What is a local SEO audit and how do I run one myself?

A local SEO audit is a structured review of everything that affects your business's visibility in local search — your Google Business Profile, your website, your citations, your reviews, and your competitors. Running one tells you where you're leaving rankings on the table and what to fix first. You don't need to pay an agency for a basic audit; you just need a checklist and a couple hours.

Section 1: Google Business Profile audit

Go through your GBP and check every field:

• Business name matches exactly what's on your website and other listings
• Primary category is the most specific, accurate option available
• Additional categories cover all major services
• Business description is complete (750 characters) and mentions key services and location
• Hours are accurate and include holiday hours
• Phone number is correct and matches website
• Website URL is correct
• Services section is fully populated with descriptions
• Photos: at least 10 uploaded, including exterior, interior, team, and work samples
• Q&A section has at least 5 questions populated with owner responses
• Google Posts are active (at least one in the last 7 days)

Section 2: Website audit

• Homepage title tag includes primary service and city/state
• Homepage H1 includes a location reference
• NAP (name, address, phone) appears in footer on all pages, matching GBP exactly
• Each major service has a dedicated page (not just a bullet list on a Services page)
• Service pages have location references and are at least 500 words
• Mobile-Friendly Test passes (search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly)
• PageSpeed Insights mobile score is above 50 (pagespeed.web.dev)
• Google Search Console is set up and showing no critical errors
• XML sitemap is submitted to Search Console
• LocalBusiness schema markup is present on the homepage

Section 3: Citation audit

• Search Google for your business name — check the top 10 results for NAP consistency
• Check your listing on Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Facebook for accuracy
• Note any old addresses or phone numbers still showing on any platforms
• Check for duplicate listings (two separate entries for your business on the same platform)
• Confirm data aggregator listings (Data Axle, Neustar, Foursquare) show correct info

Section 4: Review audit

• Current review count on Google: ___
• Current rating: ___
• Date of most recent review: ___
• Percentage of reviews with an owner response: ___%
• How does your count compare to the 3 businesses in the current 3-Pack?

Section 5: Competitor benchmarking

Search for your top 3 local keywords (e.g., "[service] in [city]") in an incognito browser:

• Who's in the 3-Pack? What are their review counts?
• Are you in the 3-Pack? If not, what's the gap between you and the lowest-ranked business?
• Who ranks #1–3 in organic results? What does their site look like?
• Do competitor sites have more content, better photos, or more complete profiles?

What to do with your findings

Score each section and prioritize fixes by impact. A missing service page that could rank for a valuable keyword should be addressed before minor photo additions. Your highest-leverage fixes are almost always: (1) complete your GBP fully, (2) fix any NAP inconsistencies, (3) improve your review count if you're below competitors.