How To Perform A Local SEO Audit For Your Business

Local SEO Audit

A Local SEO audit is a systematic evaluation of a business’s online presence and local search performance—covering Google Business Profile, local citations, NAP consistency, on‑page local SEO (title tags, schema, location pages), reviews and reputation, local backlinks, mobile/site speed, and technical issues—to identify gaps and prioritize fixes that improve visibility in local search and map results.

Step 2: Audit Your Citations

Step 2: Audit Your Citations

What to check

• NAP consistency: The business name, address, and phone (including country/area code) must match exactly across listings.


• Address format and suite/unit info: Use the same punctuation, abbreviations, and suite formatting everywhere.


• Primary phone vs. call-tracking numbers: Replace call-tracking numbers on major directories with the permanent number, or use a consistent primary number.


• Website and canonical URL: Use the same protocol and subdomain consistently (for example, either with or without “www”).


• Categories and business description: Match the primary category and core services; avoid conflicting or outdated categories.


• Hours, payments, service area, and attributes: Keep details current and identical where supported.


• Duplicate, incomplete, or incorrect listings: Identify and flag for removal or merging.


• Citation quality: Prioritize authoritative local directories, key data aggregators (such as Localeze, Neustar/Placekey, Foursquare), and major platforms (Google Business Profile, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook, YellowPages).


• Structured vs. unstructured mentions: Track high-value structured entries and prominent unstructured mentions (news sites, local blogs).

How to perform the audit

• Export existing citations: Pull lists from platforms like Google Business Profile, Moz Local, BrightLocal, Yext, Whitespark, or use crawlers (e.g., Screaming Frog) for on-site mentions.


• Search manually: Query your business name with city and your phone number in major search engines and maps; review the top results and the map pack.


• Use citation tools: Run scans with BrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local, or Yext to find inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing major listings.


• Check data aggregators: Verify listings with major data providers (such as Infogroup, Neustar, Factual/Placekey, Foursquare) since inaccuracies propagate widely.


• Audit duplicates and storefront clusters: For multi-location businesses, ensure one canonical listing per location; merge or remove duplicates and confirm separate pages/GBPs for each location.


• Review incoming backlinks/mentions for NAP: Ensure third-party sites use the correct NAP and your canonical URL.

Fixes and cleanup

• Claim and verify: Claim unclaimed listings on major platforms (Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, Facebook) and complete verification.


• Correct NAPs: Update authoritative listings first (Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps), then data aggregators, then niche directories.


• Remove or merge duplicates: Follow each platform’s process to merge or request removal; use map edits for GBP duplicates where applicable.


• Standardize formats: Decide on a canonical NAP format and enforce it across all entries.


• Submit new citations: Add or claim listings on major local directories, industry-specific sites, the chamber of commerce, local business associations, and relevant local blogs.


• Use data-management services if needed: For many locations or complex cases, use services like Yext, Moz Local, or citation-building providers to push consistent data.


• Document changes: Maintain a spreadsheet with listing URLs, login credentials, verification status, and last-updated dates.

Ongoing maintenance

• Monthly or quarterly checks: Re-scan top directories and aggregators for drift or new duplicates.


• Monitor new mentions: Set alerts for new business mentions and ensure NAP accuracy.


• Track impact: Measure local rankings, map pack placement, and referral traffic from citation sources after fixes.

How To Implement Changes And Improve Rankings After A Local SEO Audit

1. 
   

   Immediate (0–2 weeks) — Quick wins

   
   
   
   
   • Fix critical NAP inconsistencies across Google Business Profile (GBP), the main website, and top citations.
   
   
   • Update and optimize GBP: correct categories, complete services, add high-quality images, business hours, and a keyword-rich short description.
   
   
   • Resolve any manual penalties or indexing issues: submit a sitemap to Google Search Console and request reindexing for fixed pages.
   
   
   • Repair broken links, 4xx errors, and server issues; ensure the site is available and fast.
   
   
   • Add or update schema markup (LocalBusiness, Organization, Product, Review) on key pages.
   
   
   
   


2. 
   

   Short term (2–8 weeks) — On-page and local relevance

   
   
   
   
   • Optimize the homepage and primary location pages: add local keywords (city + service), clear NAP, schema, H1/H2, meta titles and descriptions, and unique content targeting user intent.
   
   
   • Create or refine dedicated location pages for each service area with unique content, maps, and local landmarks.
   
   
   • Improve mobile UX: ensure pages meet Core Web Vitals and are responsive.
   
   
   • Implement internal linking from high-authority pages to location pages.
   
   
   • Create or optimize localized landing pages and FAQs answering common local queries.
   
   
   
   


3. 
   

   Ongoing (1–6 months) — Off-page authority and engagement

   
   
   
   
   • Citation management: clean duplicates and update secondary directories (Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, industry directories).
   
   
   • Review and reputation strategy: request reviews from happy customers, respond to all reviews quickly and professionally, and add review schema where appropriate.
   
   
   • Local link building: earn links from local newspapers, chambers of commerce, suppliers, sponsorships, and local blogs; prioritize relevance and authority.
   
   
   • Content marketing: publish locally focused blog posts, news, case studies, and seasonal offers targeting local keywords and long-tail queries.
   
   
   • Social and community signals: maintain active profiles, post local events, and engage with local groups.
   
   
   
   


4. 
   

   Technical and CRO optimizations

   
   
   
   
   • Ensure fast load times (image compression, caching, CDN), a secure site (HTTPS), and a clean, crawlable structure (robots.txt, XML sitemap).
   
   
   • Implement click-to-call, appointment forms, clear CTAs, and structured contact information on every page.
   
   
   • A/B test titles, meta descriptions, GBP posts, and landing page CTAs to improve CTR and conversions.
   
   
   
   


5. 
   

   Measurement and KPIs

   
   
   
   
   • Track local rankings (Google Maps and organic) by keyword and location.
   
   
   • Monitor GBP insights: views, searches, calls, direction requests, and website clicks.
   
   
   • Use Google Analytics (GA4): organic sessions, bounce rate, goal completions, and phone clicks.
   
   
   • Track review volume and sentiment, citation accuracy, backlink growth, and Core Web Vitals.
   
   
   
   


6. 
   

   Reporting cadence and follow-up audits

   
   
   
   
   • Weekly: GBP performance, errors, and urgent fixes.
   
   
   • Monthly: rankings, organic traffic, conversions, citations, and review growth.
   
   
   • Quarterly: full technical and on-page audit, backlink profile review, competitor benchmarking, and strategy adjustments.
   
   
   
   


7. 
   

   Prioritization framework

   
   
   
   
   • Impact x Effort matrix: prioritize high-impact/low-effort items (GBP fixes, NAP, reviews) first, then move to high-impact/high-effort items (content, links).
   
   
   • Focus on intent-driven optimizations that improve user experience and conversions, not just rankings.
   
   
   
   


8. 
   

   Tools to use

   
   
   
   
   • Google Business Profile, Google Search Console, Google Analytics (GA4)
   
   
   • Local rank trackers (BrightLocal, Whitespark), Moz, Semrush, Ahrefs
   
   
   • Screaming Frog, PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix
   
   
   • Whitespark or Yext for citation management
   
   
   
   


9. 
   

   Final checklist before closing the audit loop

   
   
   
   
   • NAP consistency verified across the top 50 citations
   
   
   • GBP fully optimized and active
   
   
   • Local pages optimized with schema and internal links
   
   
   • At least one review acquisition process in place
   
   
   • Technical errors fixed and Core Web Vitals improved
   
   
   • Monthly reporting and the next-quarter audit scheduled
   
   
   
   


10. 
    

    Execute prioritized sprints, measure results, iterate based on data, and maintain review and citation workflows to sustain and grow local rankings.