An in-depth local SEO audit is a systematic review of a business's online presence to identify opportunities for improvement and increase visibility in local search results. It goes beyond a simple checklist to uncover both major and minor issues that could be holding your business back.

Here are 20+ essential tips to guide your local SEO audit.

Google Business Profile (GBP) Audit
Your GBP is the cornerstone of your local SEO. A thorough audit ensures it's fully optimized.

Verify Profile Ownership: Ensure you have full administrative control of the GBP listing.

Check NAP Consistency: Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be identical to what is on your website and other online listings. A single inconsistency can confuse search engines.

Complete All Fields: Fill out every section, including business hours, services, products, and a keyword-rich description.

Categorize Correctly: Choose the most accurate primary category for your business and add all relevant secondary categories to broaden your reach.

Audit Q&A: Monitor and answer all questions in the Q&A section. This shows engagement and helps prospective customers.

Review Photos and Videos: Ensure you have high-quality, relevant images of your storefront, team, and products. Geotagging these photos can add an extra layer of local relevance.

Post Regularly: Check for recent posts. Regular updates about promotions, events, or news signal to Google that your business is active.

Analyze Reviews: Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, in a professional and timely manner. This builds trust and shows you value customer feedback.

On-Page SEO Audit
This audit focuses on elements within your website that signal local relevance and authority.

Homepage Optimization: Your homepage should prominently feature your business name, address, and phone number, preferably in the footer.

Create Location Pages: If you serve multiple locations, create a dedicated, unique page for each one. Do not use duplicate content.

Local Keyword Research: Audit your content to ensure you're targeting keywords with local intent (e.g., "plumber in New York," "best coffee shop near me").

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Ensure every page has a unique, optimized title tag and meta description that includes the city or service area.

Local Business Schema Markup: Add LocalBusiness schema to your website. This structured data helps search engines understand your business's details, such as hours of operation and a geographical location.

Content Audit: Review your blog content to ensure it's relevant to your local audience. Ideas include local event roundups, neighborhood guides, and case studies of local customers.

Check Mobile-Friendliness: Your website must be responsive and load quickly on mobile devices, as a significant portion of local searches occur on phones.

Embed a Google Map: Embed a Google Map of your business location on your contact page to reinforce your physical location to search engines.

Local Citations and Backlink Audit
This focuses on your business's presence and reputation outside of your website.

Audit for NAP Consistency: Use a tool to audit all your existing citations (listings on directories like Yelp and Yellow Pages) to ensure your NAP is perfectly consistent.

Find and Fix Incorrect Citations: Actively search for and correct any incorrect or outdated business listings. Inaccurate information can hurt your local ranking.

Check Competitor Citations: Find out where your top local competitors are listed and create profiles on those same platforms.

Audit Local Backlinks: Analyze your backlink profile to see if you have links from other reputable, local websites (e.g., local news sites, Chamber of Commerce).

Review Local Press: Check for mentions of your business in local news or blogs, even if they don't include a link. These "unlinked mentions" are also a local signal.

Technical and Reputation Audit
These tips ensure the foundation of your website and online reputation are strong.

Check for Broken Links: Use a site crawler to find and fix any broken internal or external links, as these create a poor user experience.

Verify Site Speed: Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to check and improve your site's load time on both desktop and mobile.

Monitor Your Reviews: Set up alerts to be notified whenever a new review is posted on your GBP, Yelp, or other review sites. This allows for prompt responses.

Run a Competitor Analysis: Analyze your top competitors' GBP, website, and backlink profiles to identify their strengths and your weaknesses.