Every audit I've done over the past decade follows the same sequence. Not because it's the only way — but because it works. Local SEO has more variables than most people think, and the ones who rank consistently aren't doing more. They're doing the right things in the right order.
This framework is that order. 47 checks across five dimensions. Run it from top to bottom, and you'll know exactly where a business stands and what to fix first.
Why Most Local SEO Audits Miss the Point
Most audits start with keywords. Wrong move. The first question is never "what are you ranking for?" It's "does Google know you exist, and is the information accurate?" If the foundation is broken, all the keyword targeting in the world won't move you.
Local SEO has three tiers: Discovery (can Google find you?), Confirmation (does your listing look trustworthy?), and Conversion (does your page actually close the deal?). Most agencies optimize for tier three when clients are still stuck at tier one.
The 80/20 split: ~80% of local ranking factors live in your Google Business Profile, your citation consistency, and your review velocity. The remaining 20% is on-page optimization. If you're spending time on the 20% while the 80% is broken, you're optimizing the wrong thing.
The 47-Point Audit Framework
Use this checklist in order. Each section maps to one dimension of local search dominance. No section is optional.
SECTION 1 — Google Business Profile (GBP) — 10 Points
1GBP is claimed, verified, and managed via Google Business Profile Manager (not just the app)
2Business name matches exactly — no keywords stuffed into the name field
3Primary category is the most specific relevant option (not a broad parent category)
4All 10 available GBP categories are filled, ordered by relevance
5 NAP fields complete: address, phone (local number, no vanity), website URL
6 Business description uses primary keywords naturally, within first 150 characters
7 Hours are accurate and updated for seasonal changes, holidays, special events
8 At least 10 photos uploaded; categories include interior, exterior, team, product, services
9 GBP Posts are published weekly — offers, events, or product updates (not just "we're open")
10 Messaging response time is set; responses to Q&A and messages within 24 hours
SECTION 2 — On-Page SEO & Landing Page — 14 Points
11 Location page title tag: [Service] in [City] | [Brand Name] format
12 H1 includes primary keyword + city; only one H1 per page
13 NAP displayed in schema markup (LocalBusiness or Service schema JSON-LD)
14 Google Maps embed present on contact/location page with correct address
15 Service-area pages exist for each target city/neighborhood (not just one page for everything)
16 Internal linking from service pages to location pages and vice versa
17 Image alt attributes include location and service keywords (not "IMG_001.jpg")
18 Page speed score ≥ 90 on PageSpeed Insights (LCP < 2.5s)
19 Mobile-first design: tap targets ≥ 48px, readable text without zoom, no horizontal scroll
20 CTA above the fold: phone number, booking link, or click-to-call button
21 Reviews are displayed on the landing page (not just linked to Google)
22 Google Business Profile link is present and correct in website header/footer
23 Geo-modifier keywords appear in at least 3 subheadings on the page
24 Page has at least 800 words of unique, non-boilerplate content
SECTION 3 — Local Citations & Directory Consistency — 10 Points
25 NAP is consistent across the 4 data aggregators: Data Axle (Neustar), Localeze, Factual, Foursquare
26 NAP matches on top 50 citation platforms (Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps,Yellow Pages, etc.)
27 All directories use the same phone number format ([area code][prefix][line]) — no variations
28 Address matches exactly character-for-character across all listings (Suite vs. Ste., St. vs. Street)
29 Duplicate listings have been identified and merged/suppressed (check Moz Local or BrightLocal)
3030 Niche-specific directories have been claimed and completed (HomeAdvisor for contractors, ZocDoc for doctors, etc.)
31 Industry associations and local chamber of commerce listings are claimed
32 Social profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook) have complete NAP and link back to website
33 Wikipedia/Wikidata entry exists with correct NAP (if applicable to the business type)
34 Google-indexed citations count checked in Google Search (site:businessname.com)
SECTION 4 — Reviews & Reputation Signals — 8 Points
35 Google rating is ≥ 4.0 (below this, ranking impact is materially reduced)
36 At least 50 Google reviews in the past 12 months (volume signals recency and engagement)
37 Review velocity: at least 3-5 new Google reviews per month (not clumped)
38 Owner responses exist for reviews — especially responses to negative reviews (calm, factual, no defensiveness)
39 Responses to Google reviews use primary keywords naturally (this is a backlink-free content signal)
40 Reviews on Yelp, Houzz, TripAdvisor, or industry-specific platforms are monitored monthly
41 A review-gathering system is in place (QR code at location, email sequence post-visit, SMS follow-up)
42 Negative reviews make up < 15% of total — any pattern (long wait times, billing issues) is being addressed operationally
SECTION 5 — Technical & Signals — 5 Points
43 LocalBusiness structured data (JSON-LD) is implemented on the location page with full NAP, geo-coordinates, and opening hours
44 Sitemap includes all location pages; pages are indexable (no noindex, no robots.txt blocks)
45 Core Web Vitals: LCP < 2.5s, FID < 100ms, CLS < 0.1 (Google's local pack ranking threshold)
46 HTTPS is enforced site-wide; no mixed content warnings in Chrome DevTools
47 Google Search Console is verified, and the "Local GMB" entity association is confirmed via the "Websites" associations panel
How to Actually Run This Audit
Don't try to do all 47 in one sitting. Break it into five sessions of 30-45 minutes each. Start with the checklist section that will have the most impact — for most businesses, that's Google Business Profile. If you find 8+ issues in section one, work those first. The ranking lift from fixing the foundation alone can be significant.
Use these tools to move faster:
- GBP Audit: Google Business Profile Manager, Whitespark's GBP Finder
- Citations: Moz Local, BrightLocal, Yext
- Reviews: GradeYourAppraise, ReviewInc
- Technical: PageSpeed Insights, Screaming Frog, Schema Markup Validator
- On-Page: SurferSEO or Clearscope for content gap analysis
The One Thing Most Businesses Skip
Service-area pages. Most single-location businesses have one landing page for "our city." That's not enough. If you serve Rockford, Machesney Park, and Roscoe — you need pages for each of those. Not just a mention in the copy, but a dedicated page with local content, local testimonials, and local schema.
Google's local algorithm weights relevance by geographic proximity. The more pages you have that are specifically about a location, the more signals you send. One page trying to rank for three cities is three times weaker than three pages each targeting one city.
What to Fix First
Priority order: GBP completeness → Citation consistency → On-page copy → Review velocity → Technical fixes. If you're on a tight timeline, fix the GBP first — it's the most visible signal and the fastest win. If your GBP is already solid, citations and reviews are where the real leverage is.
Most businesses will see measurable movement within 60-90 days of running this framework consistently. Local SEO compounds. The work you do today creates the ranking foundation for everything that follows.
Want us to run this audit for you?
SkillStack runs full local SEO audits every month for clients across the country. We'll do all 47 points, identify exactly what's broken, and give you a prioritized roadmap.
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