Updated October 28, 2026.
Local SEO checklist, in short: Google says local rankings depend on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. To rank higher in Google Maps, complete and verify your Google Business Profile, choose the most accurate primary category, keep name, address and phone consistent everywhere, earn regular genuine reviews and reply to them, add real photos, and build location pages and local links on your website.
Local SEO checklist
| Area | Task | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Verified; correct primary and secondary categories | ☐ |
| Hours, holiday hours, services, products, attributes filled in | ☐ | |
| Real photos of storefront, interior, team and work, added monthly | ☐ | |
| Updates or offers posted regularly | ☐ | |
| Reviews | A routine for asking every customer; replies to all reviews | ☐ |
| Consistency | Same name, address and phone on site, profiles and directories | ☐ |
| Website | A page per location or service area with unique content | ☐ |
| LocalBusiness structured data, embedded map, click-to-call | ☐ | |
| Fast and mobile-friendly | ☐ | |
| Links and mentions | Local press, chambers of commerce, sponsorships, partners | ☐ |
| Tracking | UTM on the profile website link; Business Profile performance reports | ☐ |
The three ranking factors
- Relevance: how well your profile matches the search. Categories and complete information matter most here.
- Distance: how far you are from the searcher or the location in the search. You can’t change this, but location pages help for areas you serve.
- Prominence: how well known you are: reviews, links, articles and overall web presence.
What not to do
- Adding keywords to your business name. It breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Virtual offices or fake addresses.
- Buying or incentivizing reviews. Google removes them, and the FTC’s 2024 rule bans fake reviews in the US.
- Thin, copied location pages that only swap the city name.
Bottom line: Work through this local SEO checklist once, then repeat the review and profile steps every month. A local SEO checklist only works when it becomes a routine. Give one person ownership of the local SEO checklist so reviews and profile updates never fall between teams.
Frequently asked questions
How long does local SEO take?
Profile fixes can show results in weeks; reviews and links build over months.
Do review replies help rankings?
Google recommends replying; replies build trust with customers, which matters as much as any ranking effect.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google
Related: visual search optimization
