Local SEO checklist for service businesses.

This is the working local SEO checklist we run across client audits. 47 items, grouped by effort (quick wins in hours, medium lifts in days, structural work in weeks). Nothing theoretical - every item has shown up as a blocker or opportunity in real engagements.

Quick wins (complete in hours)

Google Business Profile basics

• GBP verified and owned by you (not your agency)
• Business name matches your legal name exactly - no keyword stuffing
• Primary category matches your main service (the single most important GBP field)
• All applicable secondary categories added (up to 9 total)
• Business hours accurate, including holiday hours
• Service area defined for mobile-service businesses
• Phone number matches your tracked number setup
• Website URL uses HTTPS and matches current domain
• Short name claimed if available (gbp.google/yourbusiness)

NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone)

• Identical NAP on: GBP, your website footer, all social profiles, Yelp, BBB, industry directories
• Address formatting identical everywhere (avoid "Suite" vs "Ste" mismatches)
• Phone number includes the same area code format everywhere
• Old addresses purged from all third-party listings after a move

Week-one priorities (1-5 day lifts)

GBP content and engagement

• Business description written (750 char max) with primary service + location in first 250 characters
• Services added individually (not just categories) with descriptions and pricing where applicable
• Products uploaded if relevant (GBP Products carousel boosts visibility)
• At least 20 photos uploaded: exterior, interior, team, work-in-progress, completed jobs
• Photos renamed with descriptive filenames before upload (not "IMG_4823.jpg")
• GBP Posts published weekly: offers, updates, events, products
• Q&A section seeded with 5-10 common questions (yes, you can post your own)
• Messaging enabled and monitored (Google penalizes slow-response businesses)

Review velocity

• Direct review link created (gbp.google/r/...) and added to email signatures, invoices, follow-up texts
• Post-job review request workflow running automatically (via CRM or dedicated tool)
• Review response template drafted for 5-star, 3-4 star, and 1-2 star scenarios
• Every new review responded to within 48 hours
• Negative reviews handled publicly (offer resolution) then privately
• Target: 5-15 new reviews per month sustained

Citation and directory foundation

• Listed on BBB, Yelp, Angi, Houzz (if home services), Avvo (if legal), Healthgrades (if medical), industry-specific directories
• All listings have identical NAP, consistent business description, and at least 5 photos
• Yelp business description avoids keyword stuffing (Yelp filters aggressive SEO)
• Secondary-tier citations: local chamber of commerce, state licensing boards, regional directories
• Duplicate listings merged or removed (common issue after business rebrand or location move)
• Bing Places claimed and synced with GBP

Website structure

On-page signals

• Title tags include primary service + city on location/service pages
• Meta descriptions are unique per page and include service + location + a CTA
• H1 on each page is unique and includes the target keyword
• Business NAP appears in the footer of every page (matches GBP exactly)
• LocalBusiness or relevant subtype schema markup on homepage and service pages
• FAQPage schema on pages with Q&A content (this article is an example)
• Breadcrumb navigation with BreadcrumbList schema

Service-area pages

• Dedicated page per service area (city, neighborhood, ZIP cluster) - not just a list page
• Each page has unique content: local landmarks, service-area-specific testimonials, nearby completed jobs
• Each service-area page links internally to related service pages and your main city page
• Service-area pages linked from the footer sitemap and main navigation where space allows

Ongoing maintenance

• Monthly GBP Insights review: search terms that triggered your listing, actions taken
• Monthly citation audit: any new duplicates, broken listings, or NAP inconsistencies
• Monthly review of Google Search Console Performance report for local keyword movement
• Quarterly service-area content refresh: new project photos, testimonials, seasonal content
• Quarterly competitor audit: track their GBP category changes, review velocity, new content

Final note: If your current agency charges for local SEO and can't produce evidence against each of these 47 items within 48 hours, they're not actually doing the work. Ask for proof.