7 Best Local SEO Services for Small Businesses in 2023

Hibu offers a comprehensive list of services to build your brand’s local online presence. Plus, a dedicated account manager works with you to determine which website marketing strategies to focus on to improve your domain’s ranking and online visibility.

Here are some of the services and features that make Hibu a top option for small businesses:

• Reputation management: The more 5-star reviews you have, especially on your company’s Google Business Profile, the higher your website content will rank in local search results. Hibu’s dashboard tools enable you to reach out to new customers and invite them to review your business and respond to reviews to keep your brand’s online reputation stellar.
• Citations (listings) management: Listings are local SEO citations that include your business’ name, address, phone number (NAP) details. They need to be consistent and correct no matter where they are posted online so that customers can easily find your business or get to your website. And as backlinks, they also impact your ranking in online search results.
• Search engine profile management: Hibu’s staff will handle creating, optimizing, and managing your profiles on search engines, including your Google Business Profile and Bing for Business accounts, among others. They’ll ensure your details are correct and updated across all listings sites to ensure your profile is displayed correctly on search results pages and local map results.
• Smart websites: Hibu’s team will build a smart website for your business that follows Google’s best practices for local SEO. This includes on-page tactics like performing competitor and keyword research to identify the content your website needs to have and technical SEO, such as ensuring a good mobile experience and fast site loading time. This makes it more likely for Google and other search engines to index your site appropriately and for it to be shown in local search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Press releases: Besides boosting your site’s performance on search engine result pages (SERPs), Hibu can produce business press releases that reference your brand and location(s). These press releases go out to reputable websites and journalists who may also cite your business in an article, driving more web traffic and boosting your site’s optimization efforts through backlinks.

One of the most valuable offerings from Hibu is its performance dashboard, which provides an overview of your progress, results, and return on investment. See how many reviews you have across the internet, your average star rating on various sites (and how your competition is doing), and view multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) all in one place.

Hibu’s performance dashboard shows data on multiple KPIs (Source: Hibu)

Hibu pricing is customized for each client. Single-service pricing starts at around $300 per month, and you can choose from three bundled packages. But the cost varies depending on the service you need or whether you opt for an all-in-one solution.

Some Hibu services require a minimum commitment of six to 12 months and may have account setup fees, but these are often waived with bundled services. You may be able to get a partial refund if you cancel or are unsatisfied, but reviews suggest there’s a fairly pricey cancellation fee.

Hibu’s bundled packages include:

• Smart Online Presence Solution: Hibu will build a professional business website, set up your Facebook Page and Google Business Profile, and help you manage your online reviews, reputation, and listings.
• Smart Presence + Ads Solutions: This package expands on the core package by adding your choice of display, search, or social ad campaigns. It also provides optimization services for local search ranking.
• Smart Synchronized Solution: Get everything from the Smart Online Presence Solution plus custom display, video, search, and social media ads and campaigns.

Hibu has mixed reviews from customers. Many current clients have excellent comments regarding their account manager and the services provided, including lead generation, online reputation establishment, and ads. However, other reviews cite frustration due to a lack of communication, high prices, and broken promises.

After a full consultation and competitive research, WebFX will craft a strategy, install your software, and provide an online project management schedule. Increasing website traffic is your main goal with WebFX local SEO solutions. And the company helps you understand progress by delivering monthly site traffic reports, customer review data, and Google Business search statistics.

You’ll have access to a dedicated account representative, schedule a monthly reporting call, and receive a wrap-up report with data for all locations. Your account manager also sets up your MarketingCloudFX software, your web and phone call lead capture (with up to 100 tracked calls per month), and video recordings of converted web leads.

Explore popular features and deliverables included with WebFX local business SEO services:

• Client-exclusive software: Your custom solution includes MarketingCloudFX, which uses data, AI, and machine learning to continually improve your return on investment. The software also tracks your ROI from all marketing channels, saving you the time needed to pull performance data from multiple sources.
• On page local SEO: Increase website clicks and conversions with locally optimized keywords, one to three content pages per quarter, and title and meta creation. WebFX also adds your business address to your website using HTML.
• Citation management: Local SEO packages include setting up your Google Business Profile and adding multimedia elements. WebFX will also optimize your listings for Apple Maps, Bing Local, Yelp, CitySearch, and Facebook. But if you’re just starting to build listings, consider BrightLocal, as WebFX focuses on updating listings, not citation-building campaigns.
• Reviews management: Get a broad overview of your reputation using WebFX proprietary tools. ReviewBoostFX (part of the MarketingCloudFX software) automates review solicitation, delivers new review notifications, and automatically adds positive reviews to your website. WebFX also offers fully managed review services, starting at $125 monthly.

While most local SEO companies offer performance dashboards, WebFX is the only one with a custom-built software platform that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning. The MarketingCloudFX platform is an all-in-one tool for monitoring and measuring your ROI across all marketing channels.

You can track local keyword rankings and keep your first-party data on a single platform. Also, MarketingCloudFX features plug-and-play integrations for over 50 applications. This enables you to automate processes and workflows with the software you use for customer relationship management (CRM) software like Salesforce and Pipedrive, online selling platforms (e.g., Amazon or Shopify), accounting software like QuickBooks, and more.

MarketingCloudFX unifies marketing ROI reporting from multiple data sources. (Source: WebFX)

WebFX’s website has a monthly pricing estimator tool and transparently lists all included features and deliverables for each service. It has packages and prices for local SEO, site speed and optimization, SEO audit, citation-only management, and standard SEO service plans. You can also choose from pay-per-click (PPC), review management, and social media advertising solutions. Most subscriptions include access to technology platforms, such as MarketingCloudFX or LocalFX.

Fully managed solutions start at $425 per month (for one location). They include the following features and deliverables:

• Automatic citation claiming and management
• Google Business Profile setup and optimization
• On-page local SEO, including quarterly SEO content
• Review of your Facebook business page
• Setup of citation software and imported data
• Notifications when a tracked profile has a review or social interaction
• Monthly reporting calls and reports
• Access to MarketingCloudFX

Citation-only pricing starts at $50 per location with a five-site minimum. This service gives you control over your local SEO campaigns and access to LocalFX for citation management.

WebFX receives many excellent reviews, with client after client praising their dedicated account managers. Consumers feel that WebFX staff communicates well, is responsive, and are subject matter experts. However, some customers faced challenges when their representative left the company, and others noted that their account manager repeatedly tried to upsell additional services.

BrightLocal enables small businesses with some SEO experience to improve their rankings and online reputation with its platform. Use its tools to optimize your performance across the internet. Here are BrightLocal’s best local SEO features:

• Citation Tracker: It’s crucial to ensure your NAP info is the same across all citations. With BrightLocal’s citation tracker, you can monitor any discrepancies. And on the higher tiers, you can perform competitor analysis, which is helpful if your competition is listed on sites where your business isn’t.
• Reputation Manager: Reviews are also crucial for local SEO because they can affect your position in the “three-pack” on Google (the top three local results), for example. This tool lets you monitor and respond to reviews quickly so you can ensure your online reputation and those all-important star ratings remain high.
• Rank Tracker: Use BrightLocal’s rank tracker to see how well you’re doing with links and your site’s authority. It shows which sites rank for keywords in a local area in a grid-based report so you can see which competitors to pursue and exactly where your site would naturally rank high in “near me” searches. You can also search for the best keywords to help improve your SEO overall and locally.

Think of BrightLocal more as a way to alert you to what’s right or wrong in your local SEO effort through reports, insights, and research rather than a fully managed service that does the work for you. From building and managing citations to doing keyword research, BrightLocal provides all the tools you need to rise in search results and rankings.

A single dashboard gives you an overview of all the tools you can access within BrightLocal. Run reports to see new reviews, active or pending citations, and your domain authority. These analytics offer a high-level view of your local SEO efforts. You can use the platform to make better business decisions, pour more time or effort into generating reviews, build citations, or create more effective local SEO content for your site.

Since BrightLocal doesn’t execute your SEO strategy, you may still need to find local SEO experts who can help with citation and listing management, website content, site optimization, and more. Ranging in price from $5 to $25 or up to a few hundred dollars per month, you can hire freelance experts on Fiverr to help manage your ongoing local business SEO marketing efforts.

BrightLocal local SEO performance dashboard (Source: BrightLocal)

BrightLocal offers a 14-day free trial so you can see if its tools can help you manage your company’s local SEO strategy and efforts at no risk. To use the platform after that, choose from three plans that range in price from $29 to $79 per month (or get two months’ free with any plan by paying annually). With month-to-month contracts, you can cancel your subscription easily without worrying about hefty cancellation fees or policies.

Based on your plan, you’ll receive credits for keyword searches on the platform, which limits how many search terms you can research and target. All plans include integrations for Google Analytics, Google My Business, Facebook, and Twitter. But for custom app development, you must upgrade to the Multi Business plan, and SEO Pro and higher plans are required for Google mobile rank and competitor tracking.

• Single Business: For $29 per month, you can manage local SEO for up to three business locations. You’ll get 250 search grid credits (up to 10 keywords per month), limited local SEO audit reports, and citation tracking reports.
• Multi Business: The second tier from BrightLocal is $49 per month and increases local search credits to 1,000, as well as increased local SEO tools, reviews, and audits. At this level, you get access to its application programming interface (API) for custom integrations and white labeling, making it a good choice for marketing agencies.
• SEO Pro: The highest level from BrightLocal costs $79 per month, including competitor tracking, one of the most useful tools on the platform. This tier provides 2,000 search credits, up to 50 reviews to monitor (and outreach for five reviews), and 50 citation tracker reports.
• Just Reviews: For $8 per month, you can get a pared-down platform for reviews only. You’ll be able to monitor and respond to reviews. Plus, you can cherry-pick the best reviews to showcase.

BrightLocal consistently gets high marks from current customers. In addition to praise for the product, customer service is well received. Support answers quickly and seems helpful with most questions regarding the tool.

After auditing your business website, 1SEO will propose a digital marketing plan that may include redesigning your business’ website, adding metatags or changes to your headings and URLs, and other on-page SEO work. You’ll also get options to add content in the form of local-search-optimized posts and recommendations regarding backlinks, listings, citations, and accurate NAP info.

Here are some of the services and features that make 1SEO a top local SEO agency:

• Reputation management: To ensure your online reputation remains in good standing, 1SEO will monitor reviews and comments across the web. It can respond on your behalf and perform outreach to generate more positive reviews, which can help your business rise to the top of results pages.
• Social media management: Social media is like its own search engine where people search for local businesses and reviews. From brand awareness to paid ads, 1SEO can help spread the word socially, and your account manager and the 1SEO team will engage with your followers to help increase loyalty and trust in your brand.
• Content creation: Whether you’re looking for content that works for local SEO or articles that drive backlinks, you can get what you need. 1SEO offers a variety of content types, including press releases, blog posts, whitepapers, and infographics. This content can help you rank for location-specific keywords, which puts your site in front of your ideal audience.

1SEO uses Semrush for competitive analysis and Google Analytics to follow your website’s local search ranking efforts. Audits help show you where you need improvement, and then 1SEO works to get your business in the local map pack and rank higher in Google Maps search results to push more leads to your site and business.

Typically, 1SEO provides reports showing clients how well their local SEO marketing plans work. However, it also has a proprietary dashboard that displays all the critical metrics for whatever you’re tracking, whether it’s site visitors, reviews, or citations. The company also offers white labeling for digital marketing agencies that want to partner with 1SEO but maintain branding.

1SEO performance metrics dashboard (Source: 1SEO)

To get 1SEO pricing, set up a free consultation to get a custom quote for the work you need done. 1SEO doesn’t display price information, but according to customer reviews, the minimum price typically starts at $1,000 (comparable, we believe, to Hibu). However, 1SEO charges by the hour, so it can be used without exceeding your preferred spending cap. The company doesn’t require a long-term contract, so you can try the service without a lengthy commitment or penalties for leaving early.

If you’d like to see one of the best examples of a company that effectively manages local SEO, look at 1SEO’s Google My Business profile. It has hundreds of reviews and nearly a score of 4.8 out of 5. It consistently gets excellent reviews elsewhere too. From account managers to customer support, current clients seem very happy with 1SEO.

To start, SmartSites creates a digital marketing plan emphasizing local SEO. Expect your marketing plan to include multiple techniques, including keyword research focusing on local search terms, an SEO content marketing plan, and link building through citations. Technical optimization isn’t ignored either, so you can expect your rank in Google and other search engine results pages to increase. However, a few services are lacking, such as social media and review management.

Here are the SEO services SmartSites provides for small businesses:

• Listings management: There are many quality business listing sites where you can add your business information to help potential customers find you. Stay focused on running your business while SmartSites manages your local directory listings for accuracy and consistency.
• On-page SEO: Technical SEO shouldn’t be omitted, as it tells search engines where to place your content. A SmartSites’ SEO audit will show if you’re using the proper metatags, heading tags, and internal links for local placements.
• Citations management: SmartSites ensures that your NAP info is the same across all listings and that you get quality backlinks for ranking higher on Google and other search engines, increasing site and store traffic.
• Content creation: Regularly creating and updating search-optimized content on your website is a top-ranking factor with Google. SmartSites will create search-friendly content for your website and blog based on keyword and competitor research to help increase your rankings, and in turn, your web traffic, leads, and sales.

You’ll get custom reports every month from SmartSites to show your progress. It uses tools standard in the SEO industry, but it also has a proprietary dashboard showing all metrics in one place.

Third-party sources list a suggested starting price of $2,000 for SmartSites, which is more expensive than other options on this list. However, SmartSites will create a custom package for your business, giving you the services you need most and leaving out the ones you don’t. While you are required to commit to a 12-month agreement, you pay month-to-month. If you need to cancel, you’ll have to pay for a month-and-a-half to get out of the agreement.

Most SmartSites reviews are positive, especially regarding account managers. In fact, it has a 4.9 out of 5 rating from over 350 reviews on Google. Most negative reviews have to do with the speed of results. But search engine optimization and marketing efforts take time, so it could be a misunderstanding of how long it takes for a site’s rankings to improve.

Searchbloom delivers services to help small businesses reach local audiences faster and easier. Audits show where you need to improve, and the Searchbloom team will implement and execute a custom plan for citations, listings, and better on-page SEO.

Here are some of the local SEO services Searchbloom provides:

• Local technical SEO audits: Before you agree to pay Searchbloom for anything, you’ll get a local SEO audit to see what needs to change. An account manager will explain why you need to remove content or backlinks, for example, so your ranking for location-specific keywords will improve.
• On-page SEO: More than content, citations, or listings, Searchbloom focuses on technical SEO. When you add metatags, improve your site’s structure, and use the right headings, you’ll be better positioned to rise in the ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs), including local searches.
• Schema: Schema markup, also known as structured markup, is code added to your website’s pages and blog posts, making it easier for Google to index your content. This, in turn, improves your site’s ability to be shown in appropriate local searches, generating higher quality web traffic to your site and calls and visits to your business, and thus more leads and sales.
• Technical SEO: In addition to on-page optimizations, like infusing keywords into your content, Searchbloom offers extensive technical optimization to improve rankings in local searches. Examples include site speed optimization, URL and site structure improvements, mobile optimization, code cleanup, sitemaps, and more.

Searchbloom also ensures you’re using all the local SEO business listing sites effectively. The company can create and optimize your Google Business Profile, improve your site’s ranking in Google Maps, and set your brand up for better online visibility. Searchbloom doesn’t manage your reviews but will show you how to do it yourself.

You’ll get updates about how well your website marketing plan is going, but sometimes these reports lag, according to current customers. Also, Searchbloom doesn’t provide as much competitive data compared to BrightLocal. Plus, there’s no evidence of a performance dashboard—for a comprehensive performance dashboard, consider Hibu or try WebFX and its proprietary software.

There’s no published pricing, but multiple current clients report spending from $1,000 to $3,000 monthly for local SEO work. Like 1SEO, Searchbloom doesn’t require a long-term contract, so you won’t face high cancellation fees as you might with Hibu.

Searchbloom reviews by customers are overwhelmingly positive. Repeatedly, current clients praise Searchbloom’s ability to increase keyword rankings and local SEO. Frustrations generally have to do with slow reporting. Often a team will work with a client, but there’s always a dedicated point of contact.