TL;DR: Local SEO is how your business shows up when people search “near me” or “[service] in [city].” It’s free, it drives high-intent customers, and most small businesses are barely doing it. This checklist covers everything—Google Business Profile, your website, online reviews, local citations, and the new AI search landscape—so you can stop losing customers to competitors who rank higher.

Why Local SEO Matters More Than Ever

Here are the numbers that should get your attention:

• 46% of all Google searches have local intent
• 76% of people who search for a local business on their phone visit one within 24 hours
• 28% of those searches result in a purchase
• 92% of consumers choose businesses on the first page of local search results

Translation: people in your area are searching for exactly what you offer, right now. Local SEO determines whether they find you or your competitor.

And here’s the kicker—most local businesses aren’t doing this. A plumber in San Diego who shows up in the local 3-pack (the map results at the top of Google) will get more calls than one who spent $5,000 on a beautiful website but never optimized for local search.

The Checklist

Part 1: Google Business Profile (The Foundation)

Your Google Business Profile is the single most important factor in local search rankings. If you do nothing else on this list, do this.

Setup:

• [ ] Claim your Google Business Profile at business.google.com
• [ ] Verify your business (Google will send a postcard, email, or phone call)
• [ ] Choose the most specific primary category for your business (e.g., “Emergency Plumber” instead of just “Plumber”)
• [ ] Add 2–3 secondary categories that describe additional services
• [ ] Write a compelling business description using your target keywords naturally (750 characters max—use all of them)

Complete every field:

• [ ] Business name (exact legal name—no keyword stuffing)
• [ ] Address (or service area if you go to customers)
• [ ] Phone number (local number preferred over toll-free)
• [ ] Website URL
• [ ] Business hours (including holiday hours)
• [ ] Services list with descriptions
• [ ] Products (if applicable)
• [ ] Appointment/booking link
• [ ] Attributes (wheelchair accessible, veteran-owned, women-owned, etc.)

Photos:

• [ ] Upload a high-quality logo
• [ ] Add a cover photo that represents your business
• [ ] Upload 10+ photos of your work, team, and location
• [ ] Add new photos regularly (businesses with 100+ photos get 520% more calls)
• [ ] Use real photos, not stock images (customers can tell)

Ongoing:

• [ ] Post Google Updates weekly (promotions, tips, project photos)
• [ ] Respond to every review within 24–48 hours (more on this below)
• [ ] Answer questions in the Q&A section
• [ ] Keep hours updated, especially around holidays
• [ ] Check for and remove spam/fake edits monthly

Part 2: Your Website (Local SEO On-Page)

Your website reinforces everything in your Google Business Profile. Google cross-references the two, so consistency is critical.

NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone):

• [ ] Your business name, address, and phone number appear on every page (usually in the header or footer)
• [ ] They match your Google Business Profile exactly—same format, same abbreviations, same phone number
• [ ] Include a clickable phone number for mobile users (tel: link)

Title tags and meta descriptions:

• [ ] Homepage title: “[Business Name] | [Primary Service] in [City, State]”
• [ ] Each service page title: “[Service] in [City] | [Business Name]”
• [ ] Meta descriptions: include your city/area and a call to action (150–160 characters)

Content:

• [ ] Create a dedicated page for each service you offer
• [ ] Mention your city and service area naturally in page content
• [ ] Include your address on a dedicated Contact page with an embedded Google Map
• [ ] Add an “Areas We Serve” page listing all neighborhoods/cities you cover
• [ ] Write content that answers questions your customers actually ask (this feeds AI search results too)

Technical:

• [ ] Mobile-responsive design (test at Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test)
• [ ] Page load speed under 3 seconds (test at PageSpeed Insights)
• [ ] SSL certificate installed (HTTPS—not optional)
• [ ] Schema markup for LocalBusiness (tells Google exactly what your business is)

If you’re using WebZum: most of this is handled automatically. WebZum generates service pages, embeds your business information, builds mobile-responsive sites with SSL, and structures content for search engines. You can check your site’s SEO health with our free Visibility Scan tool.

Part 3: Online Reviews (The Trust Signal)

Reviews are the second most important local ranking factor after your Google Business Profile. And they’re the number one factor in whether someone actually clicks to call you.

Getting reviews:

• [ ] Ask every happy customer for a Google review (in person, via text, or email)
• [ ] Create a direct link to your Google review form (search “Google review link generator”)
• [ ] Make it stupid easy—send the direct link, not instructions
• [ ] Time your ask right: after project completion, after a compliment, at the point of highest satisfaction
• [ ] Don’t incentivize reviews with discounts or gifts (violates Google’s policy)

Managing reviews:

• [ ] Respond to every review—positive and negative
• [ ] For positive reviews: thank them specifically, mention their project or service
• [ ] For negative reviews: stay professional, acknowledge the issue, offer to make it right offline
• [ ] Never argue publicly with a reviewer (you’re not convincing them—you’re performing for the people reading)
• [ ] Report fake reviews through Google Business Profile

Review volume matters:

• Businesses with 40+ Google reviews rank significantly higher in local results
• Aim for 1–2 new reviews per week consistently (not 20 in one day, which looks suspicious)
• Recency matters—a review from last week carries more weight than one from 2 years ago

Part 4: Local Citations (Consistent Listings Everywhere)

A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number. The more consistent citations you have across the web, the more Google trusts your business information.

Essential citations (do these first):

• [ ] Google Business Profile (already covered above)
• [ ] Yelp
• [ ] Facebook Business Page
• [ ] Apple Maps (via Apple Business Connect)
• [ ] Bing Places for Business
• [ ] Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• [ ] Your local Chamber of Commerce

Industry-specific citations:

• [ ] Contractors: HomeAdvisor, Angi, Houzz, Thumbtack, BuildZoom
• [ ] Restaurants: OpenTable, Grubhub, DoorDash, TripAdvisor
• [ ] Medical/Dental: Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals, WebMD
• [ ] Legal: Avvo, FindLaw, Justia, Martindale
• [ ] Auto repair: RepairPal, AutoMD, Mechanic Advisor
• [ ] Real estate: Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia

Citation rules:

• [ ] Use the exact same business name, address, and phone number everywhere
• [ ] Same format for your address (don’t use “Street” in one place and “St.” in another)
• [ ] Update all citations if you move, change phone numbers, or change business hours
• [ ] Check for and fix duplicate listings (they confuse Google)

Part 5: AI Search Optimization (The New Frontier)

In 2026, a growing number of customers find businesses through AI tools—ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews. This is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and it’s the newest piece of the local SEO puzzle.

How to show up in AI search results:

• [ ] Have a website (AI assistants can’t crawl Facebook pages behind login walls)
• [ ] Write content in Q&A format (AI tools love pulling from well-structured answers)
• [ ] Include FAQ sections on your service pages
• [ ] Structure your content with clear headings (H2, H3) that match how people ask questions
• [ ] Make sure your website allows AI crawlers (check your robots.txt)
• [ ] Include structured data (schema markup) so AI can understand your business details

Example: If someone asks ChatGPT “who’s a good plumber in Austin?”, AI will pull from websites that clearly state: the business is a plumber, located in Austin, with reviews and service descriptions. If your website says all that clearly, you have a shot at being recommended.

We wrote an in-depth guide on building for AI discovery: Building for the AI Web.

Part 6: Link Building (The Authority Builder)

Local backlinks tell Google that your business is established and trusted in your community.

Easy local link opportunities:

• [ ] Get listed on your city’s or town’s local business directory
• [ ] Join your local Chamber of Commerce (they link to member businesses)
• [ ] Sponsor a local event, team, or charity (they usually link back to sponsors)
• [ ] Partner with complementary local businesses for cross-promotion
• [ ] Submit to local news sites or neighborhood blogs (many accept business features)
• [ ] Write a guest post for a local blog or industry publication

Don’t:

• Buy links (Google penalizes this)
• Use link farms or spammy directories
• Obsess over link quantity over quality

The 80/20 of Local SEO

If this checklist feels overwhelming, here’s the priority order. These five actions will get you 80% of the results:

1. Claim and fully optimize your Google Business Profile — this alone can get you in the local 3-pack
2. Get a professional website with your NAP and service pages — AI builders make this a 5-minute task
3. Actively collect Google reviews — aim for 40+ reviews
4. Build citations on the top 5 directories — Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing, BBB
5. Keep everything consistent — same name, address, phone everywhere

Do these five things and you’ll outrank 80% of local businesses who are doing nothing.

How to Track Your Progress

You need to know if this is working. Here’s what to measure:

• Google Business Profile Insights: views, searches, calls, direction requests
• Google Search Console: which keywords your site ranks for, which pages get clicks
• Google Analytics: how much traffic comes from organic search
• Rank tracking: search your target keywords monthly and note your position
• Call tracking: are you getting more calls than before?

If your numbers are going up month over month, your local SEO is working. If they’re flat, revisit this checklist and find what’s missing.

Start Today, Not Tomorrow

Local SEO isn’t an overnight strategy. It takes 3–6 months to see significant ranking improvements. That means the best time to start is right now.

The good news? Most of your competitors aren’t doing any of this. By simply completing this checklist, you’ll be ahead of the vast majority of local businesses in your area.

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