Local SEO checklist for service businesses.
Local SEO comes down to three things Google says it weighs: relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot change distance, so this checklist covers what you can: a complete Google Business Profile, consistent listings, honest reviews and local pages that say something real.
By Neural Media Labs6 min read
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New to the idea? Start with what local SEO is, then use this checklist.
How Google ranks local results
Google says local results are based mainly on three factors: relevance (how well a profile matches the search), distance (how far each business is from the searcher) and prominence (how well known a business is). It also states that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. See Google's tips to improve your local ranking.
1. Complete your Google Business Profile
- Claim and verify the profile for your business.
- Choose the most accurate primary category, and add secondary ones that genuinely apply.
- Add your services, opening hours, phone number and website.
- Add real photos of your work or premises.
- Use your real-world business name. Google does not allow adding keywords, taglines or service descriptions to the name.
2. Set up service areas correctly
If you travel to customers and do not serve them at a shop front, you are a service-area business. Google's guidelines say to have one profile for your central location, define your service area and hide the address. Virtual offices and mailboxes are not eligible for a profile. Read Google's representation guidelines before you set anything up.
3. Keep your listings consistent
Use the same business name, phone number and website everywhere they appear: directories, social profiles, industry sites and your own pages. Inconsistent details confuse customers and can confuse the systems that read them, including AI assistants.
4. Ask for reviews and reply to them
- Ask every customer, soon after the job, with a direct link to your review page.
- Reply to every review, positive or negative, calmly and specifically.
- Never write, buy or trade reviews, and do not selectively ask only happy customers.
5. Back it up on your website
- A page for each service you genuinely offer, with real detail.
- Clear statements of the areas you serve, without near-identical pages for every suburb.
- Your name, phone number and email in text, not only in an image.
- Local business structured data where it accurately matches the page.
6. Track what matters
Record calls, direction requests and website visits from your profile, and the enquiries that follow. Rankings in the map results vary by searcher location, so a single ranking number can mislead.
| Area | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | Complete, accurate, verified | Keywords in the business name |
| Address | Hide it if you are a service-area business | Virtual offices and mailboxes |
| Listings | One consistent set of details | Different names or numbers across sites |
| Reviews | Ask often, reply to all | Fake or purchased reviews |
| Website | Real, specific service and area pages | Mass-produced suburb pages |
If you would rather have this handled, see our local SEO service. The same consistent information also helps your AI search visibility.
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