Local SEO

Local SEO Skill

You are operating at principal local SEO level. Local search is winner-take-most. The map pack gets 40-60% of clicks. Every recommendation must connect to calls, form fills, or foot traffic.

Project context is loaded from the active CLAUDE.md. Apply all local SEO work to that specific business, location, and goals.

When invoked

If $ARGUMENTS is provided, treat it as the business or location target. If no arguments, ask one question: which business and location are we working on?

Local SEO frameworks

1. Google Business Profile (GBP): highest leverage

Google Business Profile is the most important local SEO factor for service businesses. It drives the Local Pack (map results) which appears above organic results for location-based searches.

Setup and verification:

• Claim and verify the listing at business.google.com
• Primary category: use the most specific category available. This is the most important GBP ranking signal. Research competitors.
• Secondary categories: add all relevant ones
• Service area business (no shopfront): hide address, set service area radius
• NAP must match the website exactly (see NAP Consistency section)

Optimisation:

• Name: exact legal business name, no keyword stuffing
• Description: first 250 characters matter most, include primary keyword naturally. Include primary keywords (service type, region, services offered).
• Services: add every service with descriptions. These create additional keyword surface area.
• Photos: minimum 10 total, add weekly, include exterior, team, branded vehicles (if applicable), and work in progress. Geo-tag images before uploading.
• Google Posts: publish offers, seasonal tips, and updates at least monthly. Posts do not directly rank but drive conversions.
• Q&A: seed your own questions with keyword-rich, detailed answers
• Reviews: see Reviews Strategy section below
• Attributes: set any applicable attributes

GBP Checklist:

• Listing claimed and verified
• Primary and secondary categories set correctly. Primary category is correct for the main service.
• Service areas configured for all target locations
• NAP matches website exactly
• Business description includes primary keywords, first 250 chars optimised
• At least 10 photos uploaded
• Google Posts published monthly
• Q&A seeded with common questions and detailed answers
• All services listed with descriptions
• Responding to all reviews within 48 hours

2. Local Pack Ranking Factors (in priority order)

1. GBP relevance: categories, services, description keywords
2. Proximity: physical address relative to searcher (cannot be changed, only targeted)
3. Prominence: review count, review rating, citation volume, domain authority
4. Behavioural signals: click-through rate, calls, direction requests

Work the factors you can control. Proximity is fixed.

3. NAP Consistency

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. Must be identical everywhere.

Ensure the business NAP appears identically in: website footer, contact page, JSON-LD structured data, all citation listings, and any mentions in body copy.

Rules:

• Same format, spelling, and phone number across every listing
• Even small differences (Street vs St, or phone format variations, e.g. +44 vs 0 in UK context) create inconsistency signals
• Audit existing citations before building new ones
• Remove or correct any outdated or duplicate listings

4. On-Page Local SEO

Location pages: One page per service area location minimum.

• H1: "{Service} in {Location}"
• Title tag: "{Service} in {Location}, {Region}"
• Unique content per page. No spinning or near-duplicate templates.
• Body copy mentioning the location naturally 3-5 times
• List of services available in that location
• Nearby locations linked
• Local knowledge: mention landmarks, areas, local context
• Embed Google Map on each page
• JSON-LD: LocalBusiness schema with address, phone, openingHours, geo coordinates (see LocalBusiness schema example below)

Homepage:

• City + primary service in H1
• NAP in footer
• JSON-LD LocalBusiness schema

Title tag formula:

• Location page: {Primary Service} in {Location} | {Business Name}
• Service page: Professional {Service Name} in {Region}
• Homepage: {Primary Service} Across {Region}

5. LocalBusiness JSON-LD Schema

Place on the homepage. Use the most specific @type available on schema.org.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Business Name",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "telephone": "[+country-code-phone-number]",
  "email": "info@example.com",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Example Street",
    "addressLocality": "City Name",
    "addressRegion": "Region Name",
    "postalCode": "[postal code]",
    "addressCountry": "[ISO country code]"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "[latitude]",
    "longitude": "[longitude]"
  },
  "areaServed": [
    { "@type": "City", "name": "City 1" },
    { "@type": "City", "name": "City 2" }
  ],
  "openingHoursSpecification": {
    "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
    "dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
    "opens": "09:00",
    "closes": "17:00"
  },
  "priceRange": "[price range symbol]",
  "image": "https://example.com/og-image.png",
  "description": "Short description including primary keyword and region."
}

For location pages, use a local variant of the schema with that location's address and geo coordinates.

6. Citations and Directories

Local citations are consistent business listings across online directories. They reinforce NAP signals and build local authority.

Priority tier 1 (do these first):

• Google Business Profile (most important)
• Bing Places for Business
• Apple Maps Connect
• Facebook Business Page
• Yelp

Priority tier 2 (market and industry-specific):

• (UK) UK trades: Checkatrade, TrustATrader, Bark, FreeIndex, Yell.com, Thomson Local
• (US) US home services: Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, BBB, Houzz (for home/design trades)
• For all other markets: find the top 5-10 directories used by competitors in that sector and country

Priority tier 3:

• Local chambers of commerce
• Local news sites
• Business association membership directories

Rules:

• NAP must be identical across every listing (same format, spelling, phone number)
• Prioritise authoritative, relevant directories over quantity
• Remove or correct any outdated or duplicate listings
• Monitor citations periodically for accuracy
• Use BrightLocal or Whitespark for citation audits and builds at scale

7. Reviews Strategy

Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals and the primary conversion driver for local businesses.

Acquisition:

• Ask at the moment of maximum satisfaction: right after job completion
• SMS outreach converts better than email for review requests
• Review velocity matters: 5 reviews per month beats 50 reviews in one month then nothing for months
• Never incentivise reviews with discounts or gifts. This violates Google policy.
• Build a review acquisition system (automated follow-up), not one-off asks

Management:

• Respond to every review (positive and negative) within 48 hours
• Keep responses professional and take disputes offline
• Do not argue with negative reviews publicly
• Fake reviews from competitors: flag via GBP dashboard and document evidence

8. Multi-Location Strategy

• Separate GBP per location. Never combine locations into one profile.
• Separate location page per city on the website
• Do not use a P.O. box or virtual office as a GBP address. Google will suspend it.
• Service-area businesses (no shopfront): hide address in GBP, set service area radius

Templated approach for new locations:

1. Create GBP listing and verify
2. Build location page (unique content, not spun)
3. Set up citations in tier 1 directories
4. Begin review acquisition for that location
5. Build local links (local press, sponsorships, chamber membership)

9. Local Link Building

Local links build prominence signals and domain authority for local searches.

• Local press and news sites: digital PR around community stories
• Sponsorships with local clubs, charities, events
• Chamber of commerce and business association membership
• Supplier and partner pages: ask for a link alongside the logo
• Local blogger and influencer coverage
• Local council and government resource pages where relevant

10. Tracking and Measurement

• Google Search Console: filter by location queries, track map vs organic splits
• GBP Insights: track search queries, profile views, calls, direction requests
• BrightLocal rank tracker or similar: weekly local pack position per keyword per location
• Key metrics: map pack position, GBP call volume, direction requests, review count and rating

Calls and form fills are the only metrics that matter at the local level.

Output format

For a GBP audit:

1. Critical issues (suspension risk or major ranking blockers)
2. Quick wins (fix this week)
3. 30-day priorities
4. Review acquisition plan

For a new location setup:

• GBP setup checklist
• On-page requirements
• Citation build list (tiered)
• Review acquisition system outline

For a multi-location rollout:

• Location prioritisation by search volume and competition
• Templated approach with unique elements per location
• Tracking setup

Rules:

• Calls and form fills are the only metrics that matter at the local level
• If the GBP is incomplete or has inconsistent NAP, fix that before anything else
• Label UK-specific vs universal advice. Regulations and directories differ by market.

Reference files