rank-local

Rank Local

Build a local SEO foundation covering Google Business Profile optimization, NAP consistency, citation strategy, and review velocity.

Local SEO Ranking Factors

Local search results are determined by three primary factors:

1. Relevance — How well your business matches the search query
2. Distance — How close you are to the searcher's location
3. Prominence — How well-known and trusted your business is online

You can't control distance, but you can maximize relevance and prominence.

Step 1: Google Business Profile Audit

GBP is the single most important local SEO asset. Audit:

Profile Completeness

• Business name matches real-world name exactly (no keyword stuffing)
• Primary category is the most specific match for your business
• Secondary categories cover all relevant services (up to 9)
• Address is accurate and matches what's on your website
• Phone number is a local number (not toll-free) that matches website
• Website URL points to the correct page
• Business hours are accurate (including special hours for holidays)
• Business description uses keywords naturally (750 chars max)

Visual Content

• Logo and cover photo uploaded
• At least 10 photos (exterior, interior, team, products/services)
• Photos updated regularly (monthly is ideal)
• Videos if applicable (60 seconds max)

Active Features

• Google Posts published regularly (weekly or biweekly)
• Products or services listed with descriptions and prices
• Q&A section monitored (seed common questions yourself)
• Messaging enabled if team can respond promptly
• Booking link configured if applicable

Step 2: NAP Consistency

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. It must be identical everywhere:

• Website (footer, contact page, schema markup)
• Google Business Profile
• All citation directories
• Social media profiles

Common inconsistencies to fix:

• "St" vs "Street" vs "St."
• "Suite 200" vs "#200" vs "Ste 200"
• Different phone numbers (main line vs direct)
• Old addresses from a previous location
• Abbreviated vs full business name

How to check: Search "business name" + "city" and review every listing that appears. Note inconsistencies.

Step 3: Citation Strategy

Citations are mentions of your business NAP on other websites. Key directories:

Foundation Citations (must-have)

• Google Business Profile
• Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect
• Bing Places
• Yelp
• Facebook Business Page
• BBB (Better Business Bureau)

Industry-Specific Citations

Vary by business type:

• Restaurants: TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Zomato
• Medical: Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD
• Legal: Avvo, FindLaw, Justia
• Home services: HomeAdvisor, Angi, Thumbtack
• Real estate: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin

Local Citations

• Local chamber of commerce
• City/regional business directories
• Local news sites and publications
• Community event sponsorship pages

Priority: Quality > quantity. 30 accurate citations on authoritative directories beats 200 on low-quality sites.

Step 4: Review Strategy

Reviews directly impact local pack rankings and conversion rates.

Getting More Reviews

• Ask satisfied customers at the point of service
• Send follow-up emails/texts with a direct review link
• Use Google's review link generator: https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=[PLACE_ID]
• Train staff to ask — make it part of the customer service flow
• Never incentivize reviews (violates Google guidelines)

Responding to Reviews

Response templates (customize — never copy verbatim):

Positive review response: "Thank you, [Name]! We're glad [specific thing they mentioned] went well. [Brief personal touch]. We look forward to [future interaction]."

Key: Reference something specific from their review. Generic "Thanks for the review!" signals you don't read them.

Negative review response: "[Name], thank you for sharing this feedback. We're sorry [acknowledge specific issue]. This isn't the experience we aim for. Please reach out to [contact method] so we can make this right."

Key: Respond within 24 hours. Acknowledge the specific concern. Move resolution offline. Never argue publicly.

Fake review response: "We don't have a record of this interaction. If you are a customer, please contact [email/phone] so we can look into this."

Key: Report via GBP dashboard first. Respond factually without being defensive. Don't accuse — state facts.

Review Velocity

• Aim for steady, ongoing reviews — not bursts
• A sudden spike of reviews looks unnatural
• 2-5 new reviews per month is healthy for most small businesses
• Track review velocity month-over-month

Step 5: Local Content

Create location-relevant content for your website:

• Location pages (if multi-location): unique content per location, not duplicated templates
• Local service pages: "[service] in [city]" pages with genuine local relevance
• Local blog content: Community involvement, local events, local case studies
• FAQ page: Answer location-specific questions

Avoid: Doorway pages (thin, templated pages targeting every neighborhood/zip code).

Step 6: Local Schema Markup

Add structured data to your website:

LocalBusiness Schema

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Business Name"

Use the most specific business type available: Restaurant, DentalClinic, LawFirm, etc. rather than generic LocalBusiness.

Output Format

Local SEO Strategy: [business name / domain]

GBP Audit Results

• Profile completeness: [x]%
• Categories: [current categories — any missing?]
• Review count: [count] | Average rating: [stars]
• Photo count: [count]

NAP Consistency

• Inconsistencies found: [count]
• Directories checked: [count]
• Fixes needed: [list]

Citation Plan

Review Strategy

• Current velocity: [reviews/month]
• Target velocity: [reviews/month]
• Reviews needing response: [count]
• Action items for getting more reviews

Content Recommendations

• Location pages to create
• Local content topics
• Schema to implement

Pro Tip: Use the free SEO Audit to check local schema markup and the Schema Markup Generator to build LocalBusiness JSON-LD. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:gbp-overview to see all GBP locations, reviews needing attention, sentiment breakdown, and reply to reviews directly from Claude.