Local SEO Audit for Your Google Business Profile: The 2026 Checklist

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