The BEST Local SEO Tools, Software & Providers

As an SEO Agency with more than a decade of experience, we’ve now worked with 1000s of businesses and have tried nearly every tool on the marketing. In this post we’ll share the best local SEO and Google My Business (GMB) we’ve found and use on a daily basis.

If you want the TLDR, here’s the list and the key features we use in each one:

1. LocalViking – a new-ish tool and by far the best GMB listing management tool. Our favorite features are the scheduled GMB posts feature and alert emails on changes and bad reviews
2. Agency Analytics – hands down the best GMB reporting tool pulling data from GMB Insights
3. SEO Builder – amazing citation building service with a super high indexation rate
4. Loganix – similar to SEO builder, love their citation audit service
5. Brightlocal – great hands on local SEO and has some awesome dashboards
6. Callrail – the best call tracking and attribution tool, not cheap but awesome
7. NAP Hunter – a free bookmarklet and easy way to do citation review and auditing work
8. Semrush – we use Semrush for SEO auditing especially for big sites
9. Accuranker – awesome rank tracking
10. Web 20 Ranker – some excellent local SEO services that would sit more in the “grey” area if you get what I mean.
11. Whitespark – a fantastic set of tools for citations and also some great free resources

Keep reading to find out the benefits of using local SEO tools and our honest reviews of the most useful local SEO & GMB tools and their essential features. Finding the perfect software or tool for your business won’t seem so intimidating or time-consuming once you have our article to guide you. 

Why Are Local SEO Tools Crucial for Your Business?

Before we get into the reviews, let’s first take a short detour and discuss how businesses benefit from a powerful local SEO strategy. 

We assume you’re already familiar with SEO to some extent, but in case you want to refresh your knowledge you can go over the SEO basics here. The difference between traditional SEO practices and local SEO is that while SEO tries to improve your website visibility on a global scale, local SEO focuses on searches in a certain territory and maximizes the chances of you connecting with them.

The main advantage of local SEO is that 80% of local searches convert to customers, making it one of the most effective methods of boosting foot traffic, sales, and revenue.

Generally, as local SEO is a subset of traditional SEO, both approaches use the same strategies (SERP features, organic listings, ads), although local searches have unique features that local SEO can take advantage of. 

When searching for a local business or service, what comes up in the results is something called the Local SEO 3-pack. This is a map with three businesses that fit your search query. Google generates this list of potential businesses using the information from Google My Business profiles, which is where local SEO tools work their magic in getting your business in one of those three slots.

Aside from managing GMB (Google My Business) profiles, local SEO focuses on local review sites, local keyword optimization, local directories, and filling important contact details.

The BEST Local Tools in Detail:

1. Local Viking

Local Viking is by far the best Google My Business management and monitoring tool we’ve found, so we highly recommend it. While it’s relatively new on the market, it has quickly gained popularity and manages over 50,000 listings globally. On top of that, Local Viking regularly adds new features, so you won’t be disappointed. 

The company started working in 2018, first as a GMB posting tool and later as a comprehensive GMB management software integrating GMB reviews, photos, attribute editing, and so much more. The main purpose of Local Viking is to help you increase visibility and revenue among locals who search for your type of product and services. 

All of the features and services that Local Viking offers can be divided into three main categories: posting, managing, and tracking services. 

While you’ll get unique and advanced features in each category, the main feature that sets Local Viking apart from the competition, and our favorite, is the GeoGrid rank tracker. Thanks to the tracker, which includes geospatial data, you can get really granular ranking info showed in a precise grid size over your location.

Key Features We Loved:

• The ability to schedule GMB posts, both one-off and recurring;
• The review, monitoring, and alerting feature;
• The ability to lock changes made to GMB listings or revert changes thanks to the ART feature (Automated Reversion Technology), which prevents you from getting malicious GMB edits from those sneaky competitors;

Other Features Include:

• The location content calendar where you can see and easily track all of your GMB content (even from multiple locations) in one dashboard;
• The listing management tool, where you can track property insights and make quick changes to the location data from a single dashboard regardless of how many GMB properties you have; 
• The ability to schedule bi-daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly keyword refreshes;
• Maps and local rank tracking, where you can monitor how your location ranks in Google Maps and your listing in both maps and organic search results;
• The ability to automatically embed latitude, longitude, keyword, and other data into your images before scheduling them directly from the dashboard; This feature prevents losing metadata, which frequently happens when using 3rd party photo tools.
• The schedulable, white-label insight reports which are fully automated;
• The free local SEO toolbox.

Final Verdict

The software is a perfect solution for businesses of all types and sizes. Whether you’re an SEO expert who manages multiple businesses or an entrepreneur who has their business listed on GMB and simply wants to increase sales and revenue. 

Learn more at localviking.com

7. N.A.P Hunter by Local SEO Guide

Unlike all the other services and platforms we’ve presented so far, NAP Hunter is a free tool that makes it easier to do citation research and cleanup work. Plus, it’s super easy to use. 

The tool is developed by Local SEO Guide, which is a company that specializes in local SEO services. It works as an extension to Google Chrome and once you install it N.A.P Hunter will perform searches for various combinations of a business’ name, address, and phone number. It will open tabs with citation sites that you can browse. 

N.A.P Hunter is perfect for SEO experts who are overwhelmed by the workload they have to do for their clients and are looking for something simple that can speed up the process of searching for wild N.A.P data. The fact that’s completely free of charge makes this tool a must-have. 

Local SEO Guide has an amazing team that offers several local SEO tools for FREE. So, once you’re on the site, feel free to also check out:

• The free Business Listing Scan
• The Local Keyword Generator Tool
• The Text-Only Google Cache Checker
• The Automated Google Lighthouse Reporting
• The RICE Model Forecasting for SEO
• The Automate Knowledge Graph & GMB Image Change Alerts

Final Verdict:

Unlike the other platforms, N.A.P Hunter is a single tool that’s completely FREE. It does just one thing – hunts down citations, which saves a lot of time when doing manual work. It’s great when you’re doing your citations in-house and you’re looking for something simple to help you out. 

Learn more at localseoguide.com

8. Semrush

Semrush is not strictly a local SEO tool but an all-inclusive platform that provides services for SEO, advertising, content, and SMM. Basically, Semrush is a go-to provider that allows you to outsource your whole marketing department. However, there are many reasons why we included Semrush in our best local SEO, Google Maps & GMB SEO tools list. The most notable being Semrush’s audit feature, which is probably the best on the market and is the feature we like the most. 

The company is also recognized as the best SEO suite and has received numerous rewards in the industry, such as the US Search Awards 2019, MENA Search Awards 2019, and SEMY Awards 2019.

Key Services We Loved:

• Organic Research 
• Organic Traffic Insights
• Keyword Research
• Backlink Building and Analytics
• Rank Tracking
• Site Audit
• On-Page SEO Checker
• Search Engine Sensor

Semrush can help you take control over your online presence with their Listing Management tool, developed in collaboration with Yext. Within the tool, you can also manage your GMB profile completely by uploading pictures, updating your address and opening hours, and even creating posts. You can also create social media content in SEMrush’s Social Media Poster in GMB so your site back while the tool automatically publishes each post at just the right time. 

Our favorite, the Site Audit tool can help you track your website’s health and optimize it for mobile, and increase your indexing. 

Final Verdict:

Semrush is a widely popular all-inclusive marketing platform that can handle everything you though at it. It’s a little bit more expensive, but it’s a good option for large companies and enterprises. We included in our list because of its amazing Site Audit tool, which we believe it’s indispensable for mobile optimizing.  

Learn more at semrush.com

9. Accuranker

Every tool has its particular strengths and Accuranker’s is probably the fact that it’s one of the best rank trackers for local SEO work as it has local tracking capabilities. Accuranker can track competitors, track SERP features, and do a bunch of other useful SEO things.

Accuranker has been around since 2013, founded as a Software as a Service (SaaS) company for fast keyword rank tracking. It quickly became an indispensable tool for many SEO agencies and businesses because it’s efficient, simple, and affordable. 

Accuranker provides insightful, in-depth analytics of various key rank metrics. Here are some of the features of this rank tracker:

• On-demand updates, meaning you can refresh and update the data anytime you need, so you can stay on top of any sudden changes. This can help you get a better understanding of your ranking fluctuations and make smarter local SEO strategy.
• The ability to understand what exactly drives the most traffic to your site by examining SERP History.
• The ability to organize, filter, and customize how you want to see your data, so you can be sure you never miss something important. 
• You can add an unlimited number of domains and users, which is especially beneficial for bigger businesses with larger marketing teams.
• Tagging and Landing Pages feature through which you can organize large keyword data.  
• 3rd party integration support, which means you can do everything in one dashboard and pull from multiple sources. 
• Free help guides and walkthroughs through all the features for new customers and beginners. 
• The ability to get discounts and 20% recurring commissions through AccuRanker’s Affiliate Program.

Final Verdict:

Accuranker effectively provides what the name suggests- accurate rank tracking. We love it and believe it’s a great choice for anyone that needs a rank tracking tool because it has one of the fastest, most precise, and affordable software that can track competitors, track SERP features, and other local SEO indicators. 

Learn more at accuranker.com

10. Web20ranker

Web20ranker is a white label SEO company founded by SEO and local SEO aficionados who believe in leveraging processes, standard operating procedures, and automation to deliver the best results possible for your business. The company started by offering white label SEO and link building services, and not much later included a GMB Optimization line which became one of the most successful white label local maps services that built the company’s reputation. 

Today, Web20ranker provides a bunch of different, advanced local SEO services such as GMB stacking. They also offer monthly management services as well as some great Google Data Studio report setup services. 

Visiting their website can seem a little overwhelming as they have a lot of services, although everything is well organized and you can even shop for services by category: DFY SEO, GMB SEO, Citations, Links, Branding, and even Press Services. 

Key Features We Loved:

• Advanced level campaigns for GMB and local SEO that are hard to find with other providers.
• Accelerated GMB bundles with a variety of add-ons, clean-up, and social optimization, that you can choose from and decide which services you like, so you can create your own package. 
• Authority Map Stack which includes MREID, CID linking, local press release, and GMB place embeds.
• Building Co-Citation and Co-Occurrence strategies.
• Complete citation clean up service with a free manual audit. 
• Data Aggregator Listings in the USA and Canada, so you can get your company’s info distributed in over 1000 online business directories. 
• The ability to get country-specific citations. You can choose from a variety of unique content topics, authority links, and brand mentions. 

On top of all this, Web20ranker offers free training resources and client acquisition training, so you can be more involved and better understand GMB and local SEO needs.

Final Verdict:

Beginners and smaller businesses might be content with the more basic SEO services, but large companies and professional SEO agencies looking for advanced local SEO tools should turn to Web20ranker. The company offers a bunch of management services that are unique and hard to find at other service providers. 

Learn more at web20ranker.com

11. Whitespark

Whitespark is one of the original providers of local SEO tools and services with a bunch of free tools and fantastic services too, which can quickly become indispensable for your business. The company has been around for more than 15 years, building its reputation as one of the best service and tool providers for citation building, citation audit and clean-up, and rank tracking tools.

One of the reasons why we love Whitespark is that it’s user-friendly and affordable. While companies like Yext charge around $500 for less than 50 listings, you can get the same deal for half that price on Whitespark, and you’ll even own your listings permanently. This makes Whitespark a great tool for small businesses, as well as large companies. 

Key Features We Loved:

• The GMB review link generator;
• The review PDF/printout generator (this is really good for offline businesses);
• The citation finder which has a free option;
• Some of the paid services are great at cleaning up citation disasters and uncoupling from services like Yext.

Other Features Include:

• The competitor tracking feature where you can add your top competitors to keep a close eye on how they’re performing for the same target keywords, as well as run comparison reports to better understand your position.
• The ability to track your rankings on Youtube and other social media accounts. 
• The ability to make deep keyword comparisons, so you can be first in line when some keyword gains momentum.
• The Reputation Builder through which you can capture more feedback and engage more customers.
• The Review Checker, which is another amazing tool that can help you manage your reviews and clearly see where you’re doing good and where you need to improve. 
• The ability to find, fix, and enhance your listings on the most influential sites in the U.S.

Final Verdict

Whitespark is one of the best service providers for citation building, citation audit, and clean-up. Regardless of whether you’re a one-person professional, SEO agency, or a business looking to outsource their local SEO strategy, Whitespark will no doubt become a valuable service. It’s an excellent option for smaller companies and new-comers in the industry as it’s affordable and user-friendly.  

Learn more at whitespark.ca

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide helped you find the best tools and solutions for all of your local SEO and GMB needs. 

As you can see, different tools and service providers specialize in different aspects of SEO or local SEO. You should carefully examine what fits your current needs best and how you can combine some of the tools to get a full service that will guarantee results. 

Do you need help with citation work, N.A.P clean up, or a more comprehensive GMB management platform? Each and every one of the tools we’ve reviewed does their work professionally and efficiently, but varies in functionality and price. Don’t be afraid to contact the teams behind each service and ask for a free consultation to be able to make a better decision.