Local SEO Audit Checklist (34 checks, free PDF)

Google Business Profile

Your profile is the single biggest local ranking input. Get the basics exactly right.

0/6

Profile is claimed and verifiedHigh impactVerification unlocks editing, insights and messaging. Re-verify after major changes such as moving address.
Primary category is the most specific availableHigh impactChoose “Emergency dental service” over “Dentist” only if that's your main business. Add 3–5 relevant secondary categories.
Regular and holiday hours are completeHigh impactSet special hours for every public holiday at least two weeks ahead. Mismatched hours are the top cause of negative reviews.
Services and products are listed with descriptionsMediumUse the same service names as your website and schema for consistent relevance signals.
At least 10 recent, real photosMediumExterior, interior, team and work examples. Add new photos monthly.
Posts or updates published in the last 30 daysNice to haveOffers, events and updates show activity and can appear in the knowledge panel.

Name, address and phone must match everywhere search engines look.

0/5

NAP on the website matches the profile character-for-characterHigh impactSame suite format, same abbreviations (St vs Street), same primary phone number.
Top citation sites are claimed and consistentHigh impactYelp, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Facebook and the main industry directories.
No duplicate or outdated listingsMediumSearch for old phone numbers and former addresses; merge or remove duplicates.
Call-tracking numbers don't replace the primary numberMediumUse tracking numbers as additional numbers only; keep the real primary number in schema and citations.
Business name has no keyword stuffingHigh impact“Bright Smile Dental” — not “Bright Smile Dental | Best Dentist Groningen”. Stuffing risks suspension.

LocalBusiness JSON-LD tells search engines and AI assistants exactly who you are.

0/7

LocalBusiness JSON-LD is on every location pageHigh impactOne location per page. The homepage of a single-location business counts.
The most specific @type is usedHigh impactDentist, Plumber, HVACBusiness, LegalService — not generic LocalBusiness.
name and full address are present and validHigh impactRequired by Google. Include street, city, region, postal code and ISO country code.
openingHoursSpecification matches the profileHigh impactIncluding split hours and closes-after-midnight. Add specialOpeningHoursSpecification for holidays.
geo coordinates have 5+ decimalsMediumPrecise lat/long helps map matching. Omit for service-area businesses without a storefront.
sameAs links to GBP and key profilesMediumGoogle Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn and industry directories.
Passes Google's Rich Results Test with no errorsHigh impactRe-test after every site redesign, CMS migration or plugin update — schema silently breaks.

Missing structured data? Generate valid LocalBusiness JSON-LD in a few minutes.

Each location needs a page worth ranking.

0/6

Dedicated page per locationHigh impactUnique copy, address, map, hours, staff and photos — not a city name swapped into a template.
Title tag includes service and cityMedium“Emergency Plumber in Austin, TX — Lone Star Plumbing”. Keep it under ~60 characters.
Embedded map and driving directionsNice to haveEmbed the map for the verified profile, not a generic address search.
Service pages link to the location pageMediumInternal links connect services to locations for topical relevance.
Click-to-call and booking above the fold on mobileMediumMost local searches are mobile. Make the phone number a tel: link.
Location FAQs answer real customer questionsNice to haveParking, insurance, emergency availability, languages spoken.

Volume, recency and responses all matter.

0/5

A review request is part of every jobHigh impactSend a short link after service. Never incentivise or gate reviews.
Every review gets a response within 48 hoursMediumThank positives by name; address negatives factually and take details offline.
New reviews arrive every monthMediumRecency is a visible trust signal and a ranking factor.
No self-serving review markup is expected to show starsNice to haveGoogle won't show stars for LocalBusiness markup about your own business. Don't promise them to clients.
Industry review platforms are coveredNice to haveHealthgrades/Zocdoc for medical, Avvo for legal, Houzz/Angi for trades, Tripadvisor for hospitality.

The site must be crawlable, fast and stable.

0/5

Site is served over HTTPS without mixed contentHigh impactIncluding logo and image URLs used in schema.
Core Web Vitals pass on mobileMediumLCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1.
Location pages are indexedHigh impactCheck with a site: search and the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.
XML sitemap lists every location pageMediumSubmit it in Search Console and keep it in sync with new locations.
Schema is monitored for driftMediumHours change; schema should change with them. Use a hosted embed or monthly checks.