# Local SEO Google Business > Use when optimizing local SEO and Google Business Profile. - Skill: `loopyluci/local-seo-google-business` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add loopyluci/local-seo-google-business` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/loopyluci/local-seo-google-business/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - License: MIT - Author: LoopyLuci (https://skillmd.com/u/loopyluci) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/loopyluci/local-seo-google-business --- # Local SEO and Google Business Profile Optimizing local search presence and Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) for businesses with physical locations. ## When to Use - Managing a business with a physical location - Optimizing Google Business Profile for local search rankings - Building local citations and NAP consistency - Getting more customers from Google Maps and local search - Managing reviews and local reputation ## GBP Optimization Checklist ```python GBP_SETUP = { 'business_name': 'Exact legal name (consistent everywhere)', 'category': 'Primary category + up to 10 additional categories', 'address': 'Physical address (no PO boxes for GBP)', 'service_area': 'Service area if you don't serve at location', 'phone': 'Local number (not call center / toll-free)', 'website': 'Business website URL', 'hours': 'Regular and special/holiday hours', 'description': '750-character business description with keywords', 'photos': 'Interior, exterior, team, products (100+ recommended)', 'attributes': 'Black-owned, LGBTQ+ friendly, women-led, etc.', 'services': 'List of services/products offered', 'menus': 'For restaurants — online menu', 'booking': 'Booking button if applicable (appointment types)', 'questions': 'Q&A section — proactively answer common questions', 'posts': 'Weekly GBP posts (offers, events, updates)', 'reviews': 'Respond to every review (positive + negative)', } def gbp_audit_score(profile: Dict) -> Dict: """Score a GBP profile's completeness (100-point scale).""" score = 0 missing = [] checks = [ ('name', 5), ('category', 10), ('address', 10), ('phone', 10), ('website', 5), ('hours', 10), ('description', 5), ('photos', 10), ('services', 5), ] for field, points in checks: if profile.get(field): score += points else: missing.append(field) # Review response rate bonus total_reviews = len(profile.get('reviews', [])) responded = sum(1 for r in profile.get('reviews', []) if r.get('responded')) if total_reviews > 0 and responded / total_reviews >= 0.5: score += 10 # Posting frequency bonus posts_last_30 = profile.get('posts_last_30_days', 0) if posts_last_30 >= 4: score += 10 elif posts_last_30 >= 2: score += 5 # Photo count bonus photo_count = profile.get('photo_count', 0) if photo_count >= 100: score += 10 elif photo_count >= 50: score += 5 return { 'score': min(score, 100), 'missing_elements': missing, 'rating': 'Excellent' if score >= 80 else 'Good' if score >= 60 else 'Needs work', 'recommendations': [f"Add: {m}" for m in missing], } ``` ## Local Citation Building ```python CITATION_SITES = { 'tier_1': [ 'Google Business Profile', 'Bing Places', 'Apple Maps', 'Facebook', 'Yelp', 'Yellow Pages', ], 'tier_2': [ 'MapQuest', 'Superpages', 'Citysearch', 'Hotfrog', 'Merchant Circle', 'Foursquare', 'Manta', ], 'niche_specific': { 'restaurant': ['TripAdvisor', 'OpenTable', 'Zomato', 'MenuPages'], 'healthcare': ['Healthgrades', 'Zocdoc', 'Vitals', 'RateMDs'], 'legal': ['Avvo', 'Martindale', 'FindLaw', 'Lawyers.com'], 'home_services': ['Angi (Angies List)', 'HomeAdvisor', 'Houzz', 'Porch'], 'real_estate': ['Zillow', 'Realtor.com', 'Trulia', 'Redfin'], }, } class CitationBuilder: """Manage NAP consistency across citations.""" def __init__(self, business_name: str, address: str, phone: str, website: str): self.nap = { 'name': business_name, 'address': address, 'phone': phone, 'website': website, } self.citations = [] def add_citation(self, site: str, url: str, nap_match: str = 'exact', status: str = 'pending'): self.citations.append({ 'site': site, 'url': url, 'nap_match': nap_match, # exact, partial, mismatch 'status': status, 'last_verified': None, }) def get_consistency_report(self) -> Dict: exact = sum(1 for c in self.citations if c['nap_match'] == 'exact') partial = sum(1 for c in self.citations if c['nap_match'] == 'partial') mismatched = sum(1 for c in self.citations if c['nap_match'] == 'mismatch') pending = sum(1 for c in self.citations if c['status'] == 'pending') return { 'total_citations': len(self.citations), 'exact_match': exact, 'partial_match': partial, 'mismatch': mismatched, 'pending': pending, 'consistency_score': round(exact / max(len(self.citations), 1) * 100, 1), } ``` ## Local Ranking Factors ```python LOCAL_RANKING_FACTORS = { 'proximity': { 'weight': 'High', 'description': 'Distance between searcher and business location', 'influence': 'You can't change proximity, but can target specific areas', }, 'gbp_signals': { 'weight': 'Very High', 'description': 'Category, attributes, verification, completeness', 'influence': 'Optimize every GBP field; post weekly; respond to reviews', }, 'reviews': { 'weight': 'High', 'description': 'Quantity, recency, diversity, and sentiment of reviews', 'influence': 'Encourage reviews, respond to all, never buy fake reviews', }, 'citations': { 'weight': 'Medium', 'description': 'Number and consistency of NAP across the web', 'influence': 'Build tier 1 citations first; audit consistency quarterly', }, 'backlinks': { 'weight': 'Medium', 'description': 'Quality and relevance of backlinks to your site', 'influence': 'Local backlinks (chambers, sponsors, partners) are most valuable', }, 'website_signals': { 'weight': 'Medium', 'description': 'On-page local SEO (title, H1, schema, content)', 'influence': 'Include city/region in title, headings, and content', }, 'social_signals': { 'weight': 'Low', 'description': 'Social media presence and engagement', 'influence': 'Active social profiles with consistent NAP', }, } def local_seo_audit(business: Dict) -> List[str]: """Generate local SEO recommendations.""" recs = [] if not business.get('gbp_claimed'): recs.append("Claim and verify your Google Business Profile") if business.get('gbp_category_count', 0) < 3: recs.append("Add more relevant categories to GBP (up to 10)") if business.get('gbp_photos', 0) < 50: recs.append(f"Add more photos to GBP (currently {business.get('gbp_photos', 0)}, target 100+)") if business.get('gbp_posts_30d', 0) < 4: recs.append("Post to GBP at least once per week (services, offers, events)") if business.get('review_count', 0) < 10: recs.append("Implement a review generation strategy (target 10+ reviews)") if business.get('review_response_rate', 0) < 0.5: recs.append("Respond to ALL reviews — positive and negative") return recs ``` ## Common Pitfalls 1. **NAP inconsistency** — different address formats across citations confuse Google 2. **Unclaimed GBP** — Google populates unclaimed profiles with unreliable data; claim yours 3. **Buying fake reviews** — Google detects and penalizes; legitimate review generation only 4. **Abandoned profile** — old posts, unresponded reviews, outdated hours hurt rankings 5. **Wrong category** — primary category is the #1 ranking signal; choose carefully 6. **No review strategy** — customers need to be asked; make it easy to leave a review ## Verification Checklist - [ ] Google Business Profile claimed and verified - [ ] All NAP fields complete and accurate - [ ] Primary + secondary categories selected - [ ] 100+ high-quality photos uploaded - [ ] Business description written (750 chars, keyword-rich) - [ ] Products/services listed - [ ] Weekly GBP posts published - [ ] All reviews responded to within 48 hours - [ ] Top 10 citation sites checked for NAP consistency - [ ] Local schema markup on website ## See Also - seo-search-engine-optimization — broader SEO strategy - website-analytics-tracking — tracking local search performance - digital-marketing-strategy — local SEO in marketing mix - cms-website-management — local SEO on website