How to Track and Improve Your Local SEO in Any City or Country

Intro

Need to attract more potential customers to your local business?

Whether you have a physical address, deliver goods in a specific area, or serve a local audience, it’s pivotal to let search engines know where your business operates.

By adopting a few practices, you can help searchers find the local results they need and stay ahead of the competition.

If you’re ready to learn how to track and improve your local search rankings, keep reading.

In this article, we’ll show you a fast and easy way to monitor your SERP positioning. We’ll also share a few simple strategies you can use to improve your local SEO strategy no matter what service area you operate in.

Let’s get started!

How to track your local SEO rankings in any city or country

Optimizing your website for local searches is crucial for attracting customers in any city or country.

But how can you ensure that your local SEO efforts are paying off?

You need an SEO tool that can help you track your local rankings.

And more importantly, you need an SEO tool that can send you automated updates so you can quickly improve your optimization approach to keep or surpass your current position.

That’s where Ranktracker comes in.

With Ranktracker, you can set up global, national, and local ranking updates to keep a pulse on your website's performance.

You can also track your website's position in popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo — both on mobile and desktop devices. Plus, you'll be able to see the search volumes for each of your target keywords.

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But what truly sets Ranktracker apart is its ability to provide detailed insights for different locations.

For instance, you can check your progress across different countries, cities, and specific zip code areas. This is an invaluable feature you can use to tailor your SEO strategies to the specific needs of your target audience in each area you serve.

Another advantage of using Ranktracker is the flexibility it offers in terms of tracking frequency.

You can choose to receive daily, weekly, or monthly updates, depending on your preferences and how much detail you require.

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Ranktracker is also really simple to use — in other words, you don't have to be a tech expert to use it effectively. The tool automates the process of collecting real-time ranking data so you can always remain up to date on your website's rankings, traffic, visibility, and top keywords.

TL;DR: With Ranktracker's tracking alerts and monitoring features, you can stay on top of your local SEO game and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website's performance.

Ready to give it a try? Sign up for your free account today. ☑️

How to improve your local SEO rankings in any city or country

Now that you know how to track your local rankings, let’s talk about how you can improve them.

Here are a few simple strategies you can use to rank higher in the SERPs for location-specific keywords.

Optimize your website for relevant local keywords

It’s next to impossible for search engine bots to know where your business operates if you don’t optimize your web pages with local, relevant keywords.

From your home page to your product and service pages, make sure every virtual real estate you occupy has local keywords throughout. This is also crucial to showing up in voice search and mobile search results. Hint: Don’t forget to optimize your site for mobile, too!

For instance, take a look at the following website showcasing a divorce firm in Phoenix, AZ called The Aurit Center:

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If you use the “Find” feature on your computer (Ctrl + F or Command-F), and type in “Phoenix”, you’ll notice The Aurit Center has listed the local keyword “Phoenix” 14 times on this page alone.

And that’s not by accident.

By strategically stringing this keyword along with relevant long-tail keywords, such as “professional divorce mediators in Phoneix, Arizona” and “Divorce Mediation – Phoenix”, The Aurit Center is doing its due diligence to tell search engines and searchers:

• What kind of business it is
• What services it offers
• Where it operates
• Who it serves

Optimize your website for each region you operate in

Do you serve multiple cities, counties, states, or countries?

If so, search engines need to know the exact places you operate in so they can present your website to relevant searchers.

For instance, if you own a courier service, adapting your SEO strategy for each location you deliver to is essential to ranking high. Differences in local search terms can affect rankings. By adapting keywords and content to each location, you can effectively improve your local online visibility for each region.

You can do this by …

1. Creating region-specific pages on your site:

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2. Adding a location directory to your site:

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3. Weaving in location keywords for each region throughout your site and in FAQ sections:

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4. Creating location-specific stand-alone landing pages:

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To go above and beyond, you could also create a new website for each region you service.

For example, if you own a flower shop in multiple cities, you could create a website for your Virginia Beach location, another for your Fort Lauderdale location, and a third for your San Antonio location.

If you’re taking advantage of this extra step, be sure to optimize each website with location-specific keywords and relevant long-tail keywords throughout.

Turn your main offerings into topic categories and create content around them

Create valuable content around your main offerings by positioning them as the answer to your target audience’s problems.

To organize the process — and gain more SEO brownie points — use your main products or services as your “topic categories” and nestle relevant subtopics underneath.

These are also called topic clusters.

When setting these up, write with search intent and your ideal customer in mind. Sprinkle your local SEO keywords throughout these pieces, too, and don’t forget to include your NAP where relevant. (Your NAP refers to your business name, business location, and business phone number.)

Great content assets you can use to give searchers tons of value within your topic clusters include:

• How-tos
• Listicles
• Help Center articles
• Link-Building Services
• Knowledge Base articles
• Resource Guides
• FAQ pages

For instance, here’s a high value asset FusionAuth.io created for its subtopic “Magic Links”:

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In the above image, you’ll notice “Magic Links” is nestled under the main topic category “Identity Basics.” This piece caters to search intent by helping users understand what magic links are, how they work, and the benefits of using them.

Its informative FAQ structure is as follows:

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From there, readers can peruse more subtopics on Identity Basics or check out other topic categories, such as Authentication, OAuth, or Security.

Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile, also known as your “Google My Business” page, plays a vital role in attracting local customers to your physical location.

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By optimizing this page, you can significantly boost your chances of ranking in the local pack and attracting more customers.

To get started, you’ll need to claim your Google Business Profile page. Once claimed, enter accurate business information such as your address, business hours, and contact details.

Make sure this information is consistent across all of your web pages, and anywhere else you show up online. If you’ve moved locations, be sure to update your information on every page and local directory.

Next, craft a compelling business description for your Google Business Profile. Focus on the core problems you solve, the benefits of choosing your business, and the unique value you offer.

Be sure to also incorporate relevant local keywords to demonstrate to Google that you're an authoritative presence in your industry and local market.

Enhance the visual appeal of your Google Business Profile by adding high-quality images of your business. Showcase the interior, exterior, and any products or services you offer. Images can help your potential customers visualize what to expect, which may entice them to choose your business over competitors.

Another powerful strategy to improve your local SEO is to generate user-generated content through customer reviews. Encourage satisfied customers to leave Google reviews, but don’t incentivize them. *Incentivizing reviews in exchange for positive feedback goes against Google's Terms of Service and can result in your business getting de-listed.

By actively managing and optimizing your Google Business Profile page, you can strengthen your local SEO efforts and attract more customers to your business. Just remember to regularly monitor and update your profile to ensure accuracy and consistency.

PS: Don’t forget to list your business in relevant local directories, too!

Wrap up

Mastering local SEO is essential for businesses looking to attract customers in their targeted geographic areas.

By implementing effective local SEO strategies and using the right SEO tools, you can increase your visibility in local search results and drive more traffic to your website.

For good measure, here’s a quick recap of the main points we shared today:

• Set up global, national, and local SEO ranking updates with a rank tracking tool, like Ranktracker — use these insights to improve your local SEO strategy and stay ahead of the competition
• Optimize your website for relevant local keywords (and don’t forget to optimize for mobile, too)
• Optimize your website for each region you operate in; Consider setting up a different website or landing page for each region you serve
• Turn your main offerings into topic categories and create valuable content around them, topic cluster style
• Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile — and make sure to keep it updated; Don’t forget to add your business listing in local directories, too

That’s it for now, SEOs.

Here’s to your local SEO success!