Top 3 Local SEO Tools to Attract More Customers

Local SEO tools offer significant advantages, automating tasks like review management and enhancing visibility in local searches. This article explores the top five local SEO tools ideal for small businesses and agencies, providing insights into how they can drive sustainable growth. Let’s dive in.

What Features Do You Need in a Local SEO Tool?

Choosing the right local SEO tool is crucial for enhancing your local search presence and attracting more customers. Look for tools that offer key features such as managing listings and citations to maintain accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) data across directories and review sites, which boosts trust with search engines and improves local rankings. Effective review management capabilities allow you to track, respond to, and analyze customer feedback, leveraging positive reviews to enhance your local reputation while addressing negatives to build trust and professionalism.

Additionally, conducting keyword research tailored to local search intent enables you to target specific audiences effectively. Utilizing tools for competitor analysis helps identify opportunities for improving your SEO strategies based on what successful competitors are doing. Lastly, tools that provide rank tracking and comprehensive reporting allow you to monitor local keyword rankings over time, enabling you to assess the impact of your SEO efforts and make informed adjustments to optimize performance.

What’s the Best Local SEO Tool?

Tool	Best For	Stand-Out Feature	Pricing
Google Business Profile	Optimizing your appearance on Google search	Effortless listing management	Free
Semrush Local	Managing your online presence across all platforms	Map Rank Tracker (heatmap)	$20+ per month, per location; free plan available
BrightLocal	Managing and building citations	Citation Builder	$39+ per month; 14-day free trial
SE Ranking	Tracking and analyzing your local rankings	Position tracking for all your target keywords	$62+ per month; 14-day free trial
Localo	Creating a free website for your business and monitoring your SEO	Free AI-powered website builder	$29+ per month, per location; free plan available

1. Google Business Profile

Best for optimizing your appearance on Google search

Price: Free

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool for local businesses to list their services on Google Maps and increase visibility through Google Search. It’s essential for local businesses and agencies, serving as a foundational tool that many other platforms and services build upon.

Let’s look at the top features.

Listing Management

Claim and verify your listing effortlessly. Provide essential business details such as address, opening hours, phone number, and website.

Maintaining your listing ensures that potential customers searching for businesses like yours can easily access the information they need, directing them to your physical location or website.

Online Storefront

With Google Business Profile, you can establish an effective online presence for your product or service-oriented business.

Upload high-quality photos and videos that highlight your offerings, team, and premises. Provide 360° tours to give potential customers a virtual tour of your space.

If you operate a restaurant or café, you can also feature a dedicated “Menu” section. This enables prospective diners to browse your menu before visiting.

Reviews

Google Business Profile enables direct communication with customers. Respond to reviews, positive or negative, to demonstrate your commitment to feedback.

Engage with potential customers by answering their questions in the Q&A section, showcasing your expertise and fostering trust.

This platform allows you to highlight your dedication to customer service. Active engagement helps build stronger relationships and enhances customer loyalty over time.

Updates

Update your customers with the “Updates” section of your Google Business Profile. Post details about the events hosted at your venue. And announce new offerings.

2. Semrush Local

Best for managing your online presence across all platforms

Price: $20+ per month, per location; limited free plan available

Semrush Local is an SEO toolkit designed for local businesses and agencies to attract and retain customers by providing essential data.

Let’s explore the tools offered in Semrush Local.

Listing Management

Semrush’s Listing Management tool allows you to easily publish your local business information across over 150 directories including Google, Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.

Simply input your business details into Semrush—such as name, address, phone number, images, and videos—and the tool will automatically update or create listings across various platforms for you.

Additionally, the Listing Management tool performs audits of your online presence, pinpointing areas that need improvement to enhance your online visibility. It identifies directories with inaccurate or missing details like addresses and phone numbers.

Map Rank Tracker

The Map Rank Tracker tool allows you to monitor and analyze your Google Maps rankings as well as those of your competitors.

Simply input your business location and select relevant keywords. The heatmap report will indicate if your competitors rank higher in specific areas or if your business does.

Utilize this valuable data to refine your local SEO tactics and enhance your online presence.

Additionally, customize your map grid and target keywords to suit your specific tracking requirements.

Additional SEO Tools

Semrush Local, available from $20 per month, is designed specifically for managing local SEO performance. It includes essential tools like Listing Management, Map Rank Tracker, and Review Monitoring.

You can purchase Semrush Local as a standalone product without committing to a full Semrush subscription. However, for broader SEO needs, Semrush offers comprehensive paid subscriptions starting at $129.95 per month. These subscriptions include advanced features such as keyword research, website audits, and competitor analysis.

For instance, Semrush’s Position Tracking tool allows you to monitor your website’s search rankings and track keyword positions. It also provides insights into strategies to improve your visibility in Google’s top results, both organic and paid through Google Ads.

Additionally, Semrush’s On-Page SEO Checker identifies website weaknesses impacting SEO performance. It offers personalised recommendations to enhance your site’s SEO effectiveness.

3. BrightLocal

Best for managing and building citations

Price: Starts at $39 per month with a 14-day free trial

BrightLocal offers a comprehensive local SEO platform designed to manage and enhance your online presence. It includes tools for tracking your visibility across search engines and maps, managing reviews to build a strong reputation, and gaining insights to optimize your local SEO strategy effectively.

Citation Tracker

BrightLocal’s Citation Tracker tool scans prominent local directories such as Yelp and Foursquare to ensure your business information is accurately represented online. Citations, which include details like your business description, address, and contact information, play a crucial role in improving local SEO by boosting your visibility on platforms like Google Maps and other search engines. The tool’s report provides a comprehensive overview of your listed citations, highlights any missing directories where your business isn’t listed yet, and alerts you to any inaccuracies that need correcting to maintain consistent and reliable business information across the web.

Reputation Management

BrightLocal’s Reputation Management tool consolidates reviews from multiple platforms including Google Maps, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, Yahoo! Local, Yellow Pages, and Yelp, among others. It offers a unified view of your total reviews and aggregated star ratings, providing insights into customer sentiment and overall satisfaction levels. You can showcase these reviews on your website using customizable widgets, either as a list or carousel, tailored to integrate seamlessly with your site’s design and enhance your online reputation management efforts.

Google Business Profile Audit

Regularly review your Google Business Profile (GBP) to ensure your contact details, opening hours, and images are accurate and current. This audit helps maintain the relevance and accuracy of your business listing.

For a more detailed audit, you can check how your target keywords are currently ranking. This tool provides insights into your GBP performance for specific keywords.

The GBP audit also allows you to analyze your competitors, including:

– Their rankings for your target keywords.

– The number of citations they have.

– Their total review count and star rating.

– The number of photos they have.

– Their listed business category.

These insights can help you understand your competitive landscape and improve your local SEO strategy.

White-Label Reporting

If you run an agency, you might find the tool’s white-label reports useful. You can add your own branding and customize the data shown to your clients.

You can also automate these reports to be sent to your clients at the end of each month, making it easier to keep them updated on their SEO performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

To enhance your local SEO, we recommend using a combination of Google Business Profile and Semrush Local:

Google Business Profile: This essential tool allows you to claim and optimise your business listing on Google Maps, ensuring accurate and consistent information.

Semrush Local: This platform offers key local SEO tools. With Listing Management, you can respond to reviews from platforms like GBP, Facebook, and Yelp all in one dashboard. The Map Rank Tracker helps you monitor your local search performance. For broader SEO needs, a full Semrush subscription includes a keyword research tool to find relevant keywords for your business.