Can I do local SEO myself?

Yes. Most of this list can be done by the business itself with a couple of hours a month. Where help is usually needed is the website (speed, structured data, service pages) and tracking.

How long until it shows?

Profile and website fixes usually show within weeks. Climbing competitive searches, with reviews and links, takes three to six months.

Do I need a page for every city?

Only if you have something of your own to say about each one. The same page repeated with another city name is doorway content, and Google treats it as spam.

How much does it cost to have you do it?

Local SEO has a published price with a three-month minimum; you'll find it on our pricing page. The initial audit is free.

Local SEO checklist: 25 checks for your small business

It's the list we draw on when a business asks us for an audit. It's ordered by impact: the first items show results in weeks, the last ones in months. What you tick is saved in this browser, so you can come back another day and pick up where you left off.

1. Your Google profile

It's what shows up on Maps and in the map pack, and the first thing people see when they search “near me”. If it's half done, start with the Google Business Profile guide.

Google profile

0 / 5 done

Profile verified and managed from a business account If an employee created it with a personal email, get it back before they leave.
Exact primary category The one that describes what you are. Secondary ones only if they're true.
Name matches your sign No added keywords: that can get you suspended.
Hours, services and photos up to date Holidays included. Real photos, not stock.
Reviews requested and answered With the direct link after every job, and a reply to every one.

2. Your website

Your listing sends people to your site, and your site is what confirms to Google (and to the customer) that you are who you say and do what you say.

Your website

0 / 5 done

Name, address and phone as text on every page Usually in the footer. As text, not inside an image, and exactly as on your profile. If you work from home and hide your address on Google, show your phone and the areas you serve instead.
One page per main service What you do, for whom, in which area and, if you can, a starting price.
Each page's title and description name the service and the area “Plumber in Ottawa, IL” says more than “Home”.
A visible call button on mobile and a short form Three or four fields. Every extra field is people leaving.
Local business structured data LocalBusiness markup with name, address, phone and hours, as Google documents it. Google requires an address: if you don't publish one, skip the markup.

3. The technical side

Technical

0 / 5 done

HTTPS across the whole site The padlock on every page, not just the form.
Fast on mobile Run it through PageSpeed Insights: Core Web Vitals in the green if it shows them; if your site has too little traffic for field data, aim for a mobile Performance score of 90 or more.
Readable on mobile without zooming Legible text and buttons you can tap with a thumb.
Google Search Console set up With your sitemap submitted. It's free and it's where Google tells you what it sees.
No indexing errors or important broken links Check Search Console once a month.

4. Reputation and mentions beyond your site

Prominence also comes from what's said about you elsewhere. You don't need a hundred directories: you need to be right in the ones that matter, with the same details.

Reputation and mentions

0 / 5 done

Listed on Bing Places and Apple Business Connect Bing's maps and Apple Maps on every iPhone. Same details as on Google.
Your industry's and your town's directories Yelp, the BBB and the ones your trade uses. Few and good, with the same name, address and phone.
Chamber of commerce or local association They usually link to members' websites, and that kind of link counts.
Partnerships, sponsorships or local press linking to you A local team, a fair, a story in the local paper.
Reviews answered outside Google too Facebook, Yelp or your industry's directories.

5. Tracking and upkeep

Without tracking you don't know what works. What matters isn't visits, it's leads and where they came from.

Tracking and upkeep

0 / 5 done

Calls and form submissions tracked as conversions In Google Analytics 4 or whatever tool you use.
Search Console queries reviewed monthly What people type to find you, and which pages they land on.
Ask every customer how they found you The cheapest question in all of analytics.
Profile review every three months New photos, services, seasonal hours.
One genuinely useful piece a month A guide, a case study, an FAQ page: something someone actually searches for.

Your score

0 / 25

The link carries the boxes you have ticked: whoever opens it sees your list as it stands.

Send this checklist to whoever runs your website.

https://intervolutions.com/guides/local-seo-checklist/

Lots of boxes left unticked?

Send us your website and we'll reply in writing, within two business days, with what to fix first. If you then want us to do it, we send a fixed-price proposal. No call needed.

Get the free audit See our local SEO service

Sources

Ignacio Pineda

Co-founder · Business

Co-founder of Intervolutions. Strategy, marketing and client relationships: he turns the technical into business results.

Local SEO checklist: 25 checks to get found in your area

1. Your Google profile

2. Your website

3. The technical side

4. Reputation and mentions beyond your site

5. Tracking and upkeep

Your score

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