The Complete Local Business GEO Checklist

This is the master reference for local business GEO. Use it to audit where you stand, identify your gaps, and work through improvements in the order that produces results fastest. Check off items as you complete them. Come back quarterly to verify nothing has slipped.

Section 1: Technical Setup

These items lay the foundation. Do them first — they're fast and their effect is permanent.

• ☐ Site is indexed in Google (verify with a site:yourdomain.com search)
• ☐ Site uses HTTPS — URL begins with https://
• ☐ robots.txt checked and correctly configured — not blocking all bots
• ☐ robots.txt explicitly allows major AI crawlers: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, CCBot, anthropic-ai
• ☐ XML sitemap exists and is submitted to Google Search Console
• ☐ No critical crawl errors in Google Search Console
• ☐ PageSpeed Insights mobile score above 50 on your homepage and top service pages
• ☐ Core content appears in page HTML source (not only after JavaScript execution)
• ☐ llms.txt file created and published at yourdomain.com/llms.txt
• ☐ llms.txt includes: business description, service list, and links to key pages with one-line descriptions

Section 2: Schema Markup

• ☐ LocalBusiness schema on homepage with: name, address, telephone, openingHours, areaServed, priceRange, @type (specific subtype)
• ☐ LocalBusiness schema validated with Google's Rich Results Test
• ☐ FAQPage schema on every service page with a FAQ section
• ☐ Article or BlogPosting schema on blog posts and guides with datePublished and dateModified
• ☐ Service schema on individual service pages with service name, description, and price range
• ☐ All schema validated — no errors in Rich Results Test

Section 3: Google Business Profile

• ☐ GBP claimed and verified
• ☐ Primary category is the most specific accurate option
• ☐ Secondary categories cover all major services
• ☐ Business description complete (750 chars) — specific about services and service area
• ☐ Services section fully populated with descriptions for each service
• ☐ Hours of operation accurate including holiday hours
• ☐ Service area set to include all cities you actually serve
• ☐ Photos: 10+ including exterior, interior, team, and work samples
• ☐ Q&A section seeded with 5+ questions and owner-provided answers
• ☐ At least one Google Post published in the last 7 days
• ☐ All reviews (positive and negative) have owner responses

Section 4: Content Quality

• ☐ Every major service has its own dedicated page (not just a bullet list)
• ☐ Each service page includes: specific pricing or price range, step-by-step process, timeline, service area with local specificity, FAQ block
• ☐ Service pages use answer-first structure — pricing and key facts appear in the first paragraph
• ☐ FAQ sections include 5–8 questions from real customer inquiries
• ☐ FAQ answers are 50–150 words each and lead with a direct answer
• ☐ Content includes local specificity: neighborhood names, local context, local pricing references
• ☐ All pages use clean heading hierarchy (one H1, descriptive H2s, H3s for subsections)
• ☐ Key information appears as HTML text, not inside images
• ☐ Article schema dateModified updated on any page with time-sensitive information (pricing, process, regulations)

Section 5: Reviews and Social Proof

• ☐ Google review count: current total ___
• ☐ Google average rating: ___ (target: 4.5+)
• ☐ Date of most recent review: ___ (target: within 30 days)
• ☐ Active review request process in place — text sent after every completed job
• ☐ Yelp profile claimed and complete
• ☐ BBB listing active and accurate
• ☐ Angi or HomeAdvisor profile complete (if relevant to your trade)
• ☐ All platforms: owner has responded to 100% of reviews

Section 6: Brand Authority

• ☐ Trade association membership with active directory listing
• ☐ Chamber of Commerce member listing
• ☐ NAP consistent across all major directories (Google, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing Places)
• ☐ Google Alerts set up for your business name
• ☐ At least one local news or media mention in the past 12 months
• ☐ About page includes: real names, credentials, license numbers, years in business, service area specifics
• ☐ Team photos and real project photos on site (not stock photos)

Section 7: Ongoing Tracking

• ☐ GEO baseline established: 10 test queries with results documented
• ☐ Monthly citation score tracking in place
• ☐ GA4 referral traffic from AI platforms monitored monthly
• ☐ "How did you find us?" field on contact form includes AI search as an option
• ☐ First Monday of each month: GEO metrics review (15 min) + content update (30 min)

Priority order if you're starting from zero

1. Technical setup + schema (Sections 1–2): 2–3 hours, one-time
2. GBP completion (Section 3): 1–2 hours, one-time
3. Top 3 service pages with GEO content (Section 4): 90 min per page
4. Review request process (Section 5): 20 min to set up, 2 min per job ongoing
5. Trade association + Chamber listings (Section 6): 1–2 hours, one-time
6. Tracking setup (Section 7): 30 minutes, monthly cadence ongoing