Seo local

seo-local — Local SEO Optimization

Local SEO Framework

Dimension A: Google Business Profile (GBP) Optimization

Profile Completeness Checklist

Element	Status	Impact	Notes
Business name	—	Critical	Exact legal name, no keyword stuffing
Primary category	—	Critical	Most specific category available
Secondary categories	—	High	Up to 9 additional, all relevant
Business description	—	High	750 chars max, natural keywords, value proposition
Address	—	Critical	Exact match across all platforms
Phone number	—	Critical	Local number preferred over toll-free
Website URL	—	Critical	Link to location-specific page if multi-location
Business hours	—	High	Include special hours, holiday hours
Photos	—	High	Minimum 10: exterior, interior, team, products
Products/Services	—	Medium	Complete catalog with descriptions and prices
Attributes	—	Medium	All applicable attributes selected
Q&A	—	Medium	Seed with common questions, monitor for new ones

GBP Post Strategy

Post Type	Frequency	Best Practices
What's New	1-2x/week	News, updates, behind-the-scenes
Offers	As available	Clear terms, expiration date, CTA
Events	As scheduled	Date, time, description, registration link
Products	When new/updated	Photo, price, description, link

GBP Optimization Rules

• Never add keywords to business name (violates Google guidelines, risks suspension)
• Respond to ALL reviews within 24-48 hours
• Upload new photos monthly (minimum)
• Keep hours accurate — incorrect hours damage trust signals
• Use UTM parameters on GBP website link for tracking

Dimension B: Local Ranking Factors (2026)

The Local Pack Ranking Triad

Factor	Weight	Controllable?	Optimization
Relevance	~25%	Yes	Category selection, description, content
Distance	~25%	No	Physical location is fixed
Prominence	~50%	Yes	Reviews, citations, links, content, authority

Local Organic vs Local Pack

Aspect	Local Pack (Map)	Local Organic
Ranking factors	GBP signals dominant	Standard SEO + local signals
Content needed	GBP profile optimization	Location pages, local content
Links needed	Citations + local links	Standard link building + local
Reviews	Directly visible, critical	Indirect signal

Key Local Ranking Signals

1. GBP signals: Category, keywords in description, completeness, activity
2. Review signals: Quantity, velocity, diversity, keywords in reviews, responses
3. On-page signals: NAP on website, local keywords, city/state in title tags
4. Citation signals: NAP consistency, citation volume, quality of citation sources
5. Link signals: Local links (chambers, newspapers, directories), DR of linking domains
6. Behavioral signals: Click-through rate, mobile clicks-to-call, driving directions requests
7. Personalization: Searcher's location, search history

Dimension C: NAP Consistency & Citations

NAP Audit Process

1. Define canonical NAP (exact format to use everywhere):

   Name: [Exact Business Name LLC]
   Address: [123 Main St, Suite 100, City, ST 12345]
   Phone: [(555) 123-4567]
   

2. Audit all existing citations for consistency
3. Prioritize fixes by citation source authority

Core Citation Sources (Must-Have)

Platform	Priority	Category
Google Business Profile	Critical	Search engine
Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect	Critical	Maps
Bing Places	High	Search engine
Yelp	High	Review/Directory
Facebook	High	Social
Better Business Bureau	High	Trust
Yellow Pages / YP.com	Medium	Directory
Foursquare	Medium	Data aggregator

Industry-Specific Citations

Industry	Key Citations
Healthcare	Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD, Zocdoc
Legal	Avvo, FindLaw, Justia, Lawyers.com
Real Estate	Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Redfin
Restaurants	Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Zomato
Home Services	Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Houzz
Automotive	Cars.com, AutoTrader, CarGurus, DealerRater

Citation Consistency Scoring

Issue	Severity	Impact
Wrong business name	Critical	Confuses Google entity matching
Wrong address	Critical	Misdirects customers, loses ranking
Wrong phone number	High	Lost leads, trust issues
Inconsistent formatting	Medium	Minor confusion signal
Duplicate listings	Medium	Dilutes authority
Closed/outdated listing	High	Incorrect info in results

Dimension D: Review Management & Reputation

Review Acquisition Strategy

Channel	Timing	Method
Post-service email	1-3 days after service	Automated email with direct review link
SMS follow-up	Same day or next day	Short text with review link
In-store QR code	At point of sale	QR code on receipt, counter card
Website widget	After conversion/visit	Review prompt on thank-you page
Staff ask	End of positive interaction	Verbal request + card with link

Review Response Templates

Positive review (4-5 stars):

• Thank by name, reference specific service, invite back
• Keep unique — don't copy-paste same response

Neutral review (3 stars):

• Thank for feedback, acknowledge concern, offer resolution
• Move detailed conversation offline

Negative review (1-2 stars):

• Apologize, don't be defensive, offer offline resolution
• Never argue publicly — potential customers are watching

Review Metrics to Track

Metric	Good	Warning	Critical
Average rating	≥4.5	4.0-4.4	<4.0
Review count vs competitors	Above avg	At avg	Below avg
Review velocity	Steady growth	Flat	Declining
Response rate	100%	>80%	<80%
Response time	<24h	24-72h	>72h

Review Schema Implementation

{
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "reviewCount": "127",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  }
}

Note: Only use AggregateRating from legitimate, verifiable review sources.

Dimension E: Local Content Strategy

Service Area Pages

For businesses serving multiple locations:

Element	Requirement	Example
Unique title	City + Service + Brand	"Plumbing Services in Austin, TX - ABC Plumbing"
Unique H1	Natural, location-specific	"Expert Plumbing Services for Austin Homes"
Unique content	60%+ unique per page	Local landmarks, area-specific info, team bios
Local schema	LocalBusiness + areaServed	PostalAddress + GeoCoordinates
Google Maps embed	Centered on service area	Dynamic map with business marker
Local testimonials	From customers in that area	Name + area (with permission)
Local images	Photos from that location	Team, projects, local landmarks

Quality Gates for Location Pages

• Warning: 30+ location pages → enforce 60%+ unique content per page
• Hard stop: 50+ location pages → require user justification (doorway page risk)
• Never create thin location pages with only city name swapped
• Each page must provide genuine value to someone in that location

Cross-reference: references/quality-gates.md for content thresholds.

Local Content Types

Content	SEO Value	Effort
Service area pages	High (local rankings)	Medium
Local event coverage	Medium (freshness + links)	Low
Local guides/resources	High (links + authority)	High
Case studies (local clients)	High (E-E-A-T + trust)	Medium
Community involvement posts	Medium (brand + links)	Low
Local FAQ page	Medium (PAA + voice search)	Low

Local Schema Markup

Required for local businesses:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Business Name",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Austin",
    "addressRegion": "TX",
    "postalCode": "78701"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "30.2672",
    "longitude": "-97.7431"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
  "openingHoursSpecification": [],
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "GeoCircle",
    "geoMidpoint": {"@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "30.2672", "longitude": "-97.7431"},
    "geoRadius": "50 mi"
  }
}

Multi-Location Management

For businesses with multiple physical locations:

1. Unique GBP per location (never share listings)
2. Location-specific landing pages with unique content
3. Store locator page with structured data (if 5+ locations)
4. Consistent branding but locally relevant content
5. Individual review management per location
6. Location-specific social profiles if resources allow

Scoring

Category	Weight
GBP Optimization	30%
NAP Consistency	20%
Review Management	20%
Local Ranking Factors	15%
Local Content Strategy	15%

Output Format

Generate LOCAL-SEO-REPORT.md with:

1. Local SEO Score (0-100)
2. GBP Audit (completeness checklist, optimization opportunities)
3. NAP Consistency Report (citations audited, issues found, fix priorities)
4. Review Analysis (rating, count, velocity, response rate, competitor comparison)
5. Local Ranking Assessment (Local Pack visibility, local organic rankings)
6. Content Recommendations (service area pages, local content plan)
7. Priority Action Plan (Critical → High → Medium → Low)