How to do a local SEO audit, step by step
The short answer
A local SEO audit is a one-sitting check that finds what holds your business back in local search. Check your Google profile, your rank for your main searches, your reviews, your website, your listings and what AI assistants say about you. Write down every problem, then rank them by how much they cost you.
By Reputant · Updated October 30, 2026 · 7 min read
What is a local SEO audit?
Local SEO means getting found by people searching near you. An audit is an inspection. You look at everything that affects how you show up, and you write down what is wrong, missing or out of date. You do not fix anything yet.
That is the difference from a checklist. An audit finds problems. The local SEO checklist is the to-do list you work through afterward. Do the audit first so you know which items on the list matter for you.
Plan on about two hours for one location. Once a year is the minimum. Do it again after a ranking drop, a move or a rebrand.
What do I need before I start?
Gather five things so you are not hunting for them midway.
- Access to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
- Three to five searches a customer would type, such as "emergency plumber" or "dentist accepting new patients", plus your town.
- The names of your two or three closest competitors.
- The exact business name, address and phone number you want to be known by.
- A blank sheet or note with four columns: what you found, where, how bad, and who fixes it.
What are the steps of a local SEO audit?
Work through these in order. Each step is explained below.
- Read your Google Business Profile field by field.
- Search your main keywords and note where you appear.
- Compare your reviews with your closest competitors.
- Read your website the way a stranger would.
- Search your business name and check every listing.
- Ask ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini about your business.
- Score each problem and write the fix list.
How do I audit my Google Business Profile?
Open your profile and compare it with Google's guidelines for representing your business. Look for the mistakes that cost the most. The name should be the one on your sign, with no added taglines or phone numbers. Google says extra information in the name can get a profile suspended. The category should be the most specific one that fits. The address should be a real location, not a virtual office, or hidden if you travel to customers.
Then look for gaps: hours that ignore holidays, no description, no services, few photos, a website link that goes nowhere. Write down each one.
Reputant has a Google Business Profile audit that marks seven core fields complete or missing. For a field-by-field walkthrough by hand, use the Google Business Profile optimization checklist.
How do I check where I rank?
Search each keyword from step two, with your town. Note whether you appear in the map pack, and who does. Results depend on where you search from, so check from several points around your business.
Google names relevance, distance and prominence as the factors for local results. You cannot change distance, so a weak result for a search from across town may be expected. A weak result from next door is a problem to write down.
The free tool below checks three points around your business for one keyword and needs no account.
For how to read the results and what a grid shows, see how to rank higher on Google Maps.
How do I audit my reviews?
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that replying shows you value feedback. So count and compare.
- How many reviews do you have, and what is your average rating?
- Is the newest review from this month, or last year?
- What share of reviews has a reply? Unanswered negative ones are the priority.
- How do your numbers compare with the competitors you listed?
- Do the complaints repeat? A repeated complaint is a business problem, not a marketing one.
How do I audit my website for local search?
Open your site on your phone and pretend you have never heard of the business. Within ten seconds you should know what you do, where, and how to contact you.
- Does the home page name your service and your town in plain words?
- Is there a page for each main service?
- Are your name, address and phone number shown exactly as they are on your profile?
- Does it load quickly on mobile data?
- Does the link on your profile go to the page a customer needs?
How do I audit my listings and citations?
A citation is any mention of your name, address and phone number on another website, such as a directory. Search your business name and your phone number, then open every result on the first two pages.
Write down any listing with an old address, an old phone number, a different spelling of your name, or a duplicate.
Reputant's citation check is read-only and covers Yelp, TripAdvisor and OpenTable. It shows what those listings say, and you fix them on the directory yourself.
How do I check what AI assistants say about me?
Ask ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini the same questions a customer would, such as "best dentist in Denver". Note whether you are named, where, and who is named instead. Then ask each one what it knows about your business by name, and check hours, services and location for errors.
Ask each question a few times and compare the answers. The AI visibility guide shows how, and the AI visibility tracker asks ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini whether they recommend your business and tracks the answer.
How do I turn the findings into a fix list?
Give each problem a score. This keeps you from spending a weekend on a photo while a wrong phone number sits online.
| Score | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| High | Customers cannot reach you or are told something false | Wrong phone or hours, profile suspended, duplicate profile, unanswered 1-star review |
| Medium | You look weaker than competitors next door | Wrong or vague category, few recent reviews, no description, thin service pages |
| Low | Polish | Old photos, missing attributes, unused profile fields |
Fix high items this week, medium within the month, low when there is time. The local SEO checklist has the to-do items for each area.
What should my audit notes look like?
Copy this and fill it in as you go. One row per problem keeps the fix list short.
Audit log row
Finding: Primary category is "Contractor", too broad. Where: Google Business Profile Score: Medium Fix: Change to the most specific category that fits. Owner / date:
Competitor comparison
Keyword + town: My map pack position: Who is in the top 3: Their review count and rating: My review count and rating: One thing they do better:
What can an audit not tell me?
It cannot tell you exactly why you rank where you do. Google names three broad factors and says it keeps the algorithm details confidential. An audit also shows one moment, so treat the first one as a baseline and repeat it.