The Ultimate Local SEO Checklist for 2026

47 action items across foundations, Google Business Profile, on-site SEO, citations, reviews, AI search, and tracking. Tick them off and you cover the signals that move local rankings.

Foundations

Business name, address, phone (NAP) identical on your site, Google, Yelp, and Facebook
Primary Google Business Profile category is your single best-fit category
All relevant secondary categories added
Service area or address set correctly
Hours accurate, including holiday hours
Phone number is a local or tracking number, not a generic 800 only

Google Business Profile

Profile is 100% complete (every field filled)
At least 10 real photos uploaded
New photos added in the last 30 days
A Google Post published in the last 7 days
Products or services listed with descriptions
Q&A section seeded with common questions and answers
Booking or quote link added if available
Attributes set (woman-owned, free estimates, etc.)
Messaging enabled and monitored

On-Site SEO

Site loads in under 3 seconds on mobile
Every page has a unique, keyword-and-city title tag
Every page has a meta description
One H1 per page that names the service and city
Click-to-call button visible on mobile
Service area named on the homepage and contact page
Dedicated page for each core service
Dedicated page for each city or area you serve
LocalBusiness schema on the site
Service schema on each service page
FAQ schema on pages with Q&A
Image alt text describes the image and includes location where natural
XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
Site verified in Google Search Console
HTTPS enabled site-wide

Citations and NAP

Listed on the top general directories (Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, Facebook)
Listed in your industry-specific directories
NAP consistent across every citation
Duplicate or outdated listings removed or merged
Data aggregators updated

Reviews

Google review link saved and easy to send
A system to request reviews after every job
Responding to all reviews within 48 hours
Average rating at or above 4.5 stars
Steady flow of new reviews each month

AI Search

Content written in natural, question-style language
Services and hours kept current for AI trust
Cited in local sources and directories AI reads
Test monthly: ask ChatGPT and Google AI for your service in your city

Tracking and Measurement

Google Search Console connected and monitored
Google Analytics 4 installed with lead goals set
Call tracking number in place to attribute phone leads

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