Ahrefs Local SEO: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Local Search Visibility
Ahrefs for Local SEO: How to Improve Your Visibility in Local Search
Local SEO helps businesses appear when people nearby search for the products or services they offer. For a business in London, that could mean reaching someone searching for “plumber in Camden” or “coffee shop near me”. Ahrefs can support this work by helping you research local keywords, analyse competitors, improve your website and monitor search performance.
Ahrefs is not a complete local listings platform: it does not replace your Google Business Profile or manage every aspect of local citations and reviews. It works best as part of a broader local SEO strategy, alongside accurate business information, a well-maintained profile and useful content.
What Ahrefs can do for local SEO
Ahrefs provides tools for researching keywords, exploring competitors, checking backlinks, auditing websites and tracking rankings. Used with a local focus, these tools can help you understand what potential customers search for and where your website has opportunities to improve.
Find local keyword opportunities
Use Ahrefs’ keyword research tools to explore the terms people use when looking for local services. Start with a core service, then consider adding a town, borough, neighbourhood or other relevant location. For example:
- “accountant in Bristol”
- “emergency electrician Leeds”
- “family solicitor near Richmond”
- “physiotherapy clinic Manchester”
Look beyond obvious service-plus-location phrases. People may search for specific problems, prices, opening hours or types of service. Keyword ideas can help you plan service pages, frequently asked questions and helpful articles.
Search volume estimates are useful for comparing opportunities, but they are not a precise forecast of visits or enquiries. Some local searches have modest recorded volume yet bring highly relevant customers. Check the search results themselves to see what Google shows: local businesses, map results, directories or informational pages may all appear for different queries.
Research local competitors
Ahrefs can help you examine websites that compete for relevant searches. Look at the pages earning organic traffic, the topics they cover and the websites linking to them. This can reveal gaps in your own content or opportunities to make your service pages more useful.
Choose competitors based on the search results, not only on the businesses you compete with offline. A directory or national company may outrank local firms for a particular query, making it useful to understand how its page is structured and what information it provides.
Track rankings by location
Rank tracking can help you monitor how selected keywords perform over time. Where available, set the tracking location as close as possible to the area you serve. Search results can vary between towns and neighbourhoods, so a national ranking may not reflect what a nearby customer sees.
Use ranking data as an indicator rather than the only measure of success. Local results can also depend on the searcher’s location, device and other factors. Keep an eye on qualified website visits, calls, enquiries and bookings as well as positions in search results.
Review your website and content
A site audit can flag technical issues that may make pages harder to crawl or use, such as broken links, missing page titles, slow-loading pages or problems with mobile usability. Fix issues according to their impact, rather than treating every audit warning as equally urgent.
For local visitors, make essential information easy to find. Your website should clearly explain:
- what services you provide and where you provide them;
- how customers can contact or visit you;
- your opening hours, where relevant;
- what makes your business suitable for the customer’s needs.
Create a separate location page only when it provides genuinely useful information about that area. Avoid producing many near-identical pages that simply swap one town name for another.
Explore backlink opportunities
Links from relevant, reputable websites can support your wider SEO efforts. Ahrefs’ backlink tools can show which sites link to your competitors and help you identify suitable prospects. For a local business, possible sources include local news publications, trade organisations, community groups, suppliers and event partners.
Focus on earning links through useful contributions, genuine partnerships and noteworthy local activity. Avoid buying low-quality links or pursuing large numbers of irrelevant directory listings. A link should make sense for your business and audience.
Ahrefs and Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is central to many local searches, especially those that show a map or local business listings. Ahrefs can help with the website and search-research side of local SEO, but it is not a substitute for managing your profile.
Keep your profile accurate and complete. Use the correct business name, address or service area, telephone number, opening hours and categories. Add current photos, respond to reviews professionally and update information when it changes. Make sure your website displays consistent business details.
A practical Ahrefs local SEO workflow
- Define your service area. List the locations you genuinely serve and prioritise the ones that matter most to the business.
- Research search terms. Explore service, location and problem-based keywords, then review the search results to understand what users are looking for.
- Check competing pages. Identify relevant businesses and websites appearing for your priority searches. Note useful topics and content gaps.
- Improve key pages. Make service and location information clear, accurate and helpful. Ensure pages work well on mobile devices.
- Resolve important technical issues. Use a site audit to find problems that affect access, indexing or the visitor experience.
- Build local authority. Look for genuine partnerships, local coverage and industry relationships that may lead to relevant links.
- Measure outcomes. Review rankings alongside website traffic, calls, forms and other meaningful enquiries.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Targeting every nearby town. Only create location pages for places you can genuinely serve and where you can offer useful, specific information.
- Relying on keyword metrics alone. Search volume and difficulty estimates do not tell the whole story for local searches.
- Ignoring your Google Business Profile. Website optimisation and keyword research do not replace accurate profile information and good customer service.
- Chasing rankings without tracking enquiries. A higher position is valuable only if it helps attract the right visitors and supports business goals.
- Using repetitive or unnatural location keywords. Write for people first and mention locations where they are genuinely relevant.
Is Ahrefs worth using for local SEO?
Ahrefs can be a valuable tool for local SEO when you need to research keywords, understand competing websites, audit your site, explore backlinks and monitor rankings. It is particularly useful for planning and measuring the organic search side of your strategy.
However, local visibility depends on more than a software subscription. Strong results usually come from combining a helpful website with accurate business details, a well-managed Google Business Profile, positive customer experiences and a clear understanding of the areas you serve.
Frequently asked questions
Can Ahrefs manage my Google Business Profile?
Ahrefs is not a replacement for managing your Google Business Profile. Use Google’s own profile tools to update business details, photos, opening hours and other listing information.
Can Ahrefs show local keyword rankings?
Ahrefs rank tracking can be configured for locations where the relevant options are available. Choose a location that reflects your target area, and remember that local results may differ from one searcher to another.
Should every service area have its own page?
No. Create a page when it helps people understand your services in that area and contains genuinely useful information. Avoid making multiple pages with only the place name changed.
What should a local business measure?
Track a mix of indicators: relevant keyword visibility, organic visits, calls, direction requests, form submissions, bookings and other qualified enquiries. The most useful measures depend on how customers contact and buy from your business.
8 Essential Tips for Mastering Local SEO with Ahrefs
- Use Keywords Explorer to find location-specific search terms.
- Check local search volumes before choosing target keywords.
- Use Rank Tracker to monitor rankings in your target locations.
- Review competitors’ backlinks in Site Explorer for local link ideas.
- Use Content Gap to spot local topics competitors cover.
- Run Site Audit to find technical issues on location pages.
- Build useful, unique landing pages for each service area.
- Track local mentions and links to find partnership opportunities.
Use Keywords Explorer to find location-specific search terms.
Use Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer to discover the phrases people use when searching for businesses and services in your area. Enter a core service alongside a town, borough or neighbourhood—for example, “dentist in Hackney”—then review related keyword ideas and questions for additional opportunities. Use the findings to guide useful website content, such as service or location pages, but prioritise terms that match what you genuinely offer rather than forcing location keywords into your copy.
Check local search volumes before choosing target keywords.
Before choosing target keywords, use Ahrefs to check their estimated local search volumes for the areas you serve. This can help you compare phrases and prioritise searches that are both relevant to your services and likely to be used by nearby customers. Treat the figures as estimates rather than guarantees: local searches may have low recorded volumes but still bring valuable enquiries, so consider search intent and the actual results alongside the numbers.
Use Rank Tracker to monitor rankings in your target locations.
Use Ahrefs Rank Tracker to monitor how your website performs for important local keywords in the areas you serve. Set the target location as specifically as the tool allows, then review ranking changes over time to see which pages are gaining visibility and where further work may be needed. Local search results can vary by area, so location-based tracking gives a more relevant picture than checking national rankings alone.
Review competitors’ backlinks in Site Explorer for local link ideas.
Use Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to review the backlinks pointing to local competitors’ websites and spot potential link opportunities. Look for relevant local newspapers, community organisations, trade associations, event partners or business directories that have linked to similar companies. Treat these as leads to investigate, not links to copy automatically: focus on reputable websites and genuine opportunities to contribute something useful, such as expert insight, a local project or a community partnership.
Use Content Gap to spot local topics competitors cover.
Use Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool to find local topics your competitors cover that your website does not. Enter your site alongside competing local businesses, then review the keywords bringing traffic to their pages. Look for relevant gaps, such as neighbourhood-specific services, local guides or answers to common customer questions. Use these insights to plan genuinely helpful content for the areas you serve, rather than creating pages just to repeat location names.
Run Site Audit to find technical issues on location pages.
Use Ahrefs’ Site Audit to check your location pages for technical issues that could affect search visibility or user experience. It can help uncover problems such as broken links, missing or duplicate title tags, pages that cannot be crawled, and slow-loading content. Review the findings and prioritise fixes that prevent search engines or potential customers from accessing important information, such as your services, address and contact details.
Build useful, unique landing pages for each service area.
Create a useful, unique landing page for each service area you genuinely serve, explaining which services are available there and what local customers can expect. Ahrefs can help you research location-specific keywords and review the pages competing in search results, but use those insights to make each page more helpful—not simply to repeat place names. Include accurate contact details, relevant local information and clear next steps, and avoid publishing near-identical pages for areas where you have little to offer.
Track local mentions and links to find partnership opportunities.
Use Ahrefs to monitor mentions of your business and explore the websites linking to similar local organisations. These can reveal potential partnership opportunities with community groups, suppliers, local publications and complementary businesses. Consider reaching out where there’s a genuine reason to collaborate, such as contributing expert advice, supporting a local event or creating useful resources together. Focus on building relevant relationships and earning links naturally, rather than asking for links without offering value.
