and installing some plugins isn’t going to cement your position in the top spot. There are several factors that Google takes into account to determine which businesses get featured, such as:

• Google-bedrijfsprofiel
• NAP – Naam, adres en telefoonnummer
• Aantal en kwaliteit van beoordelingen
• Social media presence
• How many people interact with your business on Google, e.g., book calls, make reservations, click on your services.
• Optimalisatie op de pagina
• Backlinks en lokale citaten
• Inhoud van hoge kwaliteit

So, if you’re brand new to local SEO, you must work hard. However, if you do everything right from the start and build upon a solid foundation, you can put yourself ahead of the competition before you know it.

5.2 Hoe u uw lokale pakket instelt en optimaliseert

Setting up & optimizing your Google Business Profile is integral to your website’s performance in local search results.

Although you can still rank organically in local search, many local searchers will see a map pack at the top of SERPs when performing the highest-intent local searches. So, if you’re ready to claim and/or optimize your Google Business Profile, this is perfect for you:

1. Claim Your Google Business Profile Listing hier.
2. Vul uw profiel in en vul alle informatie zorgvuldig en nauwkeurig in.

Add photos, opening hours, categories, email addresses, and links; you can even set up instant messaging via Google. Do not leave anything blank, as completed profiles are more likely to rank higher in search results.

Het belangrijkste dat mensen vaak negeren omdat ze geen beslissing kunnen nemen, is dat van hun bedrijf categorie. It’s essential to dial in your business category so you can take advantage of all the features your category provides.

Restaurants kunnen bijvoorbeeld links toevoegen om online reserveringen te maken, hotels kunnen voorzieningen vermelden en servicegerichte bedrijven kunnen rechtstreeks naar hun arrangementen linken.

You can get very specific with the category you choose, so instead of something like “restaurant”, you would list it as a “Mexican buffet restaurant”, using secondary categories to refine it even further.

1. Alles driedubbel controleren, vooral uw naam, logo, telefoonnummer en adres, zoals Google heeft aangegeven, zijn dit de belangrijkste dingen.
2. Revisit your listing regularly to keep it up-to-date with new photos and videos, and add posts with any news or valuable information.
3. Profiteer van alle nieuwe kenmerken zodra deze beschikbaar komen, zoals de soorten betalingen die u accepteert, wifi-beschikbaarheid en rolstoeltoegankelijkheid.

Google is more likely to rank your listing the more complete it is and the more appealing you appear to potential customers. Because, at the end of the day, they want to guide people to the best businesses.

5.3 Bing Places en Apple Maps instellen

Undoubtedly, Google’s dominance in the world of SEO is undeniable. However, many businesses miss out on a large user base by neglecting Bing and Apple. Both platforms are used by millions of people every day, so you should really still do everything possible to bring in some extra customers.

The exact processes are similar to those used to set up Google Business Profile. Just follow these links to get started:

• Bing-plaatsen
• Apple Maps Connect

The same principles apply as with Google Business Profile.

Ensure your business information is consistent and error-free, add great photos, and fill in every possible detail. If you need extra help, here are some in-depth guides on setting up Bing en Appel.

5.4 Local SEO Without a Physical Address

A physical address isn’t a necessity to benefit from local SEO. This means that if you have a physical office where you serve customers, then by all means, use that address!

Als u echter alleen een virtueel kantoor heeft, Niet doen use this address unless this address is considered “staffed during business hours,” as this would be regarded as a violation of Google Business Profile’s guidelines.

This is because a single local service business may sell its services remotely to various geographical locations, which you can also communicate with Google Business Profile listings. Here’s how you can do that:

During the Google Business Profile setup process, when asked whether you have a location where customers can visit your business (such as a store or office), select no if you do not. Then, in the subsequent step, you will be able to enter all of the locations you’re able to serve customers at, as shown below:

Meer informatie over hoe te benaderen Lokale SEO voor bedrijven zonder fysieke locaties in deze gedetailleerde gids van Moz…

6 Essentiële SEO-tools voor lokaal zoeken

While you’ll always find software like Rank Math, Ahrefs, and Semrush at the top of all reputed lists of SEO software, there’s also a specific subset of SEO software that’s specialized and heavily focused on local SEO. Everything from tracking local listings and rankings in organic search, to review management and conversion tracking.

Dit zijn de tools waar de industrie het beste op vertrouwt en vertrouwt:

Whitespark

Whitespark has three primary tools, all of which are designed to help you:

• Citaten maken
• Recensies verdienen
• Volg uw positie in lokale zoekopdrachten

Using a specialized tool like this is incredibly useful because traditional rank trackers that are suitable for businesses that aren’t focused on local search cannot accurately track rankings on Google and Bing in any city across the local pack, local finder, maps, and organic search, the way that Whitespark can.

Lees meer over Whitespark.

Yext

Yext is relatively similar to Whitespark, with 6 core products under the hood:

• antwoorden
• Aanbiedingen
• Kenniskaart
• Pagina's
• Beoordelingen
• Analytics

Die allemaal deel uitmaken van hun Zoekervaring Cloud trusted by well-known brands including Taco Bell 🌮, T-Mobile, Ben & Jerry’s, Tesco, Superdry & more…

Lees meer over Yext.

ReviewTrackers

ReviewTrackers – as their name suggests – is a software solution focused on review management. They brand themselves as an award-winning review software company that helps you get more reviews, respond to customers, and discover insights about the customer experience.

Lees meer over ReviewTrackers.

Moz Lokaal

Moz is a widely known alternative to the most well-known software solutions in the SEO industry – Semrush and Ahrefs – but they have a specific product focused on helping local businesses maximize their online visibility, Moz Local.

Moz Local can handle everything from listing management and page profile optimization to review management and performance reporting.

Meer informatie over Moz Local.

Synup

Synup is relatively similar to Whitespark & Yext, also with 6 core products as a part of their solution:

• Aanwezigheid
• Inhoud
• Reputatie
• Inzichten
• Gesproken zoekopdrachtoptimalisatie
• Voer

All of which are designed to work for your business, whether you’re working at (or running) an SMB yourself, running an SEO agency, or an enterprise company.

Meer informatie over Synup.

Helder Lokaal

BrightLocal-merken zelf als en is algemeen bekend als de all-in-one platform for local search success. Of course, we highly recommend that you make your own judgment by getting demos of each software solution in this list and then making a decision based on all of the other factors relevant to your business (which in most cases will also involve price).

That being said, BrightLocal is highly affordable and lists its pricing publicly on its website. At the same time, many other software solutions in the local search industry are priced on request.

Lees meer over BrightLocal.

AdviceLocal (BrightLocal alternatief)

Last but certainly not least is AdviceLocal, a real-time listing management solution comparable to BrightLocal (with pricing also available only upon requesting a demo). Their 7 core product offerings include:

• Lijstbeheer
• Spraakapps voor het MKB
• Verbeterd GMB-beheer (ontworpen voor bureaus)
• Gereedheidstest voor gesproken zoekopdrachten
• Verticale directory-inzendingen

Lees meer over Advies Lokaal.

7 Lokale bedrijfscitaten verdienen en linkbuilding

Help search engines understand how relevant your business is with NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) citations, which are considered a critical local SEO ranking factor that influences the companies that Google shows in search results for local intent searches.

• Verdien relevante inkomende links die relevant zijn voor uw omgeving
• Neem als dienstverlener deel aan uw lokale gemeenschap

Depending on where your local business is based and the area that it serves, there is a whole range of places to get relevant local citations.

Search engines, local business directories, and apps offer a specific structure for building out listings. There’s a core set of quality platforms on which nearly any local business can be listed. In the US, these would include:

• Acxioma
• Apple-kaarten
• Bing
• Stadsraster
• Facebook
• Feitelijk
• Vierkant
• Infogroep/ExpressUpdate
• Localeze
• Superpagina's
• Yahoo!
• YP
• Yelp

However, this only begins to scratch the surface because these are the fundamental ones businesses should have from the beginning. Beyond that, it’s important to focus on industry-specific directories, which often also rank for many of the local searches performed surrounding your industry’s services (of which there is also a number focused on specific geographic areas).

Lees hier meer over hoe en waar u kunt beginnen met het verdienen van lokale citaten.

8 Local Search Ranking Factors

While much of the SEO world spend too much time speculating about new search engine ranking factors instead of focusing on implementation & running a great business – understanding the local search ranking factors with the help of studies conducted by companies like Moz do help give a better understanding of areas that are worth allocating budget to because they have a positive business impact (and help sites rank). So, without further ado, let’s briefly take a look at the most important ranking factors for local search:

Your Google Business Profile

Although it was back in 2018 – Moz's onderzoek naar lokale factoren voor het rangschikken van zoekresultaten that the #1 ranking factor for local search is your Google Business Profile, & it’s widely accepted that if anything, this has become more so the case over the past years.

Naam, adres en telefoonnummer Consistentie

Google uses all of the name, address, and phone number information that it can find about your business to verify that your website is, in fact, legitimate and worth ranking. Therefore, the more often they see NAP information and citations, the more confident their algorithm will be that your phone number and address information is accurate (i.e., you’re reachable and located where you claim to be located).

Online beoordelingen

Review signals also play a vital role. It is worth noting that this is true both from an SEO perspective and from a customer’s point of view. Even if someone does come across your website, what are the chances that they will trust your service enough to become a lead, let alone pay you over all of the other local service providers with 100s of happy customers.

Sociale signalen

While studies and data indicate that social media does help your site rank better, Google has said social media isn’t a ranking factor. However, while social sharing and being active as a business on social media may not officially or directly affect or influence the position of your website in search results – your brand’s social profiles may often be among the top results in search results, and maintaining an active presence is essential to grow a loyal customer base, which will be more likely to leave reviews and return (therefore it plays an important role).

Naam, adres en telefoonnummer Citaten

Local NAP citations mention either one or all of your business’s name, address, and phone number information. This occurs in business directories, social media, and other websites. These are helpful for potential customers to find your business and can influence search engine rankings (i.e., having the correct citations and consistent data across Google Maps, Apple Maps Connect, and Bing Places). As you grow, we highly recommend using one of the local SEO tools we covered earlier to manage your local business listings, such as WhiteSpark, actively.

9 Uitvoeren van bruikbare lokale SEO-audits

Getting started with new sites or managing existing ones always involves time figuring out what’s been done so far, what the competitive landscape is like & more. In this section, we’ll cover some of the key areas to evaluate across technical SEO, citations, as well as content & business:

Technische SEO-checklist

1. The contact us page must have a name, address, and phone number consistent with your Google Business profile.
2. Gebruik Local Business Schema Markup on your website that includes accurate location data (as covered earlier)
3. Your phone number should be accessible on your website and clickable on mobile devices.
4. Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent everywhere it is to be found on your website.
5. Koppel al uw locatiespecifieke bestemmingspagina's vanuit de navigatie op hoog niveau van uw website.
6. While a street address isn’t necessary for service-area businesses, if you wish to keep that information private, it is highly recommended to provide a phone number that is staffed during the stated business hours.

Checklist voor citaten

1. Earn citations for all of your local business’s physical office locations, ensuring that the name, address, phone number, and website URL are correct for all relevant citations.
2. It is important to note the variance in abbreviations as they vary from platform to platform (i.e., st. vs street or # vs. suite).
3. Only spend time building citations for real physical locations (not P.O. boxes or virtual offices, as this is not accepted).
4. For multiple locations, always use the location-specific landing page when building citations for that specific location (meaning all your citations for Colorado should point to your Colorado landing page on the website).
5. Although there are standard directories and platforms to list your business on, which are a decent place to start, also build citations specific to your geographical location (i.e., chamber of commerce, contractor’s association, or local news sources).
6. In the case of a service-area business (i.e., one where you do not have an in-person office address), you can still build citations but have to instead focus your efforts on platforms that do not support showing address information.

Checklist voor inhoud en zakelijke beoordelingen

1. Perform an organic link & penalty analysis – has your website suffered from manual link penalties, and where has your site earned links?
2. Review, manage, and consistently respond to and engage with both positive and negative reviews on customer review platforms (i.e., Google Business, TrustPilot, Bark, and others where your business is listed).
3. Perform a competitive analysis to evaluate the landscape of other local businesses offering the same services in your area. Build an ongoing strategy surrounding content and social media, and deliver exceptional customer service by serving your customers.

If you want to learn more about auditing your business’s website’s current state, De lokale SEO-checklist van Moz is een geweldige plek om te beginnen.

10 Lokale SEO – Veelgestelde vragen

11 Conclusie - Profiteer van lokale SEO om uw bedrijf te laten groeien

And, that’s it! I know this is a pretty big guide, but if you follow this local SEO process and take the time to put your site in the position to rank, you’ll already be in a veel betere positie dan de meerderheid van uw concurrenten.

Now that you’re ready to start driving traffic to your local business’s website, we recommend setting up Google Analytics tracking so you can monitor and keep a pulse on your efforts’ performance impact. Otherwise, everything will be a shot in the dark, with no clue if local SEO initiatives are leading to actual results (and additional revenue for your business).

If you have absolutely any questions or want to join the conversation, Tweet @rankmathseo!