Search & Authority

Local SEO: Dominate Google Maps & Near Me Searches.

Duration Full Day (7h)
Level Beginner–Int
HRDF Confirmed Claimable

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain the three local ranking factors (Relevance, Distance, Prominence) and which are actionable
  2. Implement on-page local SEO including NAP consistency, local landing pages, and LocalBusiness Schema
  3. Audit and clean up local citations across key directories
  4. Monitor local search rankings using available tools
  5. Build a local SEO action plan prioritised by impact and effort

Course Outline

Module 1: Local Search Ecosystem (75 min)

  • How Google decides who appears in the Maps pack
  • Ranking factors: Relevance, Distance, Prominence — which can be controlled
  • Difference between local SEO and regular SEO
  • How "near me" searches work and what triggers them
  • Why some businesses rank despite weak websites

Module 2: On-Page Local SEO (90 min)

  • NAP consistency — name, address, phone must match across all platforms
  • Local landing pages — when to build them and how to structure them
  • LocalBusiness Schema — setup and validation
  • Location-specific title tags, meta descriptions, and heading structure
  • Internal linking between local pages

Module 3: Local Citations & Link Building (75 min)

  • Directory submissions that actually matter for Malaysia
  • How to audit inconsistent or duplicate citations
  • Local backlinks — realistic sources and outreach approach
  • How citation volume and quality affect Maps ranking
  • Tools to find and fix citation issues

Module 4: Track & Dominate Local Rankings (75 min)

  • Tools to monitor local rankings: free vs paid options
  • Interpret GBP Insights data
  • Identify competitors ranking above you and reverse-engineer why
  • Track progress over time and report results
  • Identify when to maintain vs when to push harder

Module 5: Local SEO Action Plan (60 min)

  • Participants complete a local SEO audit of their own business
  • Prioritise fixes by impact: quick wins vs long-term plays
  • Build a 60-day local SEO execution plan

Deliverable

Local SEO audit checklist + citation cleanup action plan + 60-day execution plan