Local SEO Audit for Your Google Business Profile: The 2026 Checklist
A complete audit framework for your local presence: profile, website, reviews and citations. Includes a symptoms checker and an action plan for what to fix first.
Table of Contents
- 1Audit before you optimise
- 2The 4 pillars in 30 seconds
- 3Pillar 1 - Google Business Profile
- 4Pillar 2 - Website / landing pages
- 5Pillar 3 - Reviews / reputation
- 6Pillar 4 - Citations / consistency
- 7Your scorecard
- 8Symptoms checker: what your problem probably is
- 9Action plan: fix first, optimise after
- 10Prefer an automated audit?
- 11Frequently asked questions
- 12Next step
Audit before you optimise
Optimising without auditing is gambling. You don't know where the lever is, so you fiddle with everything a little. A proper local SEO audit takes 60–90 minutes and saves you weeks of wasted work.
This checklist is built around 4 pillars. Walk through them one by one, score yourself, and write down your top 3 priorities.
The 4 pillars in 30 seconds
What you'll audit:
- 1. Google Business Profile, category, fields, photos, activity
- 2. Website / landing pages, local signals, speed, NAP, structure
- 3. Reviews / reputation, volume, recency, reply rate, sentiment
- 4. Citations / consistency, mentions on other sites, NAP consistency
Pillar 1 - Google Business Profile
Score yourself on these items (1 point per yes).
- Primary category is as specific as possible
- 2–4 secondary categories that genuinely fit
- Description of 600+ characters, first 250 are sharp
- 10+ recent photos (last 90 days)
- Services and/or products added as separate items
- Q&A section has at least 3 self-filled questions
- Opening hours up to date including holidays
- Booking/appointment link set (where applicable)
- Attributes filled in (accessibility, payment methods, etc.)
- Updates/posts in the last 30 days
Pillar 2 - Website / landing pages
1 point per yes.
- NAP details (name, address, phone) in the footer of every page
- Homepage clearly states what you do and where (in the first 100 words)
- For multi-location: separate location page per branch
- Local schema.org markup (LocalBusiness JSON-LD) implemented
- Mobile speed score 80+ on Google PageSpeed Insights
- Embedded Google Maps on your contact page
- Opening hours also on your website (matching your profile)
- Customer reviews or testimonials visible on your homepage
- No broken links to e.g. old social profiles
- HTTPS, no mixed-content warnings
Pillar 3 - Reviews / reputation
1 point per yes.
- Average score 4.5+ ★
- At least 50 reviews (lower for very specific niches)
- At least 10 new reviews in the last 90 days
- 100% reply rate on reviews from the last 6 months
- Average reply time under 48 hours
- Reviews regularly contain keywords or location names
- Mix of review sources (Google, industry-specific, social)
- No clear pattern of fake or clustered reviews
- Negative reviews handled professionally
- A process for systematically asking for reviews
Pillar 4 - Citations / consistency
1 point per yes.
- NAP exactly the same on your website, profile and social media
- Listed on Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, industry directories
- No outdated listings with old addresses or phone numbers
- Industry-specific directories filled in (e.g. TripAdvisor, Treatwell, Houzz)
- Backlinks from local sites (council, trade body, local press)
- Social media accounts complete and active
- No duplicate Google profiles for the same location
- Categories consistent across directories
- Photos reused across directories for recognisability
- Logo and brand identity consistent everywhere
Your scorecard
Add up your scores (max 40):
- 35–40 - Strong: you're doing well, focus on deeper specialisation - 25–34 - Solid base: pick 3 priorities and execute - 15–24 - Work to do: lots of quick wins available - 0–14 - Critical: start with pillar 1 and pillar 3 (profile + reviews), the rest comes after
Symptoms checker: what your problem probably is
Recognise the symptom and you usually know where to start.
- Lots of views, few actions (clicks/calls): your profile is visible but not convincing, fix photos, description and the first 5 reviews
- Not visible in Google Maps: likely wrong category or too few reviews vs direct competitors
- Competitors with fewer reviews ranking higher: they probably have a better category or stronger website signal
- Profile visible but no customers: your category doesn't match the search intent of your audience
- Drop in visibility recently: check whether there was a recent Google update, or whether your profile has gone dormant
- Strong ranking but no revenue: investigate your conversion path, phone, web form, physical visit
Action plan: fix first, optimise after
The order matters. Work top-down.
- Week 1 - Foundation: sharpen primary category, NAP consistent everywhere, complete the profile
- Week 2 - Reviews: set up the review process, reply to all open reviews, send the first 10 requests
- Week 3 - Website: add local schema.org, NAP in footer, check location pages
- Week 4 - Citations: complete the top 5 directories, clean up old listings
- From week 5 - Routine: weekly review request, monthly photo update, quarterly audit
Prefer an automated audit?
If you don't have 90 minutes: take the free online audit. We scan your profile, compare you with 3 competitors and give you a score per pillar in 60 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about local audits.
Next step
You have the checklist. Now it's a choice: free up time every week yourself, or automate where you can.
RecensioAI covers the heavy part of pillar 3 (collecting and managing reviews) and signals changes in pillar 1 (your profile). Start 14 days free or view pricing.
Related reading:
- Optimise your Google Business Profile in 2026 - Ranking factors in 2026 - Categories, entity and relevance - Get more and better reviews
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