Local SEO guides
Local SEO guides written by people who do this for a living
28 free, practical guides organised into five pillars. Every pillar is backed by a free local SEO tool, so you can read the why and run the fix in the same sitting.
Pillar 1
Google Business Profile optimization
Everything that lives on your profile: categories, description, attributes, photos, posts, products and the audit process that ties them together.
Free tools for this pillar
How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Every Google Business Profile field explained in the order we complete them for clients, from verification and categories to photos, posts and reviews, with a 30-minute checklist.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Attributes: What They Are, Which Ones Matter, How to Set Them
What Google Business Profile attributes are, how your categories unlock them, how to set them under Edit profile and More, and why accurate attributes matter for Maps filters and AI answers.
Read the guide →How to Audit a Google Business Profile: A 45-Minute Process (With Free Tools)
A 45-minute Google Business Profile audit: a fill-in scoring sheet, six blocks from accuracy to website alignment, three free local SEO tools, and a prioritized action plan you can hand to a client.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Categories: How to Choose Primary and Secondary Categories
A practitioner's guide to Google Business Profile categories: what they control, how to research competitors, a decision framework, a Denver HVAC example and how to change them safely.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Checklist: Setup, Optimization and Monthly Maintenance
A phase-by-phase Google Business Profile checklist for 2026: claim and verify, core information, categories, photos, reviews and website alignment, then weekly, monthly and quarterly upkeep.
Read the guide →How to Write a Google Business Profile Description That Actually Helps You Rank
What the 750-character Google Business Profile description does and does not do for local SEO, Google's rules, a who/what/where/why/how framework, three full examples and a before-and-after rewrite.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Performance (Insights): How to Read the Numbers and Act on Them
How to read Google Business Profile Performance (formerly Insights): what calls, directions, website clicks and search terms really count, a monthly tracking sheet, and how to diagnose a drop.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Photos: Types, Sizes and a Shooting Plan That Works
Which photos a Google Business Profile needs, Google's format and size rules, shot lists by business type, phone shooting tips, customer photos, and a monthly cadence a busy owner can keep.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Posts: Types, Cadence and Examples That Get Clicks
What Google Business Profile posts do and do not do for local SEO: the three post types, where they show, a 12-week calendar, six copy-and-edit examples, rejection reasons and measurement.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Products and Services: How to Set Them Up Properly
Products vs Services on a Google Business Profile: which business types get which, how services hang off categories, naming, 300-character descriptions, prices, schema and two worked examples.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile for Service Area Businesses: Setup, Ranking, and Pitfalls
How to set up a Google Business Profile as a service-area business: the address rule, realistic service areas, why the hidden pin decides where you rank, video verification, area pages and reviews.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Suspended: Why It Happens and How to Get Reinstated
What a Google Business Profile suspension means, the triggers we see most, what to fix before you appeal, the evidence Google typically asks for, and how to get reinstated without making it worse.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile vs Google My Business: What Actually Changed
Google My Business became Google Business Profile. The rename timeline in plain words, what changed for owners, what did not, a glossary of mixed-up terms, and how to manage your profile today.
Read the guide →Managing Multi-Location Google Business Profiles: A Practical System
A working system for multi-location Google Business Profiles: who gets a profile, ownership and roles, bulk verification, a template plus local layer, reviews per location and a monthly scorecard.
Read the guide →Pillar 2
Local rankings & Google Maps
How the local algorithm ranks businesses, why results change street by street, and how to measure and move your Maps positions.
Free tools for this pillar
How to Rank Higher on Google Maps: The Complete Local Ranking Guide
How Google Maps ranks local businesses (relevance, distance, prominence), which Google Business Profile changes actually move positions, a 30-day plan, and a rank-grid worked example.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Ranking Factors: What Actually Moves Local Rankings
Every GMB / Google Business Profile ranking factor grouped by profile, reviews, proximity, website, prominence and behavior: what Google says, what we observe, the effort, and how to check it free.
Read the guide →Google My Business SEO: The Complete Guide to Ranking Your Business Profile
Google My Business SEO explained: how Google ranks a Google Business Profile, the on-profile playbook in priority order, reviews, website, citations, tracking and a monthly local SEO routine.
Read the guide →How to Check Your Google Maps Ranking (and Why It Differs by Street)
Why there is no single Google Maps ranking, how to check yours properly (incognito, set location, rank grid heat map), how to read a local SEO grid, and what to fix when the edges go red.
Read the guide →Local Pack Ranking: How to Get Into Google's Top 3 Map Results
What the local pack is, which searches trigger it, how Google assembles the top 3 (relevance, distance, prominence), the levers in order, a 6-week plan and a Google Business Profile worked example.
Read the guide →The Local SEO Checklist: 60 Steps From Setup to Ranking (Free)
A free local SEO checklist: 60 tasks in seven phases, from Google Business Profile setup to reviews, citations, schema and AI visibility, with a 30/60/90-day order and the free tool for each step.
Read the guide →Pillar 3
Reviews & reputation
Earning more Google reviews, making it effortless to leave one, and replying in a way that wins the next customer.
Free tools for this pillar
Google Reviews for Local Businesses: How to Get More and Respond to Every One
How Google reviews affect local SEO and the sale, what Google's review rules allow, a system for asking every customer, reply templates by star rating, and how to flag reviews that break policy.
Read the guide →How to Get Your Google Review Link and Turn It Into a QR Code Poster
Three ways to get your Google Business Profile review link, how to turn it into a QR code that scans first time, where to place it, and how to ask for reviews without breaking Google's rules.
Read the guide →How to Respond to Google Reviews: Templates for Positive, Negative, and Fake Reviews
Reply to every Google Business Profile review with confidence: who the reply is for, how fast to answer, tone rules, and twelve adaptable templates for positive, mixed, negative and fake reviews.
Read the guide →Pillar 4
Website & schema markup
The on-site side of local SEO: LocalBusiness structured data, NAP consistency and the technical checklist that supports your profile.
Free tools for this pillar
LocalBusiness Schema Markup: The Complete Guide With JSON-LD Examples
What LocalBusiness schema markup does for local SEO (and what it does not), choosing the type and properties, hours and review rules, single and multi-location JSON-LD examples, and validation.
Read the guide →How to Add Schema Markup to Your Website (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, Webflow, HTML)
Menu paths for adding LocalBusiness JSON-LD on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, Webflow and HTML sites, how to avoid duplicate schema from themes and plugins, and how to test it for local SEO.
Read the guide →NAP Consistency in Local SEO: How to Find and Fix Name, Address, and Phone Mismatches
What NAP consistency does for local SEO today, which variations Google forgives, a free audit with search operators, a fix order from Google Business Profile to aggregators, and a moves checklist.
Read the guide →Pillar 5
AI answers visibility
How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI decide which local businesses to recommend — and how to become one of them.
Free tools for this pillar
AI Search Optimization for Local Businesses: How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
An eight-step program to get a local business recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity: measure AI visibility, fix entity clarity, write quotable pages, re-measure monthly. Built on local SEO.
Read the guide →How AI Assistants Decide Which Local Businesses to Recommend
How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews pick the local businesses they name, which sources they read, what does not help, and a playbook built on your Google Business Profile.
Read the guide →Prefer doing over reading?
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