Month-by-Month Local SEO Strategy to Boost GBP (Google Business Profile) Rankings

This is a very rough plan for my month-by-month local SEO strategy to boost GBP rankings!

Month 1: Building Brand Foundation

Optimize website content

Ensure the website content includes relevant keywords/entities/topics, location signals, and valuable information for local users.

Set up and optimize the GBP

Fill out all information accurately, including high-quality photos, descriptions with relevant keywords, and accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone number)

Create social media profiles

Set up profiles on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Optimize with business information, and keywords, and load up engaging content. Set up at least 3 videos on the YouTube Channel. Share and create social proof.

Brand proof

Chamber of Commerce, etc.

Gather citations from data aggregators

Submit the business details to data aggregators to establish brand presence and consistency.

Build basic citations

Secure listings on high-quality online directories. Check the competitor citation gap. Make the citation descriptions as unique as possible. Work on indexing. Add as much info as possible including the YouTube videos we created.

Month 2: Establishing Relevancy

Focus on niche citations

Target industry-specific directories and niche citation websites relevant to the business industry.

Encourage customer reviews

Generate positive reviews by providing excellent service and requesting feedback on the GBP profile... Add checklists that include asking for a review from the operator. Also, encourage the operator and customers to upload images directly to the GBP.

Month 3: Building Authority

Guest posting

I'm using guest posts much less. but we still reach out to relevant websites in our niche and contribute high-quality guest posts with backlinks to the website. Less is more when it comes to guest posts and quality over quantity!

Niche edits

Secure contextual backlinks within niche website content relevant to the business and target keywords. We tend to use these more to power up posts and service pages.

News links and Google news links

Explore opportunities for backlinks from reputable news websites mentioning our business and location, so mainly brand mentions.

Influencer shout-outs

Asking important people, especially those that are niche relevant to post about our company on social media.

Month 4: Establishing Local Brand Signals

Local link building

Build backlinks from local websites, newspapers, and community resources mentioning our business and GBP listing. Sponsorship of local charities, sports clubs, and organizations for local links and brand mentions.

Optimize online presence

Maintain active social media profiles, respond to reviews, and consistently update the website content.

Utilize Google Business Profile features

Post engaging content, highlight offers, and respond to customer messages through the GBP profile.

Maintenance mode: Month 5 onwards

Mainly website content and automated social posts.