Now that you understand the local SEO ranking factors, it’s time to break this down into a simplified method for success with local SEO.
This is important because it groups everything together, making it easier for you to remember and utilize the most important action items for ranking on Google Maps and Google Search.
Also, you won’t get lost doing a bunch of tasks that don’t matter. The 80/20 rule, remember. It’s not about being busy, but spending your time doing what has the greatest impact.
Let’s get into it with the “October Method” for success in local SEO.
“October Method” for Local SEO
I like putting ideas into nice little packages that are easy to remember. And the “October Method” does just that. It puts local SEO into a simple formula you can use to remember all the steps necessary to rank on Google Search and Google Maps.
So what is the October Method? It stands for:
- Optimize
- Content (Targeted)
- Backlinks
- Reviews
OCTBR = OCTOBER
In this little play on words contains everything you need to remember, and every necessary strategy for a successful local SEO campaign.
I’ll go through each one briefly here.
Optimize (O)
The first step in local SEO is optimization. It’s a word that is used, and overused, in the SEO space.
But, it’s very important. And, unfortunately, there really is no better alternative word to use when talking about optimizing your business.
In local SEO, small problems can have outsized effects.
For instance, the wrong primary category on a Google Business Profile can literally make it impossible for your business to show up in search results.
On your website, an issue with a form, lack of a call-to-action, or simply not being mobile-friendly—all of these problems can lead to a huge loss of leads and traffic.
This is not a rare problem either, it is extremely common for a business to have one or more optimization issues that hold it back.
That why optimization must comes first—and it always will.
However, optimization is a one time process. Once that’s done, aside from a few checkups a year, there won’t be much more need for major optimization tasks—as long as those tasks are completely correctly.
Content (C) — Targeted (T)
Next up—content.
^Targeted content.
I think of content like the head of a spear. You can throw a spear, but if you don’t have a sharpened spearhead, it’s pretty much useless—and it won’t help you achieve your goals.
That’s how content works for a website and your Google Business Profile.
If you want to rank for the term “plumber in Dallas”, then you need some content that shows Google that you want to rank for that term.
That means website pages, Google Business Profile posts, reviews, GBP services, headers, meta data—all of these types of content help your business show up for searches.
But, which searches will you show up for? That’s where ^Targeted comes into play.
Targeted (T)
You can write content all day, but if it’s not targeted to what customers search for, then it’s not doing much good.
Remember the analogy about baseball and local SEO?
You don’t get to pick what customers search for.
What you need to do is determine what they already search for, then create (targeted) content, so that Google knows what your page is about.
Lots of businesses create blog posts or web pages that don’t have a specific keyword target—or worse don’t target customers your business can serve.
Imagine if our “plumber in dallas” had an SEO agency creating website pages for him about Vancouver, Canada?
He may get leads, but they aren’t going to be the ones that matter to his business and revenue!
Targeted content means focusing on searches that turn into customers. You can always simply look at any page on your website and ask yourself, “Is this targeting a specific keyword that a customer would search?” If that’s not a yes, then it’s not targeted, and it’s a waste of your business potential.
Backlinks (B)
This is where our ideas get separated into two buckets — Google Search and Google Maps.
Backlinks are important for ranking. And while backlinks will have some effect on your Google Maps rankings, they have a much greater outsized effect on Google Search.
When it comes to ranking on Google Search—and with that AI/LLM search as well—backlinks are the power driver behind that pushes your website content rankings and helps your business get more visibility, traffic, and leads.
However, not all backlinks are created equally. The majority of backlinks offer absolutely zero value to your business. That’s why quality matters so much when it comes to backlinks and your website.
A few strong backlinks can move the needle dramatically for many local businesses.
Reviews (R)
Reviews are simply “backlinks for Google Maps.”
They are the driving force behind Google Maps rankings.
Similar to backlinks, there are many variables that impact how effective a review is for your business.
This includes:
- Total Average Score
- Number of Reviews
- Number of Recent Reviews
- Review Length
- Keywords and Content
- Images in Reviews
- Local Guide Reviews
All of these review factors play into your business rankings on Google Maps.
You can’t just look at your number and a competitor’s number and compare them directly. There is so much potential variation!
But, if you can keep getting great reviews and stick to the course, it’s going to be difficult for your business to lose against the competition on Google Maps.
“October” — Everything You Need To Know
With this method, you now get a very real idea of what’s needed to rank your business with local SEO.
By optimizing your website and GBP, creating targeted content, and then continuing to stack strong backlinks and reviews, you have the tools you need to beat your competition.
You may be asking yourself, “Can that really be it?”
Well, yes! It is. I use this method for everything I do at Brightbeam SEO—that’s why I know it works.
And I’ve been doing local SEO for almost 20 years now—learn more about me here.
There are many small parts to each of these, but the general idea is still accurate.
If you optimize everything and you build the targeted city, service, and other content pages you need, getting backlinks and reviews is, in almost every case, what separates those who rank well from those who do not.
Now, let’s move to the next section in our local SEO guide from beginner to advanced:
Using local SEO keyword research to find exactly what your potential customers are searching for.