5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (2024)

Local SEO tools can be a game-changer. From automating review management to dominating local search, the right technology can help your business grow long-term.

For example, KuchyneValent, a local kitchen and furniture manufacturer, had reached a maximum annual revenue of $100,000 through offline sales. So, the team was looking for a way to increase local leads and revenue.

In 2017, they invested in SEO to help drive organic website traffic. Including keyword analysis and auditing tools.

With Semrush in their digital toolbox, they achieved over $400,000 in annual revenue. And KuchyneValent has sustained organic traffic since focusing on SEO.

In this article, we’ll review the five best local SEO tools for small businesses and agencies. Let’s get started.

What Features Do You Need in a Local SEO Tool?

Choosing the right local SEO tool helps you improve local search results. And attract more customers.

Look for tools that provide these essential features:

  • Listing and citation management: Maintain accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) data across online directories, local platforms, and review sites. This builds trust with search engines. And improves your local ranking potential.
  • Review management: Track, respond to, and analyze customer reviews. Positive reviews can boost your local reputation and attract new customers. Addressing negative reviews demonstrates professionalism and builds trust.
  • Keyword research: Discover relevant keywords with local search intent. Allowing you to target a specific audience.
  • Competitor analysis: Analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies to identify areas of improvement
  • Rank tracking and reporting: Monitor your local ranking progress for target keywords over time. This allows you to measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. And adjust your strategy as needed.

What’s the Best Local SEO Tool?

ToolBest ForStand-Out FeaturePricing
Google Business ProfileOptimizing your appearance on Google searchEffortless listing managementFree
Semrush LocalManaging your online presence across all platformsMap Rank Tracker (heatmap)$20+ per month, per location; free plan available
BrightLocalManaging and building citationsCitation Builder$39+ per month; 14-day free trial
SE RankingTracking and analyzing your local rankingsPosition tracking for all your target keywords$62+ per month; 14-day free trial
LocaloCreating a free website for your business and monitoring your SEOFree 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

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (1)

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), or GBP for short, is a free local business listing tool. It allows you to publish your business listing on Google Maps. And get discovered through Google Search.

Google Business Profile is a must-have tool if you’re a local business or an agency. Many of the tools on this list use Google Business Profile as a foundation for their features.

Let’s look at the top features.

Listing Management

Easily claim and verify your listing. Then, add all your business information. Like address, opening hours, phone number, and website.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (2)

Managing your listing ensures potential customers looking for a business like yours can find the information they need. Leading them to your doorstep. Or website.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (3)

Online Storefront

Google Business Profile lets you create a compelling online storefront for your product or service-based business.

Upload high-quality photos and videos showcasing your products, services, team, and business. Create 360° tours to give potential customers a virtual walk-through of your space.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (4)

If you run a restaurant or a cafe, you can also have a dedicated “Menu” tab. This feature allows potential guests to view your menu before their visit.

Reviews

Google Business Profile allows you to communicate with your customers. Respond to reviews, both positive and negative, to show you value feedback.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (5)

Answer questions from potential customers through the Q&A section. Demonstrating your expertise and building trust.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (6)

This feature helps you show your audience you prioritize customer care.

When you actively engage with your audience, you can develop stronger relationships. And improve customer loyalty.

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.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (7)

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Effective way to reach customers looking for local businessesGoogle Business Profile listings can become competitive, especially in popular areas. So, you still need to invest in SEO
Lets you add all your business details and images so people can easily contact you. And view your product imagesIf you don’t actively monitor reviews, customer satisfaction could suffer

Pricing

Google Business Profile is free.

2. Semrush Local

Best for managing your online presence across all platforms

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

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (8)

Semrush Local is a dedicated SEO toolkit. It helps local businesses and agencies attract new customers and retain existing ones. By providing the data they need.

Let’s take a look at the tools included in Semrush Local.

Listing Management

Semrush’s Listing Management tool lets you seamlessly publish your local business details to more than 150 directories. Like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.

Add your business details in Semrush. Such as name, address, phone number, images, and videos. And the tool will automatically add or update each listing for you.

The Listing Management tool can also help you audit your online presence. And show you what to fix to improve your online coverage.

For example, it highlights directories with missing or incorrect addresses and phone numbers.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (9)

Map Rank Tracker

The Map Rank Tracker tool lets you track and analyze your Google Maps rankings. And your competitors.

Enter your business location and choose the keywords people might use to find you. The heatmap report will show you whether your competitors rank higher for searches in a specific area—or if you do.

Use this valuable insight to adjust your local SEO strategy. And boost your visibility.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (10)

You can also set your preferred map grid and target keywords to meet your unique tracking needs.

Review Management

The Review Management tool makes it easy to manage your online reputation and build loyalty. By engaging with customers. And responding to reviews.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (11)

With this tool, you can manage reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and more in one place. You won’t have to switch between platforms to see and respond to reviews.

Plus, you’ll get data-driven insights like:

  • Reply rate:</strong Helps ensure you engage with every customer
  • How customers perceive your brand:</strong An overview of your historical ratings to identify strengths and weaknesses
  • Online reputation progress:</strong Analyze your online presence trends with metrics like total number of reviews, average rating, and score distribution

Additional SEO Tools

Semrush Local is a stand-alone product (starting at $20 per month) designed to help you manage your local SEO performance. It comes with the tools we just discussed. Like Listing management, Map Rank Tracker, and Review Monitoring.

And you can purchase Semrush Local without buying a full Semrush subscription.

But if you want to expand your SEO efforts further, Semrush offers a range of additional tools through their more comprehensive paid subscriptions. A limited free plan is also available.

These subscriptions start at $139.95 per month and include features like keyword research, website audits, and competitor analysis.

For example, Semrush’s Position Tracking tool lets you check your website’s search rankings. It also monitors your keyword positions and helps you find new ways to get into Google’s top results.

Compare organic rankings against your competitors. Including the top paid search engine results page (SERP) from Google Ads.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (12)

On-Page SEO Checker helps you identify weaknesses on your website that affect your SEO performance. And it gives you personalized recommendations to improve your website’s performance.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (13)

The tool scans your website. And provides a list of semantically related words to include in your content for better SEO.

Keyword Magic Tool lets you conduct in-depth keyword research. To help you find keywords to include on your Google Business Profile and website.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (14)

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Semrush Local lets you automatically publish your business details to over 150 online directoriesWhile Semrush Local is affordable, a full Semrush subscription can be expensive for beginners
Respond to reviews on multiple platforms in one place

Pricing

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (15)

Semrush Local offers three pricing plans:

  • Free: Audit five locations per day, see your status in the top directories, and check your average rating for all reviews.
  • Basic plan: $20 per month, per individual location. Includes tools like Listing Management and Review Management.
  • Premium plan: $40 per month, per individual location. Includes Google Maps Rank Tracker and Competitor Analysis. You can also use AI suggestions to respond to your Google reviews.

The ultimate local business toolkit

Listings, data, and AI-powered reviews — all in one platform.

3. BrightLocal

Best for managing and building citations

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

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (16)

BrightLocal is an all-in-one local SEO platform that provides tools to manage and grow your online presence.

It helps you track your presence across search engines and maps. Build a strong reputation through review management and gain valuable insights to optimize your local SEO strategy.

Citation Tracker

BrightLocal’s Citation Tracker tool scans the web for your business information across key local directories. Like Yelp, Foursquare, and more.

Citations are online listings that show essential information about your business. Such as your business description, address, and contact details. They’re important for local SEO.

Because they help your business rank higher in local search results on Google Maps. And other search engines.

Citation Tracker’s report includes the following details:

  • Your listed citations: Review all the websites where your business information is registered
  • Missing citations: Identify important directories where your business isn’t listed. Allowing you to claim and optimize those listings.
  • Inaccurate information: Get notified of any inconsistencies or errors in your existing citations to ensure accuracy across the web
5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (17)

Scroll past the citation summary to see a detailed report of the directories where your business appears. And any actions you need to take. Like updating information.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (18)

Citation Builder

BrightLocal’s Citation Builder helps you submit your business details to hundreds of high-impact local directories and review sites. Like Apple Maps and Tripadvisor.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (19)

The Citation Builder tool comes with an additional, one-time fee. Pricing starts at $2 per site/directory.

Reputation Management

BrightLocal’s Reputation Management tool shows you all your reviews across various platforms in one place. Including Google Maps, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, Yahoo! Local, Yellow Pages, Yelp, and more.

View your total number of reviews across platforms and aggregated star rating. This provides valuable insights into customer sentiment. Allowing you to understand overall satisfaction.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (20)

BrightLocal lets you display online reviews on your website using a list or carousel-style widget. Or customize the layout to fit your interface.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (21)

Google Business Profile Audit

Audit your Google Business Profile. Make sure your business contact details, opening hours, and images are accurate and up to date.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (22)

Or get more detailed audits for each of your target keywords. This audit shows you how your keywords currently rank.

Additionally, GBP Audit lets you analyze your competitors. Including:

  • Competitor rankings for your target keyword
  • The number of citations they have
  • Total review count
  • Total star rating
  • Number of photos
  • Business category
5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (23)

White-Label Reporting

If you’re an agency owner, you might find the tool’s white-label reports helpful. Add your branding and customize the data your clients can see.

Then, set up an automation to send reports to your clients at the end of each month.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (24)

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Provides a full stack of tools to manage your local SEOThe variety of tools can be overwhelming for local SEO beginners
BrightLocal Academy provides local SEO courses for free

Pricing

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (25)

BrightLocal offers three pricing plans with a 14-day free trial:

  • Track: $39 per month for one location. Includes Local Rank Tracker, Citation Tracker, and GBP Audit.
  • Manage: $49 per month for one location. Includes everything in Track, plus syncing business data across Google, Bing, Facebook, and Apple. And bulk posting to multiple profiles.
  • Grow: $59 per month for one location. Includes everything in Manage, plus Reputation Management.

4. SE Ranking

Best for tracking and analyzing your local rankings

Price: Starts at $62 per month with a limited 14-day free trial

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (26)

SE Ranking’s Local Marketing Tool helps you monitor your search performance. And discover new opportunities to boost your online visibility.

Business Listing Manager

Enter your business’s name, contact information, hours of operation, and business description.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (27)

When you update your information in this section, SE Ranking pushes it to your Google Business Profile.

Local Rankings

To track your local rankings, start by setting up your locations. And common keywords people use to search your business.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (28)

You’ll then see a detailed report of your local rankings for each keyword.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (29)

Local Marketing Audit

Conducting a local marketing audit lets you analyze how well your business is optimized for local search. And gives you an overall score of your local SEO performance.

It checks for any issues that might be hurting your search rankings. The issue report is broken down into “passed checks,” “notices,” “warnings,” and “errors.” Demonstrating the impact and severity of each issue.

The tool then provides helpful suggestions to optimize your Google Business Profile, business listings, and customer reviews.

For example, SE Ranking will suggest updating your company address if it contains errors. If your company isn’t added to all relevant directories, the tool will recommend submitting it.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (30)

Google Business Profile Audit

SE Ranking shows you how users interact with your GBP listing.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (31)

Analyze crucial metrics. Like photo views, Maps views, direction requests, and phone calls. Learn how many searches and website visits you get.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (32)

Business Listings Overview

Learn which local business directories feature your business location and which don’t.

This feature helps you ensure your business details are accurate across the web. And identify new opportunities.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (33)

Reviews

Learn what your customers say about your business on platforms like Google, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, and Tripadvisor.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (34)

Reply to Google and Facebook reviews from the SE Ranking dashboard.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (35)

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Local Marketing Audit provides an overall performance review and suggestions to increase your rankingsWhile you can use SE Ranking’s core features with a 14-day free trial, SE Local features are not included in the trial
Reply to Google Maps and Facebook reviews from a single dashboard

Pricing

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (36)

To use SE Local Marketing, you’ll need an SE Ranking subscription:

  • Essential: $55 per month. Best for small businesses. Track rankings for 750 target keywords.
  • Pro: $109 per month. Best for SEOs, small to medium-sized businesses, and digital agencies. Track rankings for 2,000 target keywords.
  • Business: $239 per month. Best for enterprises, large agencies, and ecommerce websites. Track rankings for 5,000 target keywords.

All plans offer a 14-day free trial.

SE Local Marketing is an add-on service that comes at an additional cost:

  • 1 location: $7 per month
  • 5 locations: $29 per month
  • 10 locations: $48 per month
  • 50 locations: $181 per month

5. Localo

Best for building a free website for your business and monitoring your SEO

Price: $29+ per month, per location; limited free plan available

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (37)

Localo is a local SEO platform designed to track and improve your online presence. It offers features like monitoring your GBP ranking, a free AI-powered website, and managing customer reviews.

GBP Monitoring

Localo helps you monitor and analyze your Google Business Profile’s performance.

This includes:

  • Track weekly local rankings: Automatically monitor your rankings for relevant keywords in local search results. See progress over time and identify areas for improvement.
  • Check your rankings: Get a snapshot of your current visibility in Google Maps for specific keywords.
  • Get actionable insights: Localo’s algorithm analyzes your ranking data. And generates personalized recommendations to improve your GBP. And boost your local SEO performance.
5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (38)

Local Rank Checker

With Localo’s Local Rank Checker, you can check your Google Business Profile visibility for free.

Start by verifying your language and location.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (39)

And add one keyword at a time you’d like to check your rankings for.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (40)

The Local Rank Checker will show your rankings on the map. Which illustrates your rankings across various distances from your business.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (41)

Citation Management

See the list of online directories that mention your company. And check if your business information is accurate and up to date.

Additionally, analyze your competitors’ directory presence. Find where they’re listed and you’re not. Then you can submit your information to those directories to increase your visibility.

Website Builder

Localo uses AI to help you easily create a free website.

Connect your Google Business Profile, and Localo will pull relevant information to create your site. Like photos and customer reviews.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (42)

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Free Local Rank CheckerNo free trial, so you can’t try premium features before committing to a paid plan
Free website builder and hosting

Pricing

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (43)

Localo offers three plans:

  • Free: $0 for a single business profile. Monitor your Google rankings and build a free website AI.
  • Growth: $29 monthly for one location. Get a Google Business Profile audit and respond to reviews.
  • Agency: $99 monthly for the first four locations. Use the built-in lead generation tool on the website built with Localo. And white-label your local SEO reports.

Our Top Picks for the Best Local SEO Tools

To optimize your local SEO, we suggest you use a combination of two tools:

  • Google Business Profile: This is a foundational tool. Claim and optimize your GBP to ensure your business information is accurate and consistent on Google Maps.
  • Semrush Local: Semrush offers essential local SEO tools. Including Listing Management, where you can respond to reviews from external platforms like GBP, Facebook, and Yelp in a central dashboard. And Map Rank Tracker to view your hyper-local performance. A full Semrush subscription includes a keyword research tool to identify relevant keywords for your business.

The ultimate local business toolkit

Listings, data, and AI-powered reviews — all in one platform.

Your Next Step

Effectively managing your local SEO strategy starts with the right tools. And knowledge.

Check out our comprehensive guide on local SEO. This post covers the basics, including how to build citations. And rank in the top three positions on the SERP.

5 Best Local SEO Tools to Dominate Search This Year (2024)

FAQs

How to dominate local SEO? ›

Here are a few on-page SEO tips:
  1. Include your locally targeted keywords in page title tags and meta descriptions.
  2. Add specific location pages to your website to emphasize your local services.
  3. Internally link to and from pages where relevant.
Jun 25, 2024

What is the local SEO strategy for 2024? ›

One of the top SEO trends in 2024 includes publishing audience-targeted content that is helpful, authoritative and fast-loading. You should also follow Google's EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) strategy, which is how the company evaluates if its search ranking systems are effective.

What is the most effective tool for SEO? ›

The best SEO tools in 2024
  • Search Console for technical SEO.
  • Google Trends for timely keyword planning.
  • Google Analytics 4 for SEO performance tracking.
  • Ahrefs for best overall functionality for the money.
  • Semrush for hardcore SEOs.
  • Screaming Frog for finding common SEO issues.
  • AnswerThePublic for topic ideation.
Jun 17, 2024

What is the best strategy for local SEO? ›

How to Do Local SEO
  • Find Local Keywords. ...
  • Optimize Your Website for Local SEO. ...
  • Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) ...
  • Build NAP Citations for Local SEO. ...
  • Get as Many Customer Reviews as Possible. ...
  • Create Content and Get Backlinks. ...
  • Invest in Google Ads With Local Keywords.

How do I rank higher in local SEO? ›

Here are six local SEO tactics you can use to help your business rank higher for local search terms.
  1. Title and description tags still matter. ...
  2. Google Business Profile: Claim and optimize. ...
  3. Online reviews matter. ...
  4. Online directories and citations. ...
  5. Get social.
Mar 25, 2024

Will SEO exist in 10 years? ›

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will likely continue to exist and evolve over the next 10 years. As long as people use search engines, SEO will likely stay in existence.

Is local SEO profitable? ›

Strong local SEO can drive business growth, especially when marketers pay close attention to search intent. It can enhance your online presence, target hyper-relevant traffic, build trust, and generate a positive impression—especially for mobile users who are more likely searching with an intent to buy.

What is better than semrush? ›

Top 7 Competitors & Alternatives to semrush.com

List of semrush.com competitors in June 2024: similarweb.com , with 20.89M visits, 85 authority score, 53.45% bounce rate. ahrefs.com , with 26.56M visits, 71 authority score, 34.77% bounce rate. webfx.com , with 1.21M visits, 62 authority score, 74.79% bounce rate.

What is better than SEO? ›

You would likely prefer PPC over SEO because PPC can create results—such as increased visibility and traffic—much faster than SEO. Implementing an SEO strategy is time-consuming and requires continuous effort to keep your pages optimized.

Which platform has the best SEO? ›

Best SEO Website Builders
  • Wix – Best overall builder for SEO.
  • Shopify – For ecommerce SEO.
  • Squarespace – For SEO help and support.
  • Webflow – For advanced users.
  • IONOS – For affordable SEO tools.
May 24, 2024

How effective is local SEO? ›

Importance of Local SEO for Businesses

It helps businesses connect with potential customers in their vicinity and increases the probability of them visiting their establishments. With more people relying on search engines to find local businesses, effective local SEO can provide a significant competitive advantage.

What is the best URL structure for local SEO? ›

Use Hyphens, But Only If You Must

The URL www. brandname/localseosydney.com could be difficult to understand at first, so the hyphen can come in and help users follow the structure easily. So the URL can become www. brandname/local-seo-sydney.com which helps users read every word and understand what the page is about.

How can I make my SEO stronger? ›

Help Google find your content
  1. Check if Google can see your page the same way a user does.
  2. Don't want a page in Google's search results?
  3. Use descriptive URLs.
  4. Group topically similar pages in directories.
  5. Reduce duplicate content.
  6. Expect your readers' search terms.
  7. Avoid distracting advertisements.
  8. Link to relevant resources.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Manual Maggio

Last Updated:

Views: 5787

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Manual Maggio

Birthday: 1998-01-20

Address: 359 Kelvin Stream, Lake Eldonview, MT 33517-1242

Phone: +577037762465

Job: Product Hospitality Supervisor

Hobby: Gardening, Web surfing, Video gaming, Amateur radio, Flag Football, Reading, Table tennis

Introduction: My name is Manual Maggio, I am a thankful, tender, adventurous, delightful, fantastic, proud, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.