The local SEO checklist.

The profile has its own guide. These three checks connect it to everything else.

• The profile is verified and filled inGoogle says complete, accurate details make a business more likely to show up. Our profile guide goes through it step by step.Google
• There is one profile for each locationGoogle says not to create more than one for a location. If you find a duplicate, sort that out first.Google
• The profile links to the right pageGoogle asks for a website that represents your location, with no redirects. With more than one location, link each profile to its own page.Google

• One page for each main serviceWhitespark's experts put this first for regular Google results and second for AI search.Whitespark
• Page titles name the service and the placeFourth on the same list for regular results, counted on the page your profile links to. Keep it a title a person would want to read.Whitespark
• The text says where you really workCity and neighborhood relevance came second for regular results. Say it in sentences: Google counts blocks of text listing cities as keyword stuffing.Whitespark, Google
• City pages only where you have something to sayGoogle calls substantially similar pages aimed at different cities doorway abuse. One page with the city name swapped is what to avoid.Google
• Pages link to each other in words that make senseGoogle says link text should make sense on its own, and "click here" is one of its bad examples. Internal linking came sixth for regular results in the survey.Google
• Name, address and phone match everywhereGoogle wants the name you use on your storefront, website and stationery, and a phone number that connects to that location. A local number beats a call center line.Google
• Your details are in LocalBusiness markupName and address are required, phone and web address recommended, and Google says to use the most specific type. Experts score it low for rank, so do it once and move on.Google
• No star-rating markup for your own reviewsIf a business controls the reviews about itself, Google says its LocalBusiness pages cannot get the star feature. A Google or Facebook reviews widget counts too.Google
• The site passes the basicsA mobile-friendly site came fourth among the things experts say turn searchers into customers. Our website checklist has the rest.Whitespark

The Google pages we read say nothing about directory listings. People use other maps, though, and experts still count them.

• Your Apple Maps place card is claimedApple Business Connect is free. Once Apple verifies you, you can update the card yourself.Apple
• Bing Places is set upBing can import your listing from your Google profile and verifies it automatically if Google already has. Publishing usually takes 7 to 12 days.Bing
• Google, Apple and Bing all say the same thingConsistent details on those three came 28th of 187 for map results. Worth fixing what is wrong. Not worth paying for hundreds of listings.Whitespark
• You are in the directories your customers useSearch your trade and your city, and see which directories come up. Those are the ones worth your time.Our advice

Google counts how many websites link to you toward how well known you are.

• Your web address is on everything you printGoogle says to put it on business cards, letterhead and posters. We would add trucks and invoices.Google
• Local groups you really belong to link to youTrade associations, the chamber, suppliers, a team you sponsor. Links from locally relevant sites scored 26th and 27th for map results.Whitespark
• You are on "best of" lists and in local newsFor AI search, the survey puts expert "best of" lists first and news stories, blog posts and industry associations fourth.Whitespark
• No bought linksGoogle lists buying links for ranking as spam, along with low-quality directories. A paid placement is fine if the link is marked sponsored or nofollow.Google

Asking is allowed on Google and not on Yelp, so one message for every site does not work.

• You ask every customer, not only the happy onesGoogle does not allow selectively soliciting positive reviews, and the FTC says the same. In the survey, reports of review gating are the sixth biggest suspension risk.Google, FTC
• No rewards for reviewsGoogle does not allow discounts, free goods or payment in exchange for a review, or for changing a bad one.Google
• Staff have no review quotasGoogle says employees should not be asked to gather a certain number. Yelp says staff should never compete for them.Google, Yelp
• You do not ask for Yelp reviews at allYelp says not to ask anyone, and its software may not recommend reviews that look requested.Yelp
• Reviews keep coming inRecency came 11th for map results. Google also removes unusual volumes or patterns of reviews, so ask after every job, not in one big push.Whitespark, Google

• You wrote down where you stand todayCalls, form messages and where you show up. Without a starting point you cannot tell what changed.Our advice
• You know what people search for where you workKeyword Planner is free, but you need a Google Ads account with a campaign set up.Google
• You check Search Console for the words people usedIts Performance report shows clicks, appearances and average position for each search query, over the past three months by default.Google
• You read your profile's own numbersCalls, website clicks, direction requests and the search terms people used. The counts include Google Ads, so keep that in mind if you run ads.Google
• Calls and form messages are key events in AnalyticsGoogle describes a key event as an action particularly important to your business. A filled-in form is the obvious one.Google