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Local SEO Checklist 2026
for Small Businesses
35 items across Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, on-page signals, reviews, and technical basics. Check off as you go — progress saves automatically in your browser. No email required, no gate.
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GBP is the single highest-impact lever for local map pack rankings. These 10 items cover the configuration that most directly affects where your listing appears.
GBP listing is claimed and verified
Go to business.google.com. If unclaimed, request ownership. If unverified, complete the postcard, phone, or video verification process.
FoundationPrimary category is the most specific available for your main service
Avoid broad parent categories ("Business" or "Professional Services"). Use the most specific descriptor — "Family Law Attorney", "Emergency Plumber", "Orthodontist".
High impactSecondary categories added for each additional service
GBP allows up to 9 secondary categories. Each additional category you add creates additional query coverage. Check what your top-ranking competitors are using.
Additional ranking coverageService area configured correctly (for SABs) or address verified (storefronts)
Service-area businesses: hide address, set service area by city/county or radius. Storefronts: confirm address is accurate and shows on map correctly.
SAB-criticalGBP description includes primary service keyword and location
Write naturally within the 750-character limit. Include your main service keyword and the city or area you serve. Don't keyword stuff — write for the reader first.
Keyword signalAll services listed in the Services section with descriptions
Use the GBP Services section to list every service you offer. Add a description to each. This creates additional surface area for service-specific queries.
Treatment/service queriesAt least 10 photos uploaded (exterior, interior, team, service)
Photo quantity is a direct GBP engagement signal. Aim for 20+. Include: exterior (for wayfinding), interior, team, work in progress, and finished job photos.
Engagement ranking factorBusiness hours are accurate including special hours
Inaccurate hours cause Google to suppress your listing or reduce its ranking. Set special hours for public holidays. Enable 24/7 hours if you offer emergency services.
Listing accuracyA GBP post was published within the last 7 days
Weekly GBP posts signal activity to Google's local algorithm. Write about a service, a tip, a promotion, or a recent job. Include the primary service keyword naturally.
Freshness signalQ&A section has at least 5 questions answered
Add your own questions and answer them — Google allows this. Cover FAQs your customers actually ask. Unanswered Q&As from the public are a missed opportunity and a risk.
Additional query coverage
GBP correctly configured but still not ranking? The GBP Optimisation service covers every one of these items — plus competitor category analysis, keyword-optimised description writing, and a review acquisition workflow. From $400 one-time.
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Inconsistent business name, address, or phone number across directories tells Google your listing can't be trusted. These 8 items fix the most common citation problems.
Canonical NAP format documented (exact name, address, phone)
Write down the exact format of your business name, address, and phone number that you'll use everywhere. Example: "Riverside Plumbing & Heating LLC" — not "Riverside Plumbing" or "R. Plumbing".
Foundation — do this firstGBP matches website NAP exactly
Check character-for-character. "St" vs "Street", "Ltd" vs "Limited", "&" vs "and" — these count as mismatches. Your website footer NAP must be identical to your GBP listing.
Most common mismatchBing Places listing claimed and matches canonical NAP
Go to bingplaces.com. Claim your listing and update to canonical NAP. Bing Places feeds Apple Maps in some markets — a gap here has downstream effects.
Core directoryApple Maps listing claimed via Apple Business Connect
Go to businessconnect.apple.com. A missing or incorrect Apple Maps listing affects Siri, Apple Maps, and Spotlight searches — significant mobile traffic for location-based queries.
Core directoryYelp listing matches canonical NAP
Claim your Yelp listing (if not already) and update name, address, phone, and category. Yelp is a high-authority citation source in the US and UK markets particularly.
High authorityPrimary country directory listing is correct (Yell, YP, yellowpages.ca)
US: yellowpages.com · UK: yell.com and thomson.co.uk · Canada: yellowpages.ca · Australia: yellowpages.com.au. These are high-authority aggregator sources that feed many smaller directories.
Country-specificFacebook business page NAP matches canonical
Facebook's business page address and phone number fields feed into local search data. Check that your page name, address, and phone match your canonical NAP exactly.
Social citationNo duplicate GBP listings exist
Search your business name on Google Maps. If you see more than one listing for your business, you have a duplicate. Duplicates split citation authority. Report the incorrect one for removal via GBP support.
Authority split — fix immediately
Found inconsistencies across multiple directories? The citation cleanup service fixes all mismatches, suppresses duplicates, and creates missing listings — across 15+ directories, with a canonical NAP document delivered at the end.
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Your website reinforces your GBP — or undermines it. These 7 items are the on-page changes most likely to move your local search rankings.
Homepage title tag includes primary service keyword and city
Format: "[Primary Service] in [City] | [Business Name]". Example: "Emergency Plumber in Denver | Riverside Plumbing & Heating". Keep under 60 characters.
High impactNAP embedded in website footer on every page
Full business name, address, and phone number in the footer. Matches canonical NAP character-for-character. Mark up with LocalBusiness schema if possible.
NAP signalLocalBusiness schema markup on homepage
Add JSON-LD LocalBusiness schema including name, address, phone, URL, openingHours, and geo coordinates. Validate at search.google.com/test/rich-results before publishing.
SchemaMobile page speed passes Core Web Vitals (LCP under 2.5s)
Test at pagespeed.web.dev. Google uses mobile page speed as a ranking signal. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) under 2.5 seconds is the threshold for a "Good" rating.
TechnicalClick-to-call button visible above the fold on mobile
Most local service searches happen on mobile. A prominent tap-to-call button above the fold reduces friction between search and contact. Check on a real mobile device, not just a browser emulator.
ConversionEach main service has its own dedicated page
One page per service, each targeting a specific keyword. "Drain Cleaning Denver", "Water Heater Repair Denver" — separate pages rank for separate queries. A single "Services" page can't rank for all of them simultaneously.
Service page structureH1 on homepage mentions primary service or location
Your H1 is the strongest on-page keyword signal. It should include your primary service, your location, or both — written naturally. Avoid generic headings like "Welcome to Our Website".
On-page keyword signal
Review count, average rating, recency, and your response rate are among the strongest local pack ranking signals — and the ones most businesses neglect to manage systematically.
You have at least 10 Google reviews
Fewer than 10 reviews is below the threshold where review count meaningfully helps rankings in most markets. Priority one: reach 10. Priority two: maintain velocity (1–2 per month minimum).
BaselineAverage star rating is 4.0 or above
Below 4.0 actively suppresses rankings and conversion. If you're below 4.0, a systematic approach to recent positive reviews is needed before other optimisation work will have full impact.
Rating floorAt least one review in the last 30 days
Review recency signals that your business is active. A business with 100 reviews where the most recent is 18 months old looks less trustworthy than one with 40 recent reviews.
Recency signalAll Google reviews have a response from the owner
Responding to every review — positive and negative — signals engagement and professionalism. Google notes your response rate. For negative reviews: respond calmly, factually, and briefly. Never argue.
Response rateYou have a documented review request process
Passive review acquisition doesn't work. Document when and how you ask for reviews — after job completion, after positive feedback, via follow-up SMS or email. Create a short link to your GBP review form using Google's Place ID tool.
Systematic acquisition
These 5 technical items don't require deep expertise — but each one is a known ranking signal that catches many small businesses with easily fixed gaps.
Website is served over HTTPS (SSL certificate active)
Check: your URL should start with https://, not http://. A padlock icon should appear in the browser. HTTPS is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Most modern hosting providers include SSL free.
Security signalGoogle Search Console is set up and no critical errors flagged
Go to search.google.com/search-console. Add and verify your property if not already done. Check the Coverage report for indexing errors. Fix any "Not indexed" pages that should be indexed.
Indexing healthGoogle Analytics (GA4) installed and tracking
Go to analytics.google.com. Verify that GA4 is receiving data (real-time report should show active sessions when you visit your site). Without tracking, you can't measure the impact of any improvements.
Measurementsitemap.xml exists and is submitted to Google Search Console
Your sitemap helps Google discover and index all your pages. Check if it exists at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Submit via GSC → Sitemaps. Most CMS platforms generate this automatically — check it's enabled.
CrawlabilityWebsite is mobile-friendly (passes Google's Mobile-Friendly Test)
Test at search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. Google uses mobile-first indexing — your mobile experience is the primary one Google evaluates. Most modern sites pass, but it's worth confirming.
Mobile-first indexing
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All 35 items complete
You've covered the essential local SEO foundations. If you've worked through this list and aren't yet ranking where you should be, the gap is likely in competitive factors — review velocity, citation depth, or on-page keyword targeting — that a professional audit can identify precisely.
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