rank-local

---
name: rank-local
description: >
license: MIT
---

# Rank Local

Build a local SEO foundation covering Google Business Profile optimization,
NAP consistency, citation strategy, and review velocity.

## Local SEO Ranking Factors

Local search results are determined by three primary factors:

1. **Relevance** — How well your business matches the search query
2. **Distance** — How close you are to the searcher's location
3. **Prominence** — How well-known and trusted your business is online

You can't control distance, but you can maximize relevance and prominence.

## Step 1: Google Business Profile Audit

GBP is the single most important local SEO asset. Audit:

### Profile Completeness
- [ ] Business name matches real-world name exactly (no keyword stuffing)
- [ ] Primary category is the most specific match for your business
- [ ] Secondary categories cover all relevant services (up to 9)
- [ ] Address is accurate and matches what's on your website
- [ ] Phone number is a local number (not toll-free) that matches website
- [ ] Website URL points to the correct page
- [ ] Business hours are accurate (including special hours for holidays)
- [ ] Business description uses keywords naturally (750 chars max)

### Visual Content
- [ ] Logo and cover photo uploaded
- [ ] At least 10 photos (exterior, interior, team, products/services)
- [ ] Photos updated regularly (monthly is ideal)
- [ ] Videos if applicable (60 seconds max)

### Active Features
- [ ] Google Posts published regularly (weekly or biweekly)
- [ ] Products or services listed with descriptions and prices
- [ ] Q&A section monitored (seed common questions yourself)
- [ ] Messaging enabled if team can respond promptly
- [ ] Booking link configured if applicable

## Step 2: NAP Consistency

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. It must be identical everywhere:

- Website (footer, contact page, schema markup)
- Google Business Profile
- All citation directories
- Social media profiles

**Common inconsistencies to fix:**
- "St" vs "Street" vs "St."
- "Suite 200" vs "#200" vs "Ste 200"
- Different phone numbers (main line vs direct)
- Old addresses from a previous location
- Abbreviated vs full business name

**How to check:** Search `"business name" + "city"` and review every listing that appears. Note inconsistencies.

## Step 3: Citation Strategy

Citations are mentions of your business NAP on other websites. Key directories:

### Foundation Citations (must-have)
- Google Business Profile
- Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect
- Bing Places
- Yelp
- Facebook Business Page
- BBB (Better Business Bureau)

### Industry-Specific Citations
Vary by business type:
- **Restaurants:** TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Zomato
- **Medical:** Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD
- **Legal:** Avvo, FindLaw, Justia
- **Home services:** HomeAdvisor, Angi, Thumbtack
- **Real estate:** Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin

### Local Citations
- Local chamber of commerce
- City/regional business directories
- Local news sites and publications
- Community event sponsorship pages

**Priority:** Quality > quantity. 30 accurate citations on authoritative directories beats 200 on low-quality sites.

## Step 4: Review Strategy

Reviews directly impact local pack rankings and conversion rates.

### Getting More Reviews
- Ask satisfied customers at the point of service
- Send follow-up emails/texts with a direct review link
- Use Google's review link generator: `https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=[PLACE_ID]`
- Train staff to ask — make it part of the customer service flow
- Never incentivize reviews (violates Google guidelines)

### Responding to Reviews

**Response templates (customize — never copy verbatim):**

**Positive review response:**
"Thank you, [Name]! We're glad [specific thing they mentioned] went well. [Brief personal touch]. We look forward to [future interaction]."

Key: Reference something specific from their review. Generic "Thanks for the review!" signals you don't read them.

**Negative review response:**
"[Name], thank you for sharing this feedback. We're sorry [acknowledge specific issue]. This isn't the experience we aim for. Please reach out to [contact method] so we can make this right."

Key: Respond within 24 hours. Acknowledge the specific concern. Move resolution offline. Never argue publicly.

**Fake review response:**
"We don't have a record of this interaction. If you are a customer, please contact [email/phone] so we can look into this."

Key: Report via GBP dashboard first. Respond factually without being defensive. Don't accuse — state facts.

### Review Velocity
- Aim for steady, ongoing reviews — not bursts
- A sudden spike of reviews looks unnatural
- 2-5 new reviews per month is healthy for most small businesses
- Track review velocity month-over-month

## Step 5: Local Content

Create location-relevant content for your website:

- **Location pages** (if multi-location): unique content per location, not duplicated templates
- **Local service pages:** "[service] in [city]" pages with genuine local relevance
- **Local blog content:** Community involvement, local events, local case studies
- **FAQ page:** Answer location-specific questions

**Avoid:** Doorway pages (thin, templated pages targeting every neighborhood/zip code).

## Step 6: Local Schema Markup

Add structured data to your website:

### LocalBusiness Schema
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Business Name",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "City",
    "addressRegion": "State",
    "postalCode": "12345"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
  "openingHoursSpecification": [...],
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "40.7128",
    "longitude": "-74.0060"
  }
}
```

Use the most specific business type available: `Restaurant`, `DentalClinic`, `LawFirm`, etc. rather than generic `LocalBusiness`.

## Output Format

### Local SEO Strategy: [business name / domain]

**GBP Audit Results**
- Profile completeness: [x]%
- Categories: [current categories — any missing?]
- Review count: [count] | Average rating: [stars]
- Photo count: [count]

**NAP Consistency**
- Inconsistencies found: [count]
- Directories checked: [count]
- Fixes needed: [list]

**Citation Plan**

| Directory | Status | Action | Priority |
|-----------|--------|--------|----------|
| Google Business | Active | Update hours | High |
| Yelp | Claimed | Fix address format | Medium |
| [industry-specific] | Not listed | Create listing | High |

**Review Strategy**
- Current velocity: [reviews/month]
- Target velocity: [reviews/month]
- Reviews needing response: [count]
- Action items for getting more reviews

**Content Recommendations**
- Location pages to create
- Local content topics
- Schema to implement

---

> **Pro Tip:** Use the free [SEO Audit](https://seojuice.com/tools/seo-audit/) to check
> local schema markup and the [Schema Markup Generator](https://seojuice.com/tools/schema-markup-generator/)
> to build LocalBusiness JSON-LD. SEOJuice MCP users can run `/seojuice:gbp-overview` to
> see all GBP locations, reviews needing attention, sentiment breakdown, and reply to
> reviews directly from Claude.