Local SEO Checklist
Local SEO Checklist 2026: 25 Things to Fix This Month
Most local businesses that miss the map pack are not losing to better marketing. They are losing to gaps they could close in an afternoon: an unverified profile, a phone number that differs between directories, a website that never names the town. This checklist sets out 25 fixes in the order we make them, split into four weeks.
What is on a local SEO checklist? The short answer
A local SEO checklist covers six areas: a verified, complete Google Business Profile; one consistent name, address and phone number; a website that names your services and towns; listings on the main directories; a steady flow of genuine reviews; and local links with tracking. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence.
The 25 items below follow that order as a four-week plan. Each one ends with a plain test for when it is done, and the full list is repeated as a printable table further down.
- Week 1: your Google Business Profile, items 1 to 7
- Week 2: your website, items 8 to 14
- Week 3: listings and reviews, items 15 to 20
- Week 4: local links and tracking, items 21 to 25
What is local SEO, and how does Google rank local results?
Local SEO is the work that makes a business appear when people nearby search for what it sells: in the map pack, in Google Maps and in ordinary results for searches such as "plumber in Leeds" or "accountant near me". It applies to any business that serves customers in a defined area, whether customers come to you or you go to them.
Google states that local results are mainly based on three factors. Relevance is how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Distance is how far each business is from the person searching. Prominence is how well known the business is, and Google says it draws on how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have, with more reviews and positive ratings helping. Google also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Every item below strengthens one of the three: categories and page content build relevance, accurate addresses and service areas get distance right, and reviews, listings and links build prominence. For ranking in general, see what SEO is.
Before you start: which type of local business are you?
Google treats three kinds of local business differently, so decide which you are first. A storefront business (a dentist, café or shop) serves customers at its address and shows that address. A service-area business (a plumber, cleaner or mobile mechanic) travels to customers, and Google’s guidelines say it should hide its address and list the areas it serves instead. A multi-location business is allowed one profile for each location that has its own staff, and Google says not to create more than one profile for a single location.
Two rules catch small firms out. A virtual office, meaning a rented postal address you do not work from, is not eligible, and nor are remote mailboxes or PO boxes. A service-area business can only list an office that is staffed during opening hours.
Then write one master record: the exact business name, address, phone number, website address, opening hours and the towns you serve. Every later step copies from this record, which keeps your details identical everywhere. For sector examples, see our local SEO pages for plumbers and dentists.
Week 1: Google Business Profile checklist (items 1 to 7)
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that appears in the map pack and Google Maps, so it comes first. Google’s own advice for ranking better locally starts here: verify the business, keep the information complete and current, respond to reviews and add photos.
1. Claim and verify your Business Profile
Search for your business on Google Maps. If a profile exists, claim it, and if not, create one at business.google.com. Verification proves to Google that you are allowed to manage the profile, and an unverified profile is less likely to appear in results. Google picks the verification method for you, which may be a phone or text code, email, a recorded video, a live video call or a postcard, and the method cannot be changed. If you are offered video verification, Google recommends using it. Have signage, equipment or proof of address ready to film before you start.
Done when: the profile shows as verified in your Business Profile dashboard.
2. Use your real-world business name, with no keywords added
The business name on your profile must match the name customers see on your signs, invoices and website. Google’s guidelines say adding unnecessary information to the name is not permitted, which covers taglines, service lists and town names that are not part of your real trading name. "Smith & Sons Plumbing" is fine. "Smith & Sons Plumbing Leeds 24hr Emergency Boiler Repair" breaks the rules and can lead to suspension.
Done when: the profile name matches your signage and Companies House or trading name exactly.
3. Pick the most specific primary category
The primary category is the strongest relevance signal you control on the profile. Choose the most specific category that describes your core business, such as "Cosmetic dentist" rather than "Dentist" if cosmetic work is what you mainly sell. Google asks you to use as few categories as possible. Add a secondary category only when it covers a real part of the business. To check your choice, look at the categories the top three businesses in your map pack use for the searches you want.
Done when: the primary category describes the service that brings in most of your revenue.
4. Set hours, service areas and attributes
Fill in regular opening hours, then add special hours for bank holidays and Christmas before they arrive. If you only see people by appointment, check Google’s rules, as some business types should not list hours at all. Service-area businesses should add the towns or postcode districts they actually cover. Then go through the attributes, such as wheelchair access, parking or Wi-Fi, which Google names as part of keeping your information complete. Use a local phone number rather than a call centre line, and make sure it is a number the business controls.
Done when: hours, service areas, phone number and every relevant attribute match your master record.
5. Add services, products and a plain description
List each service you offer with a short description, and add products if you sell them. Google can show these to searchers, and listing them helps Google match you to more specific searches. Write a business description of a few short paragraphs that says what you do, where, and for whom, in the words customers use. Leave out links and promotional claims.
Done when: every service you want to be found for appears on the profile.
6. Upload real photos and videos
Add photos of your premises inside and out, your team, your vehicles and finished work, plus a short video if you have one. Google lists photos and videos among its tips for a better local ranking. Real images also answer the questions customers have before they call, such as where to park or what the waiting room looks like. Stock images do neither job.
Done when: the profile has a logo, a cover photo and recent photos of your own premises and work.
7. Post updates and watch for suggested edits
Business Profile posts come in three types: updates, offers and events. Google archives posts after six months unless they have a date range, so an old post quietly disappears and the profile looks dormant. A short update every month keeps it current. Customers and Google can also suggest edits to your hours, phone number or address, so check the profile weekly and reject anything wrong.
Done when: there is a post from the last 30 days and a named person checks the profile each week.
Week 2: website and on-page checklist (items 8 to 14)
Your profile links to your website, and Google uses both to judge relevance. This week makes the website say clearly what you do and where.
8. Publish one master version of your name, address and phone number
Put your NAP (name, address and phone number) in the website footer and on the contact page as plain text, not as an image, using the exact format from your master record. Make the phone number a tap-to-call link so mobile visitors can ring you in one tap. Embed a Google Map and short directions on the contact page if customers visit you.
Done when: the footer, contact page and Business Profile show character-for-character the same details.
9. Research the local searches your customers use
Local keyword research finds the phrases people use to look for what you sell in your area. Start free: type your service into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions, read the "People also ask" and related searches, and open the Performance report in Google Search Console to see which searches already show your site. Group the phrases by service and by town. Most will follow patterns such as "service in town", "service near me" and "best service in town".
Done when: you have a list of target phrases, with one main phrase for each service page.
10. Put the service and town in titles, headings and opening lines
Each page should target one main phrase. Put it in the title tag, the H1 heading, the URL and the first paragraph, written the way a person would say it. Your homepage should make your service and main town clear before anyone scrolls. Mention the area naturally, not in a list of 40 suburbs at the bottom of the page. If you are not sure you have overdone it, paste the page into our keyword density checker.
Done when: every service page has a unique title and H1 that name the service and, where relevant, the town.
11. Build one page for each real location or service area
If you have more than one branch, give each a location page with its own address, opening hours, photos, staff and directions, and link it from that branch’s Business Profile. Service-area businesses can build service-area pages for the main towns they cover. Each one needs real local substance, such as jobs completed there, reviews from customers in that town and local details. Pages that swap the town name into the same text are doorway pages, and Google’s spam policies say sites that use them may rank lower or not appear at all.
Done when: each location or area page has content that could not be copied to another town by changing the name.
12. Add LocalBusiness structured data
Structured data is code that tells Google your business details in a fixed format. For a local business that means LocalBusiness markup from Schema.org, usually added as JSON-LD. Google requires two properties, the business name and address, and recommends adding the phone number, website address, opening hours and geo coordinates. Use the most specific business type available, such as Dentist or Plumber, and test the page in Google’s Rich Results Test. Our technical SEO service adds and validates this across a site.
Done when: the Rich Results Test reads your LocalBusiness markup with no errors, and it matches your master record.
13. Make the site fast and easy to use on a phone
Many local searches happen on a phone, often by someone who wants to call or find you now. Check that pages load quickly on mobile, that text is readable without zooming and that buttons are easy to tap. Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report flags pages rated "poor" or "needs improvement", and PageSpeed Insights tests a single page. Make sure the site uses HTTPS. Our article on Core Web Vitals and conversion explains which speed problems cost enquiries.
Done when: your key pages pass Core Web Vitals on mobile and show no security warnings.
14. Check that Google can crawl and index every important page
A page Google has not indexed cannot rank. In Google Search Console, open the Page indexing report and check that your homepage, service pages and location pages are indexed. Submit an XML sitemap that lists those pages. If you have moved or renamed pages, check that the old addresses redirect to the new ones. Our guide to technical SEO priorities sets out what to fix first if the report shows problems.
Done when: every page you want found shows as indexed in Search Console.
Week 3: citations and reviews checklist (items 15 to 20)
This week builds prominence. Citations are mentions of your business details on other websites, such as directories and maps services, and reviews are the part of prominence Google names most directly.
15. Claim Bing Places and Apple Business Connect
Google is not the only map. Bing Places for Business controls how you appear in Bing search and Bing Maps, and Apple Business Connect controls your listing in Apple Maps, which iPhone users reach through Siri and the Maps app. Both are free. Copy your details from the master record and verify each listing.
Done when: you control verified listings on Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
16. List on the UK directories that matter for your trade
Add your business to the main UK directories, such as Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, Scoot and Cylex. Then add the ones specific to your sector: your trade body or professional register, and platforms such as Checkatrade or TrustATrader for trades, or Tripadvisor for hospitality. Copy the same details to the social media profiles you actually use, such as Facebook, because customers check them too. A listing on a site your customers use is worth more than dozens on sites nobody visits. Avoid paid packages that submit you to hundreds of low-quality directories.
Done when: you are listed on the core UK directories and every relevant industry site, using identical details.
17. Find and fix inconsistent and duplicate listings
Search for your business name, old phone numbers and old addresses to find listings you did not create. Correct any that differ from your master record, and close or merge duplicate listings, including duplicate Business Profiles. Small differences matter because they make it harder for search engines to be sure each listing describes the same business. Check where your top competitors are listed, too, as it shows directories you have missed.
Done when: every listing you can find matches your master record, and no duplicates remain.
18. Make leaving a review a one-tap job
Get your direct review link from your Business Profile dashboard and put it wherever a customer finishes dealing with you: the invoice email, a follow-up text, a QR code on the counter or the van. Ask every customer, at the moment the job is done, rather than in occasional batches. Recent reviews tell customers what the business is like now, a point we cover in more depth in local SEO trust signals.
Done when: the review link is in your standard follow-up message and someone asks every customer.
19. Reply to every review, good and bad
Reply to every review, within a few days. Google lists responding to reviews among its tips for a better local ranking, and customers notice. In BrightLocal’s consumer survey, 89% said they would use a business that responds to all its reviews, compared with 44% for one that responds to none. Thank positive reviewers for something specific. Answer a negative review calmly, say what you will do, and offer to continue the conversation offline. Write for the next customer reading it.
Done when: every review from the last 90 days has a reply.
20. Keep review requests within Google’s rules and UK law
Two sets of rules apply, and Google’s is the stricter. UK law allows an incentivised review if the incentive is disclosed, but Google’s Maps content policy does not allow incentivised reviews at all, so you cannot offer a discount or prize for a Google review. The policy also bans review gating: discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers. Separately, since 6 April 2025 the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has made it unlawful in the UK to post or commission fake reviews, or to hide that a review was incentivised. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can fine a business up to 10% of its global turnover.
Do not write reviews for yourself, ask staff to post them, or buy them. In March 2026 the CMA opened investigations into five businesses over reviews. One case looks at whether a business asked staff to write positive reviews, and another at whether customers were offered undisclosed discounts for five-star ratings. No breach has been found yet, but the cases show what the CMA is looking for.
Done when: your review request goes to every customer, offers nothing in return and does not filter out unhappy ones.
Week 4: local links and tracking checklist (items 21 to 25)
The last week adds the other half of prominence, links from other websites, and sets up the reports that show whether the first three weeks worked.
21. Earn links from local organisations you already work with
Local backlinks are links to your site from other local websites, and Google names links among the signals behind prominence. The easiest ones come from relationships you already have: suppliers and partners who list recommended firms, a chamber of commerce or business group you belong to, a local club or charity you sponsor, and local events you take part in. Local press and community sites will cover genuine news, such as a new branch, an award or a hire. Do not buy links. Google treats paid links as spam. Our link building service handles outreach if you want it done for you.
Done when: you have asked every supplier, partner and organisation you work with for a listing or link.
22. Publish proof of the local work you do
Add local content that only your business could write: case studies of jobs in named areas, guides to local regulations or seasonal problems, and pages about local projects you have supported. This gives Google more evidence of where you work, gives local sites a reason to link to you, and gives customers proof you have done their kind of job nearby. Share each piece as an update on your Business Profile.
Done when: you have one piece of local content planned for each month ahead.
23. Set up Search Console and Google Analytics 4
Google Search Console shows the searches your site appears for, its clicks and its average position, and flags indexing problems. Google Analytics 4 shows what visitors do once they arrive, including which pages lead to calls and form enquiries if you set those up as key events. Your Business Profile has its own performance view, showing calls, website clicks and direction requests from the profile.
Done when: both tools are installed, calls and enquiries are tracked as key events, and you have a baseline for each number.
24. Track map rankings across your service area
Map pack results change with the searcher’s location, so a single ranking check from your office tells you little. Rank tracking tools with a grid view check your position from many points across your area and show where you are visible and where you drop away. Track your main service phrases and compare the grid with your top competitors.
Done when: you have a starting grid for your three to five most important searches.
25. Re-run the checklist every quarter
Local SEO drifts. Staff change the phone number, a directory scrapes an old address, reviews slow down and competitors improve. Every three months, work back through this checklist as a local SEO audit, compare your reports with the baseline from item 23, and fix what has slipped. The rules change too: the Business Profile lost its questions and answers section in late 2025, and UK review law changed in April 2025.
Done when: the next quarterly check is in the diary with an owner.
What has changed in local SEO since 2025?
Older checklists still recommend things that no longer work. These are the changes that affect the list above, as of October 2026.
| Change | When | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| Google removed the questions and answers section from Business Profiles in Maps and replaced it with an AI "Ask" feature | API closed 3 November 2025; removal confirmed 3 December 2025 | Stop seeding Q&A. Put common answers on your website and in services, attributes and posts, which the AI feature can draw on |
| Fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews became unlawful in the UK under the DMCC Act 2024 | 6 April 2025 | Write down how you ask for reviews and remove anything that offers a reward or filters out unhappy customers |
| The CMA moved from guidance to investigations over reviews | 27 March 2026 | Treat review rules as a legal risk, not only a Google policy |
| Business Profile posts are archived after six months unless they have a date range | Current Google guidance | Post monthly rather than relying on old updates |
The removal of the questions and answers section is the change most checklists have missed. Several of the guides ranking for this search in October 2026 still tell readers to fill it in. For how AI answers pick businesses, see our guides to AI SEO and ranking in AI Overviews.
The printable local SEO checklist
Copy this table into a spreadsheet, add an owner and a date column, and tick items off as you go.
| # | Task | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claim and verify your Business Profile | Profile shows as verified |
| 2 | Use your real-world business name | Name matches your signage exactly |
| 3 | Pick the most specific primary category | It describes your main revenue service |
| 4 | Set hours, service areas and attributes | All match your master record |
| 5 | Add services, products and a description | Every service you want found is listed |
| 6 | Upload real photos and videos | Logo, cover and recent own photos are live |
| 7 | Post updates and check for suggested edits | A post from the last 30 days; weekly check assigned |
| 8 | Publish one master NAP on the website | Footer, contact page and profile match |
| 9 | Research local searches | One main phrase per service page |
| 10 | Put service and town in titles and headings | Unique title and H1 on every service page |
| 11 | Build real location or service-area pages | No page could be reused by changing the town |
| 12 | Add LocalBusiness structured data | Rich Results Test shows no errors |
| 13 | Make the site fast on a phone | Key pages pass Core Web Vitals on mobile |
| 14 | Check crawling and indexing | Every key page is indexed |
| 15 | Claim Bing Places and Apple Business Connect | Both listings verified |
| 16 | List on UK and industry directories | Core and sector directories done, identical details |
| 17 | Fix inconsistent and duplicate listings | No mismatches or duplicates found |
| 18 | Make leaving a review a one-tap job | Link is in every follow-up message |
| 19 | Reply to every review | All reviews from the last 90 days answered |
| 20 | Keep review requests within the rules | No incentives, no filtering |
| 21 | Earn local links | Every supplier, partner and group asked |
| 22 | Publish proof of local work | One local piece planned each month |
| 23 | Set up Search Console and GA4 | Calls and enquiries tracked, baseline recorded |
| 24 | Track map rankings across your area | Starting grid for your top searches |
| 25 | Re-run the checklist quarterly | Next check booked with an owner |
How do you run a local SEO audit with this checklist?
A local SEO audit is this checklist run as a test rather than a to-do list. Search your main service phrases from a few locations in your area, or use a grid tracker, and note who appears in the map pack. Then score your own business against each of the 25 items, and do the same for the top three competitors on the items you can see from outside: categories, review count and rating, photos, listings and website pages.
The gaps between you and those three businesses are your priority list. If a competitor has 120 reviews and you have 15, reviews come before anything on your website. If your profile is strong but your site has no page for the service, item 11 comes first. A free SEO audit from us covers the same ground and gives you the prioritised list in writing.
Can you do local SEO yourself?
Yes, most of this checklist needs time rather than technical skill. Items 1 to 8 and 15 to 20 can be done by a business owner with a free afternoon each week. The items that usually need help are structured data, site speed and indexing problems (items 12 to 14), and earning links at a steady rate (item 21).
Doing it yourself also needs consistency. Reviews have to be requested every week and the profile checked for edits long after the first month. If that is the part that will slip, it is the part to hand over. Our local SEO services page explains what we take on, and our guide to how much SEO costs in the UK sets out what that work normally costs.
How long does local SEO take to work?
Expect three to six months before you see clear movement in the map pack, according to Whito’s UK research on SEO costs and timelines, and longer in competitive towns or trades. The setup items can be finished in the four weeks this checklist allows, but Google has to recrawl and process each change before rankings respond.
Corrections to your Business Profile tend to show soonest, because Google reads the profile directly. Reviews and links build up over months, so they cannot be rushed. Measure progress against the baseline you recorded in item 23 rather than against a single day’s ranking. If you need enquiries before then, paid search can cover the gap, and our guide to SEO vs PPC explains when that is worth the cost.
Which local SEO mistakes do the most damage?
These six mistakes can undo the rest of the checklist, and some can get a profile suspended:
- Adding keywords or town names to your business name on the profile
- Using a virtual office or PO box as your address
- Creating a second Business Profile for the same location
- Publishing near-identical town pages that only swap the place name
- Offering rewards for Google reviews or asking only happy customers
- Buying links or bulk directory submissions
If your profile has been suspended for one of these, fix the cause before you appeal. An appeal that leaves the problem in place is likely to fail.
Where to start this week
Start with items 1 to 3. Verify the profile, correct the name and check the primary category, because every other item depends on Google understanding who you are and what you do. Then write your master record of name, address, phone, hours and service areas, so everything you do afterwards copies from the same source.
If you are in Leeds or Yorkshire and want this done for you, see our SEO agency in Leeds page, or book a free local SEO audit and we will tell you which of the 25 items is holding you back most.
01What is the 80/20 rule in local SEO?+
The 80/20 rule says a small share of the work produces most of the results. In local SEO, that share is usually the Business Profile, consistent NAP details and reviews, which is items 1 to 8 and 18 to 20 of this checklist. Do those well before spending time on links or content.
02Can ChatGPT do a local SEO audit?+
Only partly. An AI assistant can review page copy you paste in, suggest title tags or draft a business description. It cannot see your Business Profile performance, check your map rankings from different places or find every directory listing, so it cannot complete an audit by itself.
03Is there a free local SEO checklist template?+
Yes. The printable table in this guide works as a template. Copy it into a spreadsheet and add columns for an owner, a due date and a status, then use the same sheet for your quarterly checks.
04Do I need a website for local SEO?+
A Business Profile can appear in the map pack without a website, but you are at a disadvantage without one. A website gives Google more evidence of what you do and where, gives you pages to rank in ordinary results, and gives customers somewhere to check you before they call.
05Can I ask friends and family to leave Google reviews?+
Only if they have been genuine customers. Google’s policy removes reviews based on a conflict of interest, and UK law defines a fake review as one that claims to be based on a genuine experience when it is not. Reviews from staff or relatives who never used the service fall foul of both.
06How many Google reviews do I need?+
There is no fixed number. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, so the useful benchmark is the businesses already in your map pack. Aim to match their review count over time, and keep new reviews arriving every month rather than in bursts.
07Do Google Business Profile posts help rankings?+
Google does not list posts among its tips for a better local ranking. Posts help customers by showing offers, events and news, and they show the business is active. Because Google archives posts after six months unless they have a date range, a monthly post keeps the profile from looking abandoned.
08How often should I update my Google Business Profile?+
Update it whenever anything changes, and add special hours before every bank holiday. Check it weekly for suggested edits from Google or the public, and add a post and new photos each month. A profile that is never touched is more likely to carry wrong information.
09Does local SEO matter now that people use AI search?+
Yes. AI answers about local businesses draw on the same sources as the map pack: your Business Profile, your reviews, your website and your listings. Since December 2025, Google has been replacing the questions and answers section in Maps with an AI feature that answers customers’ questions about a business, so accurate, consistent information matters more, not less.
10How much does local SEO cost in the UK?+
UK local service businesses typically pay £300 to £800 a month for ongoing local SEO, according to Whito’s 2026 UK research. Our own packages start at £750 a month, and a one-off audit costs £495. Doing the checklist yourself costs time rather than money, as most of the tools are free.
11Which free tools do I need for local SEO?+
Five free tools cover most of the checklist: your Business Profile dashboard, Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, PageSpeed Insights and the Rich Results Test. A paid rank tracker with a grid view is the main tool worth paying for, because it shows rankings across your whole area.
12What happens if my Google Business Profile is suspended?+
A suspended profile drops out of the map pack until it is reinstated. The usual causes are a name with added keywords, an ineligible address or a duplicate profile. Fix the cause first, then request reinstatement from the Business Profile dashboard with evidence that the business is real and operates where the profile says, such as photos of your signage.
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