In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence, a digital marketing strategy and a powerful tool is essential for online success. And when it comes to local businesses, having a solid effective SEO strategy or Search Engine Algorithms is a technical aspect and crucial for attracting and retaining customers in a specific geographic area.

However, simply implementing a local SEO strategy is not enough. To truly understand the impact and effectiveness of your efforts, it is important to have a comprehensive reporting system in place.

Local SEO reporting not only helps you track your progress, but it also provides valuable insights and data to make informed decisions for your business.

In this article, we will discuss seven proven techniques that will elevate your local SEO reporting and help you gain a competitive edge in your local market.

These techniques have been tried and tested by industry experts and have shown significant improvements in local SEO efforts. So, whether you are a small business owner or a digital marketer looking to enhance your reporting skills, these techniques are sure to take your local SEO game to the next level.

In the Realm of Local SEO

A significant aspect in which numerous agencies, particularly in the realm of local SEO, fall short is reporting. Unlike large-scale enterprises and international corporations who have high search ranking factor or executives and stakeholders to answer to, local businesses prioritize one thing: increasing the number of people visiting their physical stores.

To cater to the needs of local businesses and foster stronger connections, agencies must adopt a simplified approach that centers solely on providing highly pertinent data through their reporting. This way, they can effectively enhance local SEO reporting and cater to the needs of their local clientele.

Outlined below are seven valuable tips that can help you elevate your local SEO reporting and better serve your local clients.

1. Simplify Reports

Streamlining your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) reports is essential not only for local SEO agencies but for all agencies across the board. As professionals in the marketing and communication realm, our initial inclination is to provide reports that are overloaded with intricate business details.

This tendency becomes even more pronounced when we attempt to conceal disappointing campaign outcomes by inundating our reports with excessive information.

Nonetheless, it is vital that our reports effectively convey a straightforward and succinct narrative about the performance of our marketing campaigns. Overly complex reports filled with unnecessary data have the unfortunate effect of diverting attention from campaign achievements, causing some individuals to lose interest while reading them.

Effective strategies to Simplify and Enhance

Here are some effective strategies to simplify and enhance the comprehension of local SEO reports for your clients:

  • Clearly define objectives: Start your reports by outlining the specific goals of the campaigns. This will enable clients to easily track your progress towards these objectives using the most relevant metrics.
  • Streamline metrics: Avoid overwhelming clients, especially those new to SEO, with excessive metrics that may not directly impact their business. Instead, focus on key indicators like foot traffic generated by effective keywords, impressions, high-quality backlinks and internal links.
  • Maintain consistency in reporting periods: To ensure consistency and facilitate easy analysis, select a single reporting period across all your tools. For instance, use a timeframe of the past 30 days or two weeks to align with the distribution of your reports.
  • Visualize data: Employ visual aids such as pie charts and line charts from tools like Semrush to help clients visualize the progress of their campaigns in search terms of important keyword metrics. Additionally, Google Analytics offers visuals for metrics like new or returning users.
  • Organize reports into sections: Prevent confusion by structuring your reports into distinct sections. Instead of abruptly transitioning from user metrics to social media metrics, create separate chapters such as “Traffic Overview,” “Local Keyword Overview,” and “Social Media Overview.”
  • Tell a compelling story: Avoid overwhelming clients with an overwhelming barrage of metrics. Instead, accompany charts with concise explanations in the form of brief paragraphs. Consider including a one-page SEO introduction at the beginning of reports or audits to provide a clear understanding of the value your services bring.

By implementing these strategies, you can successfully present local SEO reports to your clients in a manner that is easily understandable and informative.

2. Choose The Right Metrics

One essential aspect of effectively conveying information through data is the careful selection of pertinent data that directly relates to the narrative being presented.

When considering the priorities of most local businesses, they primarily focus on two critical metrics:

  • Traffic: This metric refers to the volume of individuals visiting their establishment or accessing their online platforms. It provides insights into the level of interest and engagement generated by their business.
  • Conversions: This metric measures the number of individuals who have successfully completed a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or requesting a service. Conversions reflect the effectiveness of their content marketing strategies and the ability to turn potential customers into loyal patrons.

By analyzing and presenting these specific metrics, businesses can gain valuable insights into the success of their operations and develop informed strategies to enhance their overall performance.

To Not Overlook Significant Metrics

On the contrary, it is crucial to not overlook significant metrics; rather, it is essential to focus on selecting metrics that align with your narrative.

Even metrics such as total traffic fail to provide insights into the quality of that relevant traffic or the specific channels from which it stems.

The Essential Metrics

In order to gain comprehensive insights, it is imperative to incorporate the essential metrics provided by Google Analytics. These invaluable measurements include:

  • Top Landing Pages: Identifying the webpages where online users first land on your site, enabling you to optimize these key entry points.
  • Business Location Analysis by city: Delve into user demographics, new users, sessions, bounce rates, and more, categorized by specific cities.
  • Overall Sessions: Obtaining a holistic view of the total number of sessions on your website, allowing you to assess engagement levels.
  • Top Traffic Channels by Sessions: Gain an understanding of the primary channels driving traffic to your site, enabling you to focus on the most effective sources.
  • Traffic Sources/Medium: Uncover the sources and mediums through which user behavior are accessing your website, facilitating strategic decision-making.
  • New vs. Returning Customers: Distinguish between new and returning customers, providing valuable insights into customer acquisition and retention strategies.

By incorporating these vital metrics, you will be equipped with the necessary information to optimize your website performance such as the load speed and make informed business decisions.

Our clients gain valuable insights from these metrics, which reveal the campaigns that generate the highest influx of traffic and their respective origins in terms of cities and sources.

To further enhance the comprehensiveness of my reports, I incorporate data from Google Search Console. This enables me to track crucial information about the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) including clicks, impressions, and the Click-Through Rate (CTR).

Moreover, it is essential to utilize a primary keyword or reliable keyword analysis tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to report on keyword data. Semrush, in particular, offers a convenient feature to effortlessly construct reports and create templates for future clients, ensuring efficient and streamlined reporting processes.

3. Segment Keywords By Location

To delve deeper into the local aspects of SEO, it is crucial to optimize our reports effectively in order to focus solely on local keyword data.

To accomplish this, you will require an advanced keyword tool such as Semrush, Moz Local, or Ahrefs.

In this particular section, I utilized Semrush to establish a fresh project and employ position tracking for my most strategically important keywords.

As depicted below, I configured position tracking to exclusively monitor search visibility within the Houston metropolitan area. Subsequently, I can import the keywords I am tracking from Semrush or even Google Analytics to generate comprehensive reports.

In order to effectively sort and categorize the keywords under my surveillance, an additional option is available to me: the inclusion of tags. By adding these tags, I can effortlessly classify the keywords into distinct categories, enabling a more organized and streamlined tracking process.

There are various ways to enhance the specificity of your keyword list. You have the freedom to go into as much detail as you desire by categorizing your keywords based on question phrases, “near me” online searches, or by incorporating city-specific keywords from your list.

Once you have successfully implemented position tracking and tags, managing your keywords becomes effortless. You can conveniently export or integrate these keywords into a CSV file or Semrush’s reporting tool for streamlined reporting and analysis.

4. Segment Traffic By Device

An essential aspect of monitoring local SEO campaigns lies in the ability to categorize data based on the device used. Consequently, it is highly beneficial to incorporate dedicated sections in my reports that provide insights into traffic patterns according to device type.

In fact, I strive to delve even deeper into the analysis by examining physical location-specific data in conjunction with device usage.

When it comes to local SEO, it can be argued that mobile search traffic holds greater significance compared to desktop traffic. This is particularly true considering the growing popularity of click-to-calls and mobile ordering, which are commonly carried out on smartphones and other mobile devices.

5. Track Local SERP Results

Google takes a distinctly different approach to local searches by utilizing tools such as the Local Search Pack and Google Business Profile. In fact, for numerous local businesses, the Google Business Profile listings can generate significantly more conversions and foot traffic compared to their own websites.

To effectively monitor and analyze Google Business Profile data, it is necessary to register for a connector that can integrate with any conventional reporting tool.

Google takes a distinctly different approach to local searches by utilizing tools such as the Local Search Pack and Google Business Profile. In fact, for numerous local businesses, the Google Business Profile listings can generate significantly more conversions and foot traffic compared to their own websites.

To effectively monitor and analyze Google Business Profile data, it is necessary to register for a connector that can integrate with any conventional reporting tool.

For businesses aiming to enhance their visibility on search engines for local customers, this data holds immense significance. Specifically targeting “near me” searches, which attract substantial traffic to their establishments.

To conveniently analyze and utilize this valuable information, it can be effortlessly exported to a CSV file or directly uploaded into the reporting tool offered by Semrush.

6. Go Beyond Standard SEO Tools And Metrics

In addition to the local pack, our local SEO reports encompass a range of significant KPIs (key performance indicators) that hold utmost relevance for businesses.

Incorporate Various Metrics

When compiling your next local SEO report, it is advisable to incorporate various metrics that can provide valuable insights. Some examples of these metrics include:

  • Reviews: Assessing the feedback and ratings from customers can shed light on your business’s reputation and performance in the local market.
  • Unlinked brand mentions: Monitoring instances where your brand is mentioned but not linked can help identify potential partnership opportunities or areas where your online presence can be further optimized.
  • Backlinks (if relevant to your campaign): If backlinks play a significant role in your SEO strategy, tracking and analyzing the quality and quantity of these incoming links can provide a clear picture of your website’s authority and visibility in search engine.
  • Social media engagement: Measuring the level of audience interaction, such as likes, comments, and shares, across various social media platforms can indicate the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts and help tailor future strategies accordingly.

By incorporating these diverse metrics into your local SEO report, you can gain valuable insights to enhance your online presence and maximize your business’s visibility in the local market.

In order to effectively monitor social media mentions and engagement, you may consider acquiring a social listening tool or enhancing your Semrush account. These tools enable you to seamlessly track and analyze various aspects of online conversations related to your brand.

Alternatively, you have the option to conduct manual research to stay vigilant about fluctuations in review ratings, unlinked brand mentions, or social media engagement on popular posts. By incorporating these findings into your reports, you can gain valuable insights into the performance and perception of your brand across different online platforms.

7. Provide Actionable Information

It is essential to include a comprehensive section in our reports that summarizes the outcomes of the campaign and outlines future actions based on the data presented. This valuable addition serves two purposes: it helps weave together a cohesive narrative using the provided data, and it aids clients in comprehending and appreciating the information that has been presented to them.

Moreover, it is crucial to dedicate a final section to recommendations as it can prove to be instrumental in overcoming obstacles faced by campaigns with limited budgets or hesitant clients who are reluctant to embrace necessary changes for their website.

By tactfully reminding them at the end of the report and elucidating the advantages of implementing the recommended modifications, we can effectively encourage them to reconsider their stance and appreciate the potential benefits that lie ahead.

In Conclusion

By implementing these seven proven techniques, you can significantly elevate your local SEO reporting and better understand your online presence. It’s important to continuously monitor and analyze your local SEO efforts in order to make informed decisions and improve your overall digital strategy.

With these techniques, you can gain valuable insights and drive more traffic to your business, ultimately leading to increased online visibility and growth. So don’t wait any longer, start implementing these techniques today and see the positive impact it can have on your local SEO efforts.

If you want to stay updated with a wide range of Local SEO trends, actionable insights, and innovative solutions, please subscribe to our blog.

Moreover, if you looking for a Local SEO and Marketing Company to help you rank locally, we at Brian Zenarosa Digital can help you out. Book a discovery call today.