Benchmark Your Locations With This Local Status Report

It can be difficult for local business with multiple locations when it comes to do the status benchmark. However, it is important to know where you stand, what it needs to be corrected and what is the opportunity for those locations.

Today, I will share an example of a local status report that can be executed for business with multiple locations. This report will provide valuable information when setting a local SEO strategy.

1. Location Information: This is the business accurate physical information and includes business name, street name, street number, city, postal code, phone number.

2. Location dedicated page: Whether the business has a location dedicated web page. This should be the link included in the Google+ listing. Here is an example of a location dedicated page when creating new.

3. The Google+ local listing link: Grab the plus.google.com link, it can be verified or not at this point. It might be the case where there is more than one listing, all those listings links should be documented under another tab named Duplicates.

4. Number of Reviews and Review Score: Remember this is a benchmark so it is important to track how many reviews the business currently has along with the review score

5. Category: Current categories the business is listed under

6. Listing verification: Is that listing verified? Look for the verified check mark in:

The Google Plus page:

Or

The Map Maker:

This is crucial to check as that will give you an idea of how many locations you will have to claim, request ownership transfer/management access.

7. Keyword to check/target: Selecting the right keyword based on search volume and local opportunity

8. Local Pack Availability: Is google showing a local Pack for that keyword at the moment? This is important information to benchmark as that will help to establish priorities. In the example below there is local pack availability for the keyword “plumber Toronto”

9. Local Pack Ranking: this will be the local pack ranking in search results

10. Maps ranking: ranking on maps.google.ca, this is an important metric that will also help to show progress on the ranking

11. Organic ranking: this is the benchmarking where the keyword ranking is in the search results

Benchmarking your locations is a must, it provides valuable information that will help to set the right seo strategy. I hope you find these points useful; it requires manual work, but the time spent on putting together that report is well worth it.