What are the best local SEO tips for 2017?

Here are some useful tips to help your business rank on local search in 2016.

• Get a Google My Business profile for your business.
• Claim your business listings on all major directories. This is very important and will improve your rankings considerably. Here’s a free scan tool that you can use to check how your business is listed online.
• Ensure NAP consistencies across all listings.
• Be active on niche-specific forums.
• Ensure whatever you do is consistent with Google updates.
• Start blogging and do some content marketing. There are a lot of guides online to help you with this.
• Use schema markup. Read more about Google local schema markup here.
• Use tools and free resources to make your work more efficient.
• Take care of your online reputation. Manage negative reviews and engage in conversations with your customers.
• Build a strong social media presence.

All these are easier said than done. Local SEO is particularly tough because you don’t get immediate results - it is not like compiling a code and running it :) It is more like a marathon than a 100 m race and requires consistent, sustained efforts. Be sure you optimize your content and website for local SEO, stay up to date with what is happening in the field of local SEO.