Local SEO checklist

Use this checklist to review a local business’s public search presence. It is a diagnostic aid. Completing every row does not guarantee rankings.

2026-08-20 · 14 min read · Local SEO Audits

Business identity

  • Legal name, trading name and shopfront signage are reconciled into one public primary name
  • Phone, website and hours match how the business actually answers
  • Address or service area is true; no extra pins for cities you do not occupy

Google Business Profile

  • Primary category matches the real offer
  • Services or products are complete enough for a customer to understand the business
  • Photos show real premises, work or products where that is appropriate
  • The website destination is a relevant, working page
  • Duplicates are identified; keyword-stuffed names are not used

Website and local pages

  • Each important URL has one dominant intent, a clear H1 and a usable next step
  • Service pages describe real offerings rather than interchangeable marketing copy
  • Location pages exist only when they add unique, true information
  • Internal links connect services, locations and useful resources
  • Titles, canonicals and indexability are correct on the preferred host

Listings, reviews and measurement

  • Sampled third-party listings match the source of truth; junk bulk submissions are avoided
  • Review requests are ethical and responses are factual
  • Search Console and analytics, if used, are actually connected to the live site
  • No fake testimonials, fake statistics or misleading review markup on the website

For a consultant-led version of this review, see Local SEO audit services. Google’s own product documentation for profiles is on Google Business Profile Help.

Who writes this

This page is published by Otepsphere, a specialist Local SEO consultancy. A named founder biography, photograph and professional profiles will be added here only when they have been verified. Until then, treat Otepsphere as the responsible organisation rather than a fictional expert.

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