---
name: local-seo
description: Checks and fixes how a local business shows up in local and map search, from its Google Business Profile and name, address and phone consistency to LocalBusiness structured data, location and service pages and reviews. Use only when the site belongs to a business with a physical location customers visit or a service area it travels to (clinics, shops, restaurants, trades, law and dental offices); skip it for online-only businesses, SaaS and publishers.
metadata:
  category: engineering-practice
---

# Local SEO

A local business wins or loses in the map results, and those rank on the business's profile and on how consistently the web describes it, as much as on the site. This skill checks the site's local signals, says what only the owner can check, and fixes what the site controls.

## When to use

- The business has an address customers visit, or a service area it travels to
- Someone asks why the business doesn't show up for "near me" or "<service> in <city>" searches

Not for online-only businesses, SaaS or publishers: stop and say so.

## Steps

1. **Confirm it's local.** Look for a street address, a service area, opening hours or a map on the site. If none, stop: this skill doesn't apply.
2. **Read the name, address and phone (NAP)** from the footer, contact page and structured data. They must match character for character everywhere on the site.
3. **Check the structured data.** One block with the most specific type (`MedicalClinic`, `Dentist`, `Restaurant`, `Plumber`, else `LocalBusiness`), with `address` as a `PostalAddress`, `telephone`, `url`, `openingHoursSpecification`, `geo`, and `sameAs` links to the Google Business Profile and main listings. People pages get `Person` or `Physician`. Every value must match the visible page.
4. **Check the pages:** one page per real service, and one per real location. City, service and phone in titles and H1s where true. A map and directions on the contact page. Never make near-identical pages per nearby city.
5. **List the owner-only checks:** Google Business Profile primary category, hours, photos and review replies; the same NAP on Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp and the industry directories (Healthgrades and Zocdoc for clinics, for example).
6. **Fix what the site controls** (structured data, NAP, titles, contact page), or give the exact block or text to paste. Ask before publishing.
7. **Report** the site fixes, the owner checklist, and what you couldn't see (profile insights and map-pack rank need the owner's access).

## Rules

- Never invent reviews, ratings, hours, coordinates or locations.
- Don't add `aggregateRating` from reviews on the business's own site: Google ignores self-serving review markup for local businesses.
- Use the address exactly as the Google Business Profile has it.
- Read Business Profile data only with the owner's access, from Google itself.