Local SEO

Research substrate (Exa)

Default: Exa, per .claude/rules/exa-protocol.md (auto-loaded for research, audit, competitor, ICP, AEO, content sourcing, sales prospecting work).

Primary Exa tools for this skill: web_search_exa.

Use case: local pack + competitor research.

Tool surface during the migration window:

• New plugin (preferred): mcp__plugin_exa_exa__web_search_exa (after claude plugin i exa@claude-plugins-official).
• Legacy MCP (still mounted): mcp__exa__web_search_exa.
• Both backends route to the same Exa API — they don't double-bill.

Citation: every Exa-derived claim uses [VERIFIED: exa_search, {url}, accessed {YYYY-MM-DD}] per .claude/rules/ontology.md.

Quality gate (research outputs): ≥3 sources per major claim, ≥50% [VERIFIED] confidence, date filter for any "recent / latest" claim, no fallback to WebSearch without flagging the data gap.

Worked examples + tool catalog: .claude/skills/meta-skills/exa/.

Local SEO audit

Orchestrator for local SEO audits of Google Business Profile listings. Routes to 4 dedicated sub-skills covering categories, reviews, content, and listing optimization. Based on the 8-prompt local SEO playbook adapted for Claude Code's MCP stack.

Sub-skills (dedicated)

Routing rule: If user requests a specific audit type, route to the dedicated sub-skill. Do NOT handle these directly — invoke the sub-skill instead.

Full audit mode

When user requests a "full local SEO audit" or "complete GBP audit", run all 4 sub-skills in this order (matches the recommended 4-week execution cadence):

Week 1: /gbp-category-audit → Fix foundation (categories + attributes)
Week 2: /gbp-listing-optimization → Optimize listing text (services + description)
Week 3: /gbp-review-strategy → Build review system (teardown + templates)
Week 4: /gbp-content-engine → Launch content engine (posts + photos)

After each sub-skill completes, present results and ask if user wants to continue to next phase.

Process Flowchart

Input validation → routing decision → (single sub-skill OR sequential 4-skill run) → scoring (full audit only) → Gate 1 review → chain suggestions. Full ASCII flowchart in the premium reference.

Claude Code Triggers

Invoke this skill when user says:

• "Local SEO audit for [business]"
• "GBP audit"
• "Google Business Profile audit"
• "Audit my Google listing"
• "Local search optimization"
• "Map pack analysis"
• "How do I rank locally?"
• "Local SEO score"
• "Compare my GBP to competitors"

Route to sub-skills instead:

• "Category audit" / "GBP categories" / "Attributes audit" → Use /gbp-category-audit
• "Review strategy" / "Review teardown" / "Review templates" → Use /gbp-review-strategy
• "GBP posts" / "Content calendar" / "Photo audit" → Use /gbp-content-engine
• "Services optimization" / "Description optimization" → Use /gbp-listing-optimization

Do NOT invoke when:

• User wants website PM score (B2B SaaS) → Use /website-pm-score
• User wants AEO content → Use /aeo-content
• User wants programmatic SEO → Use /programmatic-seo

Input Requirements

Required Inputs

Optional Inputs (improve quality)

Input Validation Checklist

Before proceeding, verify:

• GBP URL is accessible
• At least 2 competitor GBP URLs provided
• At least 3 target keywords specified
• Service areas defined

If inputs are missing: Ask for GBP URL first. Offer to research competitors via Exa/Firecrawl if user doesn't have competitor URLs.

Iteration Prompts

1. "Want me to run a specific sub-audit in more depth?"
2. "Should I create a 90-day execution roadmap from these findings?"
3. "Want me to export this to Google Docs for the client?"

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## Anti-Hallucination Guardrails

1. **Only score what was scraped.** If a GBP page didn't load, mark that audit as "incomplete" — don't infer.
2. **No invented review counts.** If review data can't be extracted, note "[UNAVAILABLE: could not scrape reviews]".
3. **Competitor data must be sourced.** Every competitor comparison needs the scraped data behind it.
4. **Impact estimates as ranges.** "Adding missing categories typically improves visibility by 10-30%" with [ESTIMATED] tag.
5. **GBP data is point-in-time.** Note the scrape date — listings change frequently.

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## Quality Checklist (Pre-Delivery)

- [ ] All 4 sub-audits completed (full mode) or selected audit completed
- [ ] Scoring rubric applied with evidence per category
- [ ] Top 5 actions identified with impact/effort ratings
- [ ] Executive summary written
- [ ] No invented data — all comparisons from scraped sources
- [ ] Export-ready markdown format

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## MCP Data Integration

Primary tools: Firecrawl (GBP page scraping, default), Exa (SERP map-pack analysis), Apify (structured Google Maps data, credit-gated). Fallback: WebFetch + WebSearch + user-provided screenshots. Full integration table in the premium reference.

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## Integration with Other Skills

### Upstream Skills (Provide Inputs)

| Skill | What It Provides | Required? |
|-------|------------------|-----------|
| **company-context** | Business details, service areas | Recommended |

### Downstream Skills (Consume Outputs)

| Skill | How It Uses Local SEO Audit |
|-------|----------------------------|
| **landing-page-copy** | Website improvements based on listing-site alignment |
| **aeo-content** | Local content optimized for AI search |
| **content-strategy** | Ongoing local content plan |

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