Local SEO Checklist for 2025 [+ Interactive Template]

Follow our eventual section SEO checklist to summation your section business’s hunt visibility and get much customers successful 2025.

To way your advancement pinch these section SEO tasks, usage our free interactive checklist successful Google Docs.

1. Set Up Your Google Business Profile

Set up your Google Business Profile (GBP) truthful your business is eligible and much apt to look successful Google’s map-based hunt results.

This is astir apt the astir important task connected this section SEO checklist because galore users observe businesses done Google’s section results.

For example, a personification searching for a pizza parlor would spot results for illustration this:

Here’s a checklist for mounting up your GBP:

First, if you haven’t already, adhd aliases declare your business connected the GBP website. And spell done the business verification process.

Then, capable retired and optimize your GBP by providing complete and accurate accusation astir your business. So users tin get each the specifications they request earlier visiting aliases contacting you.

If users person submitted immoderate questions, reply them directly:

Finally, outline a scheme to negociate your GBP.

Ask yourself the pursuing questions:

• Do you want to post connected GBP? If so, what’s your strategy?
• How will you respond to early questions quickly and strategically?
• Who’s responsible for keeping your GBP up to date?

Get thief managing your GBP erstwhile you subscribe to Semrush Local:

2. Manage Your Online Reviews

Manage your online reviews to maximize the worth they bring to your business.

Here’s a checklist to thief you negociate your reviews efficiently:

Start by adding your business to applicable review platforms and updating your existing business profiles, wherever necessary.

This allows you to grow your visibility and support power complete your online presence.

Next, place the reappraisal level that’s astir apt to thrust results for your business. This is the level you should nonstop customers to and attraction your strategy around.

Google is usually the astir important reappraisal level because Google reviews tin boost your GBP’s visibility successful hunt results. But the champion level depends connected your circumstantial needs. 

For example, businesses targeting visitors whitethorn use much from Tripadvisor reviews.

After identifying a reappraisal platform, commencement asking your customers for reviews.

The champion measurement to get reviews connected your preferred level depends connected the quality of your business. Here are immoderate options to animate you:

• Send customers reappraisal petition emails featuring a nexus to your reviews page
• Add a reviews widget to your tract truthful visitors tin easy spot and taxable reviews
• Tell customers that you admit reviews erstwhile speaking to them face-to-face
• Convert your reviews page nexus into a scannable QR codification to see connected business cards, posters, and different printed materials

When you person reviews, respond to them arsenic quickly and tactfully arsenic possible. To show you attraction astir customer service.

If you subscribe to Semrush Local, you tin usage AI to draught aliases automatically respond to Google reviews. And way your ratings crossed aggregate platforms.

3. Build Local Citations

Build section citations (online mentions of your business’s name, address, and telephone number—or NAP) connected relevant, high-quality websites.

This is 1 of the astir important section SEO tasks because it helps you scope much imaginable customers. And citations tin boost your GBP’s rankings successful Google hunt results.

Use this checklist to commencement building section citations:

You tin build your citations successful galore places, including:

• Business directories: List your business connected directories for illustration Yelp, Bing, and Apple Maps
• Social media platforms: Add specifications to your existing societal media profiles
• Review platforms: Add your business to reappraisal websites for illustration Trustpilot aliases Tripadvisor 
• Local websites: Ask organization bloggers aliases section news outlets to mention your business
• Industry-specific sites: Get mentioned connected websites related to your business's industry

Use the exact same name, address, and telephone number crossed each site. So Google tin nexus each your citations together and spot your information.

If you subscribe to Semrush Local, you tin create aliases update up to 79 citations simultaneously:

4. Acquire Local Backlinks

Local backlinks are links to your tract from different section websites. These backlinks tin thrust valuable postulation and thief you rank higher successful web hunt results.

Use this section backlink checklist to get started:

Here are immoderate speedy ideas connected really to build section backlinks:

• Host organization events and database them connected section arena directories
• Provide testimonials for your section suppliers to show connected their websites
• Invite section bloggers aliases reporters to reappraisal your establishment
• Sponsor section events, sports teams, aliases charities and inquire them to nexus to your website
• Enter section business awards and competitions
• Post occupation opportunities connected section occupation boards
• Write property releases astir immoderate newsworthy business updates (e.g., merchandise launches aliases hiring drives) and administer these stories to section media outlets
• Check for unlinked mentions of your marque sanction and inquire creators to adhd a link

Before you begin, familiarize yourself pinch Google’s nexus spam policies. Violating these policies tin lead to a Google punishment that harms your visibility successful hunt results.

5. Improve Your On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing circumstantial webpages to rank much prominently for applicable hunt motor terms, and it tin beryllium 1 of the astir effective ways to summation section website traffic.

Use this checklist to amended your on-page SEO:

To start, execute local keyword research. This process tells you what hunt position group usage to find section businesses for illustration yours.

For example, “restaurants adjacent me” aliases “restaurants successful Chicago.”

Here are a fewer ways to find applicable section keywords:

• Use Google Search Console to spot what position you already rank for
• Start typing applicable position into Google’s hunt barroom and look astatine the suggestions
• Search for applicable position utilizing Google and look astatine the related searches
• Search a keyword database pinch a instrumentality for illustration Keyword Magic Tool
• See what keywords competitors rank for pinch a instrumentality for illustration Keyword Gap

Adding keywords to applicable pages (in a earthy way) tin thief you rank higher for those keywords.

Choose a superior keyword for each page and adhd it to the pursuing locations:

• Title tag: The page title that tin look successful hunt results
• Meta description: The page summary that tin look successful hunt results
• H1 tag: The main on-page heading
• URL slug: The unsocial portion of the webpage address
• The first paragraph of assemblage content

You tin repetition your keyword—and immoderate different applicable keywords—throughout the assemblage contented and different heading tags, wherever appropriate.

6. Add NAP Information to Your Website

Add your business’s name, address, and telephone number (NAP) to your website truthful imaginable customers and hunt engines tin easy find that information.

This is the checklist we urge you follow:

If you person 1 location, adhd NAP accusation to your footer truthful it’s visible connected each page. Like this:

Also create a “Visit Us” page aliases thing akin that includes:

• Contact specifications (address, telephone number, email address, etc.)
• Opening hours
• High-quality photos of your premises
• An embedded Google map showing your location
• Any different useful accusation (You tin get inspiration from your GBP.)

If you person aggregate locations, create a page for each location.

Then nexus to these pages successful your main navigation paper and/or footer, for illustration this:

7. Add Local Business Structured Data to Your Website

Local Business system data is codification that labels different types of section business accusation connected your website truthful hunt engines tin decently usage and show this accusation successful hunt results.

Use this checklist to guideline your Local Business system information implementation:

For thief implementing system data, participate your section business’s URL into Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper.

Highlight a portion of information you’d for illustration to tag. And prime the correct spot type.

Google requires you to see your business’s sanction and reside successful Local Business system data. But you should besides adhd optional properties for illustration opening hours, wherever relevant.

Once you’ve tagged each your data, click “Create HTML.”

Google will supply the system information for you to adhd to your site. And you tin take JSON-LD aliases microdata formats.

If you’re not judge what format is champion aliases wherever to insert this code, speak to a web developer.

8. Run a Technical SEO Audit

A technical SEO audit highlights method issues that could harm your website’s hunt visibility.

Use this checklist arsenic a guideline for your method SEO audit:

If you haven’t already, group up Google Search Console. This is simply a free level that helps you negociate your website’s visibility connected Google.

Then, cheque retired these reports:

• Page indexing: Shows which pages connected your tract are and aren’t indexed (stored successful Google’s database of imaginable hunt results). This study helps you place crawling and indexing issues.
• Core Web Vitals: Shows webpage velocity and capacity metrics called Core Web Vitals. This study flags immoderate URLs classed arsenic “poor” aliases “need improvement.”
• HTTPS: Flags immoderate non-HTTPS URLs connected your website. Google recommends that you usage HTTPS (a unafraid type of the HTTP protocol) crossed your website.
• Manual actions: Shows whether you’ve received a manual penalty that harms your hunt visibility. You tin person penalties for violating Google’s nexus spam policies.
• Security issues: Highlights immoderate issues related to hacked content, malware aliases unwanted software, and societal engineering connected your website. You should hole these issues urgently.
• Sitemaps: Shows the latest XML sitemap submitted to Google. Submitting an up-to-date sitemap (that lists each the pages you want to index) reduces the consequence of indexing issues.

You tin besides usage Semrush’s Site Audit tool.

It checks for complete 140 issues relating to method and on-page SEO, provides proposal connected really and why to hole each issue, and helps you to prioritize and negociate your tasks.

Plus, you tin schedule regular audits. To support connected apical of immoderate issues that arise.

If you request thief dealing pinch these section SEO tasks, scope retired to an SEO master aliases web developer.

9. Monitor your Local SEO Results

Monitor your section SEO results truthful you tin amended understand your business capacity and make much informed decisions successful the future. 

Refer to this checklist for immoderate ideas connected really to way your results:

Five devices tin way the local SEO metrics astir businesses need:

Tool	Description
Map Rank Tracker (part of Semrush Local)	Track your Google Maps rankings for target keywords successful hyper-specific personification locations Compare your Google Maps visibility to competitors’
Position Tracking	Monitor your website’s rankings for target keywords See whether your GBP appears successful the section battalion (the representation conception that tin look successful Google Search) for target keywords
Google Business Profile	See really galore users position your GBP Monitor floor plan interactions for illustration telephone clicks, guidance requests, etc.
Google Analytics	Find retired wherever your website visitors travel from Analyze really hunt visitors interact pinch your website
Google Search Console	Monitor your mean position for up to 1,000 keywords chosen by Google See really galore impressions and clicks these rankings generate

Get the Interactive Checklist

Track your advancement done this section SEO checklist pinch our free interactive checklist for Google Docs.

It’s wholly free to use—you conscionable request a Google account.