A local SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of how well your business appears in local search results. It examines all factors that influence your local online visibility, including your Google Business Profile, website optimisation for local keywords, online reviews, and directory listings. This systematic process identifies strengths and weaknesses in your local search presence, helping you develop a targeted strategy to improve visibility to nearby customers and ultimately drive more foot traffic and local conversions.
Understanding local SEO audits: What they are and why they matter
Local SEO audits are specialised assessments that evaluate how effectively your business appears in location-based searches. Think of it as a health check-up for your local online presence. These audits specifically examine factors that influence how you rank when potential customers search for services “near me” or in a specific location.
The importance of these audits cannot be overstated for businesses with physical locations. With 46% of all Google searches having local intent, appearing prominently in local search results directly impacts foot traffic and revenue. A thorough local SEO audit identifies gaps in your strategy that might be causing you to lose visibility to nearby competitors.
Local SEO audits matter because they help you understand exactly how search engines view your business in a geographical context. They reveal whether your business information is consistent across the web, if your Google Business Profile is fully optimised, and how well your website communicates location relevance to search engines.
For businesses targeting local customers, these audits provide the roadmap needed to improve visibility precisely where it matters most – in your service area. With proper implementation of audit findings, you can significantly increase the chances of appearing in the valuable “local pack” at the top of search results.
What exactly is included in a local SEO audit?
A comprehensive local SEO audit examines multiple components that affect your visibility in local search results. The core elements typically include:
Google Business Profile analysis – This evaluates the completeness, accuracy, and optimisation of your business listing. The audit checks whether you’ve properly categorised your business, included accurate contact information, added high-quality photos, and effectively managed customer reviews.
Citation consistency checks – The audit examines whether your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) appear consistently across all online directories and platforms. Inconsistencies can confuse search engines and harm your rankings.
On-page local SEO factors – This includes assessment of your website’s local keyword strategy, location pages, schema markup, and how effectively you’re communicating your service areas through content. Broken link building opportunities are also identified during this process.
Local link profile evaluation – The audit examines the quality and quantity of inbound links from relevant local sources, as these significantly impact local search rankings.
Review management assessment – This examines how effectively you’re gathering, responding to, and leveraging customer reviews across platforms.
Competitor analysis – The audit typically includes a comparison of your local SEO performance against top local competitors to identify competitive gaps and opportunities.
Mobile optimisation check – Since many local searches occur on mobile devices, the audit assesses how well your site performs on smartphones and tablets.
By thoroughly examining these elements, a local SEO audit provides a complete picture of your local search presence and identifies specific areas for improvement.
How often should you conduct a local SEO audit?
For most businesses, conducting a comprehensive local SEO audit every 6-12 months is sufficient to maintain optimal local search visibility. However, this frequency should be adjusted based on several factors specific to your business situation.
New businesses or those just beginning to focus on local SEO should perform more frequent audits – perhaps quarterly for the first year – to establish a strong foundation and quickly address emerging issues. Similarly, businesses in highly competitive markets may benefit from quarterly audits to stay ahead of aggressive competitors.
If you’ve recently undergone significant business changes – such as relocating, opening new locations, rebranding, or launching new services – conducting an immediate audit is advisable to ensure these changes are properly reflected in your local search presence.
The local search landscape itself can influence optimal audit frequency. Major Google algorithm updates that affect local rankings might warrant an additional audit to assess impact and make necessary adjustments. AI for SEO tools can help you stay on top of these changes more efficiently.
Beyond full audits, establish a monthly routine for monitoring key performance indicators like local ranking positions, Google Business Profile insights, and review sentiment. This ongoing vigilance helps you spot issues between comprehensive audits and maintain continuous improvement in your local visibility.
How do you perform a local SEO audit for your business?
Performing a local SEO audit involves a systematic approach to evaluate all aspects of your local search presence. Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting your own audit:
Begin by analysing your Google Business Profile. Verify that your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and business hours are accurate and complete. Check that you’ve selected the most relevant primary and secondary business categories. Review your business description to ensure it includes local keywords naturally. Examine your photo quality and quantity compared to competitors.
Next, evaluate your citation consistency. Search for your business across major directories like Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific platforms. Document any inconsistencies in how your business information appears. Check for duplicate listings that could confuse search engines.
Assess your website’s local optimisation by examining:
- Whether your NAP information is prominently displayed on your website
- If you have dedicated pages for each location (for multi-location businesses)
- Presence of local keywords in page titles, headings, and content
- Implementation of local business schema markup
- Mobile-friendliness and page loading speed
- Localised content that demonstrates relevance to your service areas
Review your backlink profile with a focus on local relevance. Identify links from local news sites, business associations, chambers of commerce, and industry partners. Look for opportunities to build more locally relevant links.
Analyse your online reviews across Google, Facebook, industry platforms, and review sites. Calculate your average rating, review count, and review frequency. Assess how consistently and effectively you respond to reviews, both positive and negative.
Conduct competitor research by identifying top-ranking businesses for your primary keywords in your location. Analyse what they’re doing well in terms of website optimisation, review management, and Google Business Profile optimisation.
Finally, compile your findings into an action plan, prioritising high-impact, low-effort improvements first. This methodical approach ensures you address the most critical aspects of your local SEO performance.
What tools can help with your local SEO audit?
Having the right tools significantly streamlines the local SEO audit process and provides deeper insights. Several specialised tools can help with different aspects of your audit:
For Google Business Profile analysis, Google’s Business Profile Manager (formerly Google My Business) offers built-in insights about your listing’s performance. BrightLocal’s Google Business Profile Audit tool provides a more comprehensive analysis of your profile’s completeness and optimisation opportunities.
Citation tracking and management becomes more efficient with tools like Moz Local, BrightLocal, or Yext. These platforms scan hundreds of directories to identify inconsistencies in your business information and often provide mechanisms to correct them from a single dashboard.
Website SEO analysis tools such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider help identify technical issues that might affect local rankings. SEMrush and Ahrefs offer comprehensive SEO analysis capabilities, including keyword tracking and competitive research specifically for local markets.
For review management and analysis, tools like ReviewTrackers and Podium help monitor reviews across multiple platforms, track sentiment, and measure how you compare to competitors.
Local rank tracking requires specialised tools that can check rankings from different locations. BrightLocal’s Local Rank Tracker and Local Falcon provide visual maps of how your rankings vary across a city or region.
Leading SEO teams often combine several of these tools to get a complete picture. While premium tools provide more comprehensive data, businesses with limited budgets can start with free options like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google’s own testing tools for mobile-friendliness and page speed.
The ideal approach is using a combination of tools that cover all aspects of local SEO, from technical website analysis to citation management and review monitoring.
How is a local SEO audit different from a regular SEO audit?
While both types of audits evaluate search engine visibility, local SEO audits focus specifically on factors that influence how a business appears in location-based searches. The key differences lie in both the elements examined and the objectives of each audit type.
A local SEO audit places significant emphasis on Google Business Profile optimisation – an element that may be entirely absent from a standard SEO audit. The completeness, accuracy, and engagement level of this profile is often the single most important factor for local pack rankings.
Citation management receives much greater attention in local audits. The consistency of business information across directories directly influences local rankings, whereas traditional SEO audits might focus more on backlink quality regardless of geographic relevance.
Local audits evaluate proximity factors – how well your business communicates its service area through content, structured data, and Google Business Profile settings. Standard SEO audits typically focus on topic relevance without this geographical dimension.
Review analysis forms a core component of local SEO audits, as review quantity, quality, recency, and diversity significantly impact local rankings. While online reputation matters for all businesses, review signals have a particularly strong influence on local search visibility.
Competitive analysis in local audits is geographically constrained to businesses competing for visibility in the same physical area. Traditional SEO competitive analysis might consider any website targeting similar keywords regardless of location.
The objectives also differ: local SEO audits aim to improve visibility in map packs and location-specific searches to drive foot traffic and local leads, while standard SEO audits typically focus on organic rankings for a broader audience that might be anywhere in the world.
Key takeaways: Implementing your local SEO audit findings
After completing your local SEO audit, effective implementation of the findings becomes crucial for improving your local search visibility. Start by prioritising issues based on potential impact and implementation difficulty – focus first on “quick wins” that can deliver significant improvements with minimal effort.
Address Google Business Profile issues immediately. This often provides the fastest path to improved local visibility. Ensure your profile is complete, accurate, and enhanced with high-quality photos. Begin actively soliciting and responding to reviews as part of your ongoing business process.
Develop a systematic approach to fixing citation inconsistencies. Start with the most important directories and gradually work through the list. Consider using a citation management service if you have numerous inconsistencies across multiple platforms.
For website optimisation, implement technical fixes like improving mobile responsiveness and page speed before moving on to content optimisation tasks. Add location-specific content to your website, including dedicated pages for each service area if relevant to your business.
Create a realistic timeline for implementing changes based on available resources. Track rankings and local visibility before and after making changes to measure their impact. This helps you understand which strategies are most effective for your specific situation.
Remember that local SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time project. Use your audit as a baseline to establish regular monitoring and maintenance procedures. Set up a schedule for periodically checking citation accuracy, soliciting new reviews, and updating your Google Business Profile.
Finally, document your implementation process carefully so you can build upon it during your next audit cycle. By systematically addressing audit findings and establishing ongoing maintenance procedures, you’ll create a sustainable approach to improving and maintaining strong local search visibility.
