Local SEO Audit vs General SEO Audit: Which One Fits?
Why a local audit weighs the Business Profile, reviews and listings as heavily as the website, and how to tell whether your business needs one.
- Updated
- 7 min read
By Szymon Kokot Published Updated 28 min read
Local SEO Checklist (2026): 54 Checks for Local Businesses
A local SEO checklist covers 54 checks in nine areas: the website's technical basics, the Google Business Profile, reviews, local pages and markup, listings on other platforms, local rankings, local links, calls and inquiries, and AI answers. It is built for businesses that serve customers in a defined area, from their own premises or at the customer's location: trades, clinics, salons, restaurants, shops and local professional firms. This checklist follows the same 54 points as the Illucrum Local Business SEO Audit, and it weighs the Business Profile, reviews and listings as heavily as the website.
In short: A local SEO audit checks whether the Google Business Profile is owned, accurate and complete, how reviews compare with the businesses in the map pack, whether the website confirms the same details and has a page for each service, whether listings on other platforms match, where the business ranks across its service area, and whether AI assistants recommend it and describe it correctly. All 54 checks run on free tools.
What does this local SEO checklist cover?
This local SEO checklist covers 54 checks in 9 sections. Local search has its own results: for searches like "plumber near me" or "dentist Austin", Google shows a map pack of three businesses above the regular results, chosen mostly from Business Profiles. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and the sections below cover the parts of each a business can influence.
| # | Section | Checks | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technical foundations | 1 to 7 | Can search engines reach and index the website's key pages? |
| 2 | Google Business Profile | 8 to 18 | Is the profile owned, accurate, complete and active? |
| 3 | Reviews and reputation | 19 to 24 | How do reviews compare with the businesses in the map pack? |
| 4 | Local on-page and schema | 25 to 33 | Does the website confirm what the business does and where? |
| 5 | Citations and listings | 34 to 37 | Is the business listed correctly on other platforms? |
| 6 | Local rankings and visibility | 38 to 43 | Where does the business appear when people nearby search? |
| 7 | Local links | 44 to 47 | Do local and trade websites link to the business? |
| 8 | Conversion and tracking | 48 to 50 | Can a searcher call or book easily, and can you see where leads come from? |
| 9 | AI and map answers | 51 to 54 | Do AI answers recommend the business and describe it correctly? |
If your business has an office but wins most of its work well beyond its area, the website SEO checklist fits better; its local section is three checks long.
What do you need before you start?
You need manager access to the Google Business Profile, verified Google Search Console access and a list of the business's correct details. Without profile access you can still read the public profile, but check 41 (profile performance) can't be done.
| Tool | Used for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile (manager access) | Profile settings, managers, performance and search terms | Free |
| Google Search and Google Maps | Map pack, rankings, competitor profiles, AI Overviews | Free |
| Chrome DevTools (Sensors panel) or a free geogrid rank checker | Searching from set points across the service area | Free |
| Google Search Console | Indexing, local queries, positions, links | Free, needs a verified site |
| Illucrum Bulk SEO Checker | Titles, headings, canonicals, links and schema for up to 25 URLs | Free, no account |
| PageSpeed Insights, SSL Labs, Rich Results Test | Speed, HTTPS and local business markup | Free |
| Whitespark Local Citation Finder | Finding existing listings | Free tier |
| ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini | AI recommendations and answers about the business | Free tiers |
Six decisions come before the first check:
- Write down the business facts: the exact name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, service area and main services. Every consistency check compares against this list. Note whether customers come to you (a storefront), you go to them (a service-area business) or both.
- List 5 to 10 core searches for each main service: "[service] [city]", "[service] near me" and the plain service term.
- Pick search points: the business address plus three or four points across the service area. Use the same location method throughout and record it.
- Name the map pack competitors: run the core searches from the business address and note the three businesses that appear most often in the map pack.
- List the listing platforms that matter in your country and trade: Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and Facebook almost everywhere, Yelp in the US, the main national directories elsewhere, and the directories of your trade.
- Open a spreadsheet with four columns: check number, finding, evidence and severity.
Section 1: How do you check a local business website's technical foundations? (checks 1 to 7)
Technical foundation checks for a local business confirm that search engines can reach and index the homepage, service pages, location pages and contact page. Most local searches happen on phones, so mobile performance carries extra weight.
1. Page speed and Core Web Vitals
Run the homepage and the main service page through PageSpeed Insights for mobile. Record the Performance score and the field data for the three Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability).
Good result: a mobile score of 90 or above, LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, INP of 200 milliseconds or less and CLS of 0.1 or less.
Record: mobile scores and the three values per page, noting whether they are field or lab data.
2. Mobile usability
Open the key pages at 390 pixels wide in DevTools, then on a real phone. Check content fits without sideways scrolling, text is readable without zooming, and the phone number, buttons and form fields are easy to tap. Confirm the viewport tag is in the page source.
Good result: every key page works on a phone, with a tappable phone number.
Record: per page, whether the layout holds, with screenshots of problems.
3. HTTPS and SSL certificate
Confirm the site loads over HTTPS, that http:// redirects to https:// in one hop, and that the certificate is valid and not close to expiry. Run SSL Labs for a grade and check the DevTools Console for mixed content.
Good result: HTTPS everywhere, grade A or A+, no mixed content.
Record: redirect behavior, certificate expiry and grade.
4. Index coverage
In Search Console, open Indexing, then Pages, and record indexed and not indexed pages with the reasons. Run URL Inspection on the homepage, each service page and each location page. Without Search Console, search site:yourdomain.com/page-path for each key page.
Good result: the homepage, service pages and location pages all indexed.
Record: indexed and not indexed counts, reasons, and any key page not indexed.
5. XML sitemap and robots.txt
Confirm robots.txt returns 200, blocks nothing important and declares the sitemap. Confirm the sitemap lists every service and location page, only live canonical URLs, and is submitted in Search Console. Pasting the sitemap URLs into the Bulk SEO Checker shows any that redirect or error.
Good result: a clean, complete sitemap submitted in Search Console, and robots.txt that blocks nothing a customer needs.
Record: robots.txt rules affecting content, sitemap URL count and failing URLs.
6. Canonicals and duplicate pages
Check each key page carries a self-referencing canonical tag, visible in the Bulk SEO Checker export, and that the trailing-slash, www and http versions of a page all lead to one URL. Look for pages that duplicate each other, such as location pages that differ only in the town name or several pages for the same service.
Good result: correct canonicals and no pages competing as near-copies.
Record: canonical problems and groups of near-duplicate pages.
7. Redirects and broken links
List broken internal links, redirect chains and loops, using the Bulk SEO Checker's Links table on a small site or a desktop crawler on a larger one. Check that pages for old services or old locations redirect to the closest current page rather than returning an error, and that a missing URL returns a real 404.
Good result: no broken links, chains or loops, and sensible redirects for retired pages.
Record: each broken link and chain, with the page it sits on.
Section 2: How do you check a Google Business Profile? (checks 8 to 18)
Google Business Profile checks establish whether the business can appear in the map pack at all and what local searchers see first. Google discontinued the profile Q&A feature in late 2025, and questions about businesses are now answered by AI drawing on the profile, reviews and website, so profile accuracy matters beyond the map pack.
8. Ownership and verification
Confirm the profile is claimed and verified: there should be no "Own this business?" link on the public profile. In the profile manager, check who holds the primary owner role. It should be the business itself, not a former employee, web designer or agency. Remove managers who no longer need access, and note any warning such as a suspension or unreviewed Google update.
Good result: verified, owned by the business, with a current list of managers.
Record: verification status, the primary owner and each manager.
9. Business name
Compare the profile name with the name on the signage, website and invoices. Google's guidelines for representing your business prohibit adding keywords, locations or taglines ("Smith Plumbing Emergency Plumber Austin"), and stuffed names are a common reason for suspension. If map pack competitors stuff their names, note it as context, not as something to copy.
Good result: the profile name matches the real-world business name exactly.
Record: the profile name, the real name and any added terms.
10. Primary category
The primary category is shown under the business name and describes the core business. Check it is the most specific category that fits what the business mainly does ("Cosmetic dentist" rather than "Dentist", but only if cosmetic work is the core). Record the primary category of each map pack competitor. Practitioners in Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey ranked the primary category as the single most important map pack factor.
Good result: the most specific accurate category, in line with what ranks.
Record: your primary category and each competitor's.
11. Secondary categories
List the secondary categories, which aren't always visible on the public profile; use the profile manager or a category lookup extension. Check each describes a service the business really provides, that main services have a category, and that no category covers something the business doesn't offer.
Good result: secondary categories that cover the real services, and only those.
Record: the categories, missing ones and irrelevant ones.
12. Address, service area and map pin
Confirm the address matches your business facts and the map pin sits on the right building and entrance. A service-area business that doesn't serve customers at its address should hide the address and set service areas, as Google's guidelines require. Check the service areas match where the business really works, and that the address is a real, staffed location, not a virtual office or mailbox.
Good result: the correct address or service area, set up the way the guidelines require, with the pin in the right place.
Record: address or service-area setup, pin accuracy and service areas listed.
13. Hours and open status
Compare the listed hours with the real hours, check special hours are set for upcoming holidays, and check extra hour types (delivery, appointments) where they apply. Being open at the time of search is a map pack factor, so accurate hours matter for visibility as well as for customers. Listing hours the business doesn't keep breaks the guidelines.
Good result: accurate regular hours and special hours set ahead of holidays.
Record: listed hours against real hours, and whether special hours are set.
14. Services and products
List the services on the profile. Check Google's predefined services for your category are selected where they apply, custom services cover the rest with short descriptions, and the Products section is used for products or fixed-price packages. Compare with the service pages on the website.
Good result: every real service listed, in the words customers use.
Record: services listed, services missing and whether descriptions exist.
15. Description and attributes
Read the business description (up to 750 characters). It should say plainly what the business does, for whom and where, without links, promotions or keyword lists. Check the attributes that apply are set: accessibility, payment methods, online appointments and any others relevant to customers.
Good result: a factual description and the relevant attributes set.
Record: description length and quality, and attributes set or missing.
16. Photos and videos
Check the logo and cover photo are set. Count owner-uploaded photos and note the date of the newest. The photos should be real: the premises inside and out, the team, the work, vehicles and products. Flag stock images, and customer photos that show the business badly or show a different business.
Good result: real, varied photos, with some added in the last three months.
Record: photo count, date of the newest photo and missing photo types.
17. Profile activity and updates
Check the date of the most recent post, offer or event on the profile, and recent owner activity in general: new photos, review replies, information updates. Look for edits made by Google or the public that nobody has reviewed. Frequent posting isn't required; a profile that shows current information and an owner paying attention is.
Good result: owner activity in the last month and no unreviewed edits.
Record: the date of the last update and any unreviewed edits.
18. Website link and landing page
Click the profile's website link and confirm it loads the right page without errors or redirect chains. A single-location business usually links to its homepage; a multi-location business should link each profile to its own location page. Check the landing page confirms the same name, address, phone number and main services as the profile.
Good result: the link opens the right page, which matches the profile.
Record: the linked URL, its status and any detail that doesn't match.
Section 3: How do you check reviews and reputation? (checks 19 to 24)
Review checks compare the business with the three map pack competitors from your setup, because that comparison is what searchers see when they choose. Record every figure with today's date. In BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey of 1,002 US adults, 97% said they read reviews for local businesses.
19. Rating and review count vs competitors
Record the star rating and total number of Google reviews for the business and for each map pack competitor, and compare the business with the competitor median on both. In the same BrightLocal survey, 47% of consumers said they wouldn't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
Good result: a rating of 4.5 or above and a review count at or above the competitor median.
Record: rating and review count for the business and each competitor.
20. Review recency
Sort reviews by newest and record the date of the most recent one and the number received in the last 90 days, for the business and each competitor. A steady flow matters more than a burst; note any sudden burst followed by silence. BrightLocal found 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months.
Good result: reviews in the last month and a 90-day count level with competitors.
Record: latest review date and 90-day count for the business and each competitor.
21. Owner responses
Check the last 20 reviews and record how many have an owner reply and how quickly replies arrive. Read the replies to negative reviews: calm, specific and helpful, or defensive and copied? Check no reply reveals a customer's private information. In BrightLocal's survey, 89% of consumers said they expect owners to respond to reviews.
Good result: most reviews answered promptly, with negative ones handled calmly and specifically.
Record: the share of reviews with replies, typical reply time, and examples of good and poor replies.
22. What reviews say
Read the last 20 to 30 reviews and the topics Google highlights above them. Note which services and places customers mention; Google can show review snippets that match a search. Note recurring complaints: they are operational issues rather than SEO ones, but searchers and AI answers read them all the same.
Good result: reviews that mention specific services and places, with no recurring complaint.
Record: services and places mentioned, and any recurring complaint with its frequency.
23. Review practices and policy compliance
Check how the business asks for reviews: there should be a simple review link or QR code, and every customer should get it. Asking only happy customers (review gating), offering discounts for reviews and reviews written by staff or family all break Google's policies. In the US, the FTC rule on consumer reviews also bans fake and suppressed reviews. Look for signs of fake reviews: bursts, reviewers with a single review, repetitive wording.
Good result: a simple process that asks every customer, with no incentives or filtering.
Record: how reviews are requested and any practice that breaks the policies.
24. Other review platforms
Search "business name" reviews and note which platforms appear on the first page; those are the ones prospective customers see. Record the rating, count and latest review date on each platform that matters for your trade and country (Facebook, Yelp, Trustpilot or a sector platform), and whether the business replies there.
Good result: present, well rated and responsive on the platforms that appear for your name.
Record: per platform, rating, count, latest review and reply status.
Section 4: How do you check local on-page SEO and schema? (checks 25 to 33)
Local on-page checks look at how the website supports the profile: it confirms the business's details, shows what it does and where, and ranks in the regular results below the map pack. In Whitespark's 2026 survey, a dedicated page for each service was the top-rated local organic factor.
25. Titles and H1s with service and location
Use the Bulk SEO Checker to record the title and H1 of the homepage, each service page and each location page. Each should name the service and the place naturally ("Emergency Plumber in Austin | Smith Plumbing"), not list a dozen towns. Titles should be unique and about 50 to 60 characters.
Good result: unique titles and H1s that name the service and the place.
Record: titles and H1s missing the service or place, duplicates and stuffed titles.
26. Homepage local relevance
Check that the top of the homepage, before scrolling, says what the business does and where, and shows the phone number and main call to action. Check the homepage describes the area served and links to every service page and any location pages.
Good result: what, where and how to get in touch, all clear above the fold.
Record: what the first screen says, on desktop and on a phone.
27. Service pages
Check each main service from your business facts has its own page. Each page should give specifics: what the service includes, how it works, what affects the price, the area covered, photos of real work, answers to common questions and a clear way to call or book. Flag services that only appear as a bullet point on a general "Services" page.
Good result: every main service has its own specific, useful page.
Record: services with and without their own page, and thin service pages.
28. Location and service-area pages
If the business has one location and serves one town, mark this check N/A. Otherwise, list the location or area pages and check each has content that is really about that place: the team or branch there, work done there, directions, local reviews. Pages where only the town name changes are what Google's spam policies call doorway pages.
Good result: each location page has substantial content specific to its place.
Record: location pages, how much of each is unique, and main areas with no page.
29. NAP on the site
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Collect every place they appear on the site (header, footer, contact page, location pages) and compare each character by character with your business facts and the profile. Check they are real text, not part of an image.
Good result: identical NAP everywhere on the site, as text, matching the profile.
Record: every instance that differs, and any shown only as an image.
30. Contact page, map and directions
Check the contact page shows the full address or service area, phone, email and hours, matching the profile. Check for an embedded map or a link to the Business Profile, and directions or parking information where customers visit. On a phone, the number and address should be tappable.
Good result: complete details, a map or profile link and practical directions.
Record: what the contact page includes and what is missing.
31. Local proof and credentials
Look for proof of real, local work: photos of jobs, premises and team, local projects, testimonials from named local customers. Check licenses, insurance, accreditations and trade memberships are shown where they apply, with a link to the register where one exists. Check the About page names the owner or team.
Good result: real local work shown, with credentials a visitor can verify.
Record: the proof and credentials found, and stock images presented as real.
32. Internal links between services and locations
Check the homepage links to every service and location page, service pages link to related services and to the areas they cover, and location pages link to the services offered there. The Links table of the Bulk SEO Checker shows every link on the pages you paste. Check the page the profile links to is well linked from the rest of the site.
Good result: services and locations linked to each other in a logical way.
Record: service and location pages with few or no links pointing to them.
33. LocalBusiness schema and entity links
Run the homepage and location pages through the Rich Results Test. Check for LocalBusiness markup using the most specific type available (Plumber, Dentist, LegalService) with name, address, telephone, url, openingHoursSpecification, geo and, for service-area businesses, areaServed. Check sameAs links to the Business Profile, social profiles and main listings. Flag review or rating markup about the business on its own site: Google doesn't show stars for these self-serving reviews.
Good result: a specific business type with complete fields matching the profile, and sameAs links.
Record: the type used, fields present or missing, and any value that contradicts the profile.
Section 5: How do you check citations and listings? (checks 34 to 37)
Citation checks look at the business's listings on other platforms. Listings confirm the business's details and reach people who search elsewhere: Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook and the directories of the trade. What matters most is that core platforms are claimed and every listing shows the same, correct details.
34. Core platform listings
Search the business on each core platform from your setup: Apple Business Connect (Apple Maps), Bing Places, Facebook and the main platforms in your market. Record whether a listing exists, whether it is claimed, and whether name, address or area, phone, website, hours, category and photos are complete.
Good result: listed, claimed and complete on every core platform.
Record: per platform, whether the listing exists, is claimed and is complete.
35. Industry and local directories
List the directories that matter for your trade and area: trade associations, licensing bodies, chambers of commerce, sector platforms and local business associations. Check which list the business and link to the website, and which list your map pack competitors but not you. A handful of relevant listings is worth more than dozens of bulk directories.
Good result: listed in the trade and local directories your competitors use.
Record: directories that list you, and relevant ones that list competitors but not you.
36. NAP consistency across listings
Collect the name, address and phone number from every listing found in checks 34 and 35, and compare each with your business facts. If the business has moved or changed numbers, search the old address and old phone number in quotes to find listings that still show them.
Good result: identical details on every listing.
Record: each listing with outdated or different details.
37. Duplicate and outdated listings
Search Google Maps for the business name and for the phone number. Look for a second profile for the same business: an old address, a practitioner listing or one created by a customer. Check the core platforms for duplicates too, and confirm old locations are marked as moved or permanently closed.
Good result: one listing per location on every platform, and old locations correctly marked.
Record: each duplicate or outdated listing, with its platform.
Section 6: How do you check local rankings and visibility? (checks 38 to 43)
Local ranking checks record where the business actually appears when people nearby search. Local results change with the searcher's location, so tie every result to a search point and a date.
38. Map pack presence for core searches
From the business address, run each core search in Google Search and in Google Maps, with the location set in DevTools Sensors or a geogrid checker. Record the business's position in the map pack (the three map results) and in the Maps list.
Good result: in the map pack for most core searches from the business address.
Record: each search with its map pack and Maps positions, the search point and the date.
39. Visibility across the service area
Run the main core search from each search point across the service area and record the business's Maps position at each. Distance is a major local factor, so visibility usually fades further from the address. The question is how quickly, and whether it fades before the edge of the area the business wants to serve.
Good result: in the top three at most points across the service area.
Record: the position at each search point, on a simple grid or list.
40. Local organic rankings
In Search Console, filter queries containing your town and area names, plus "near me", and record clicks, impressions and positions for three months. Then run the core searches from the business address and record where the website ranks in the regular results below the map pack. Check the right pages rank: service pages, not the homepage for everything.
Good result: page-one rankings for most core searches, with the relevant service pages.
Record: positions and ranking pages per core search.
41. Business Profile performance
If you have no manager access, mark this check N/A. In the profile manager, open Performance and record six months of calls, website clicks, direction requests and bookings or messages. Open the search terms breakdown and record the share of searches for the business name compared with searches for services.
Good result: found mainly through service searches, with interactions steady or rising.
Record: each interaction figure, the branded share of search terms and the trend.
42. Map pack competitor comparison
For the main core search, compare the business with each map pack competitor on primary category, name, distance from the search point, review count, rating, review recency, photos and the relevance of the linked website page. Separate distance, which you can't change, from the factors you can.
Good result: level with or ahead of competitors on the factors you control.
Record: a side-by-side table of the factors for you and each competitor.
43. Brand search result
Search the business name, and the name plus town, in a private window. Check the profile panel appears with correct details, the website ranks first, and page one shows the business's own profiles and neutral or positive results. Flag confusion with a similarly named business, outdated listings and negative results on page one.
Good result: the correct profile panel, the website first and a page one you recognize.
Record: what page one shows, and anything wrong or confusing.
Section 7: How do you check local links? (checks 44 to 47)
Local link checks look at links from other websites to the business. For a local business, a few links from real local and trade sources matter more than a large count. Record figures with today's date; Search Console's Links report is a sample with no history.
44. Referring domains and local relevance
In Search Console, open Links and read the top linking sites. Mark each one as local (same town or region), trade (same industry) or other, and record the share that is local or trade.
Good result: a solid base of links, with a good share from local and trade sources.
Record: the number of linking sites and the local and trade share.
45. Local link sources
Check whether the business has links from the local sources available to it: the chamber of commerce and business associations, trade bodies, suppliers and manufacturers (dealer or installer pages), partners, local news, and clubs, events and charities it sponsors. Most of these come from relationships the business already has and only need asking for.
Good result: links from most of the local sources available to you.
Record: local sources that link to you, and easy ones that don't yet.
46. Link quality and anchor text
Check Security and Manual actions in Search Console for a manual action. Then scan the linking sites and anchors for built or bought links, such as "plumber Austin" anchors from unrelated blogs. Random spam you didn't create is normal and mostly ignored by Google.
Good result: no manual action, natural anchors and no sign of built links.
Record: manual action status and any suspicious pattern.
47. Competitor link gap
Run the business and the map pack competitors that have websites through the same backlink tool on the same day. Compare referring domains with the competitor median, and list domains that link to two or more competitors but not to you.
Good result: referring domains within about 20% of the competitor median.
Record: referring domains per business, the tool and date, and the gap list.
Section 8: How do you check conversion and tracking? (checks 48 to 50)
Conversion and tracking checks cover the last step of a local search, usually a call, a form or a visit, and whether the business can see which leads came from search and from its profile.
48. Click-to-call and mobile contact
On a phone, check the phone number is visible at the top of every key page and starts a call with one tap (a tel: link). Check it is the main business number, the same as on the profile, and that opening hours or response times appear near it.
Good result: a tappable main number at the top of every key page.
Record: where the number appears on each page and whether it is tappable.
49. Contact forms and booking
Submit the main contact form with a message clearly marked as a test. Check it sends, shows a confirmation and reaches the business. Check the form asks only for what's needed, that online booking exists where customers expect it, and that the site says what happens next and how quickly.
Good result: a short, working form with a confirmation, and online booking where it fits.
Record: the test result, field count and booking availability.
50. Lead and call tracking
Check the profile's website link carries UTM tags (for example ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp) so profile visits appear separately in analytics. In Google Analytics 4, check form submissions and phone number clicks are recorded as key events. If you use call tracking numbers, keep the main number on the profile, in the site's text and markup, and on every listing; tracking numbers on listings break NAP consistency.
Good result: a tagged profile link, tracked forms and calls, and a main number untouched by call tracking.
Record: the profile link, the events tracked and where tracking numbers appear.
Section 9: How do you check AI and map answers? (checks 51 to 54)
AI answer checks cover the three places AI now answers local questions: Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, the AI answers inside Google Maps and Business Profiles, and assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. All of them draw on the profile, reviews, listings and website checked above. BrightLocal found 45% of consumers now use ChatGPT and other AI tools for local recommendations. Test logged out or in a temporary chat, from your search location, and record the date.
51. AI Overviews for local searches
Run the core searches with the location set to the business address and note which show an AI Overview. Where one appears, record whether the business is mentioned or its website cited, and which businesses and sources are.
Good result: mentioned or cited for several core searches (or no Overviews appear).
Record: per search, whether an Overview appears, who it names and what it cites.
52. AI assistant recommendations
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity "Who is the best [service] in [city]?" and "Recommend a [service] near [area]". Record whether the business is recommended and in what position, which businesses are recommended instead, and which sources each assistant cites: review sites, directories, local articles.
Good result: recommended by two or more assistants.
Record: per assistant and question, the recommendations and cited sources.
53. AI answers about the business
Ask factual questions about the business: "Does [business] offer [service]?", "What are [business]'s opening hours?", "Does [business] serve [area]?", "How much does [business] charge for [service]?" Use the question feature on the Maps profile where it's available in your market, otherwise Google AI Mode, and ask ChatGPT the same. Record whether each answer is right and where wrong answers seem to come from.
Good result: correct answers on services, hours, area and prices.
Record: each question, each answer, and the likely source of any error.
54. AI crawler access
Check robots.txt for the retrieval crawlers (OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Bingbot) and the user-triggered fetchers (ChatGPT-User, Claude-User, Perplexity-User), including the wildcard rule. If these are blocked, assistants can only describe the business from third-party sources. Training crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, CCBot) are a separate choice with little effect on recommendations.
Good result: retrieval and user-triggered crawlers allowed.
Record: the rule for each crawler and whether it was intended.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important part of local SEO?
For appearing in the map pack, the Google Business Profile matters most, and within it the primary category, the business name and the business's distance from the searcher. For winning the click, reviews usually decide. For ranking in the regular results below the map, a dedicated page for each service is the strongest website factor in practitioner surveys.
How long does a local SEO audit take to do yourself?
A first pass through this local SEO checklist takes five to eight hours for one location. The ranking checks take longest, because every search has to be run from several points across the service area. A business with several locations should audit its main location in full and spot-check the others.
Do I need paid tools for local SEO?
No. Every check in this local SEO checklist runs on the Business Profile manager, Google Search and Maps, Chrome DevTools, Search Console, the Illucrum Bulk SEO Checker and the free tiers of a citation finder and a backlink tool. Paid geogrid tools make ranking checks across a service area faster, but a handful of manual searches from set points shows the same pattern.
How often should a local business check its Google Business Profile?
Check the Google Business Profile at least once a month: reply to new reviews, add a few current photos, confirm the hours and holiday hours, and review any edits Google or the public have suggested. A full local SEO audit once a year, and after a move, a rebrand or a new location, covers the rest.
Does a local business need a website if it has a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile alone can win map pack visibility, but the website does work the profile can't. It confirms the business's details, gives each service a page that can rank in the regular results, and is where most customers make up their mind. The local pack and SEO article covers how the two work together.
Local SEO rewards accuracy and consistency more than cleverness: the right category, true hours, a steady flow of reviews, a page for each service and the same details everywhere. If you'd rather have the whole picture gathered and prioritized for you, the Local Business SEO Audit covers the same 54 points at a fixed price listed on the pricing page.