Local SEO Audit Guide for US Businesses

What does this audit cover and what does it leave out?

How do I record my audit findings?

To ensure your audit results in action, document the evidence of what you find, assign a severity level, and define the next step. Severity should be categorized as High (misleading info or guideline violations), Medium (incomplete data), or Low (aesthetic or minor optimizations).

Illustrative Audit Log Table

What checks should I run on my Google Business Profile?

1. Ownership and Verification: Ensure the profile is verified. Access should be held by the business owner via a corporate email, not a former marketing agency or a personal cell account of an ex-employee.
2. Business Name: This must match your real-world branding. Adding cities or keywords (e.g., "Austin Roofers - Best Prices") violates Google’s terms and risks suspension.
3. Primary Category: Is it the most specific match? A business in New York should choose "Italian Restaurant" rather than just "Restaurant" if that is their specialty. See choosing a category.
4. Address and ZIP Code: Ensure your ZIP code is the 5-digit (or ZIP+4) version recognized by the USPS. Service-area businesses without a physical storefront must hide their address. See services and service areas.
5. Holiday Hours: US consumers expect accurate hours for federal holidays. Ensure you have explicitly set hours for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. See special hours.
6. Phone and Website: The phone number should match the local area code or your primary toll-free line. Ensure the website link leads to a functional landing page.
7. Attributes: US profiles often have specific attributes like "Black-owned," "Women-owned," or "Veteran-led." Use these to help your business stand out in local searches. See attributes.
8. Photos: Add high-resolution images of your office or shop. For a business in Los Angeles, showing the recognizable street view or interior helps build trust. See the photo checklist.
9. Review Management: Under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, you must not suppress negative reviews or incentivize only positive ones (review gating). See asking for reviews without gating.
10. Posts: Use the "Add Update" feature to highlight seasonal offers or local events. See post ideas.

What website checks matter for local relevance?

1. NAP Consistency: Your Name, Address, and Phone number must be identical on your website and your Google profile.
2. Location Pages: If you serve multiple areas, such as Chicago and its suburbs, create dedicated pages for each. Avoid duplicate content; describe the specific services offered in that neighborhood.
3. Title Tags: Page titles should be descriptive. For example: "HVAC Repair & AC Installation in Houston | [Business Name]".
4. Crawlability: Ensure your site isn't blocking Googlebot. Use a simple internal linking structure so users can find your "Contact Us" page in one click.

How do I run a citation spot check?

Search for your business name and your main office phone number on Google. Review the first 20 results. Check your listings on major US directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Focus on accuracy over quantity. If your office moved from Austin to a different suburb, ensure the old address is updated everywhere. Inconsistent data confuses both customers and search engine algorithms.

What does a worked example from an illustrative Los Angeles bakery look like?

Note: This example is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent actual performance or a real business.

Business Name: Sunny Day Bakeshop Location: Los Angeles, California The Audit Findings: - The Issue: The owner discovered their Google Profile listed them as "Open" on Thanksgiving, but the bakery was actually closed. - The Issue: The profile used a personal cell number, while the website listed an office landline. - The Action: The owner updated the "Special Hours" section for the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holidays. They standardized the phone number across the website, Yelp, and Google to the office landline. - The Result (Illustrative): Customers stopped calling the owner's personal cell during off-hours, and there were fewer complaints about the shop being closed during holidays.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the FTC affect my local reviews? The **Federal Trade Commission (FTC)** enforces consumer protection laws that prohibit deceptive marketing. In the United States, it is illegal to "gate" reviews (only asking happy customers for feedback) or to post fake reviews. You must ensure your review collection process is transparent and unbiased to avoid significant fines.

Which US directories are most important for citations? Beyond Google, you should prioritize your listing on Yelp, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the Yellow Pages. For specific industries, platforms like Angi (for home services) or TripAdvisor (for hospitality) are critical. Accuracy on these major sites carries more weight than being listed on hundreds of obscure directories.

How do I handle US federal holidays on my profile? Google allows you to set "Special Hours" for holidays like Labor Day or Juneteenth. You should review these at least quarterly. If you do not set special hours, Google may show a warning to customers that "Hours may differ," which can discourage people from visiting your business.

Should I use a local or toll-free phone number? For local SEO in the United States, using a local area code is generally preferred as it signals your physical presence in the community (e.g., a 312 area code for [Chicago](/local-seo-services-chicago)). If you use a cell phone for business, try to ensure it is consistent across your website and GBP.

What should I do after the audit?

Prioritize fixing "High" severity items first. After making changes, monitor your performance via Profile change monitoring and reports. Our business profile tools can help manage your data, though the manual checks for site content and citations remain vital. Pricing for our advanced monitoring starts at £30, billed in GBP (£) monthly.