cwinvestments/memstack-seo-local-seo

📍 Local SEO — Optimizing for local search and map visibility...

Evaluates Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, local schema markup, location pages, citations, and review management — producing an actionable local SEO scorecard.

Activation

When this skill activates, output:

📍 Local SEO — Checking local search presence and consistency...

Then execute the protocol below.

| Context | Status | |---------|--------| | User says "local SEO" or "Google Business Profile" or "local search" | ACTIVE | | User says "NAP consistency" or "local listings" or "Google Maps" | ACTIVE | | Optimizing a business with a physical location or service area | ACTIVE | | Running a general site audit (broader scope) | DORMANT — use site-audit | | Optimizing for global/national keywords (no local component) | DORMANT |

Anti-patterns

| Trap | Reality Check | |------|---------------| | "We're online-only, local SEO doesn't apply" | If you serve specific regions or have a registered address, local SEO applies. Service-area businesses benefit enormously. | | "Google Business Profile is set and forget" | GBP needs regular updates: posts, photos, Q&A responses, review replies. Stale profiles rank lower. | | "Our address is on the Contact page, that's enough" | NAP must be consistent across every directory, citation, and page. One inconsistency can split your local authority. | | "Reviews don't affect ranking" | Reviews are a top-3 local ranking factor. Quantity, quality, recency, and response rate all matter. | | "We don't need location pages" | If you serve multiple areas, each needs a unique page with local content — not boilerplate with swapped city names. |

Protocol

Step 1: Check Google Business Profile

Verify the GBP listing is optimized:

GBP optimization checklist:

| Element | Check | Best Practice | |---------|-------|--------------| | Business name | Matches legal business name exactly | No keyword stuffing in the name | | Primary category | Most specific category selected | "Italian Restaurant" not just "Restaurant" | | Secondary categories | 2-5 relevant additional categories | Cover all services offered | | Address | Complete, matches website exactly | Include suite/unit number if applicable | | Phone | Local number, matches website | Avoid tracking numbers on GBP | | Website URL | Links to homepage or location page | Not a redirect, not a social profile | | Hours | Current, including holidays | Update for seasonal changes | | Description | 750 chars, includes keywords naturally | Describe what makes you different | | Photos | 10+ recent photos | Interior, exterior, team, products, menu | | Posts | Weekly updates | Events, offers, updates, products | | Q&A | Common questions answered proactively | Seed with your own FAQs | | Services/Menu | Listed with prices if applicable | Complete and current | | Attributes | All relevant attributes selected | Wi-Fi, parking, accessibility, etc. |

GBP health indicators:

| Signal | Healthy | Unhealthy | |--------|---------|-----------| | Profile completeness | 100% filled | Missing description, hours, or photos | | Photo count | 10+ with recent uploads | 0-2 photos, outdated | | Review count | 20+ with 4.0+ average | < 5 reviews or below 3.5 | | Response rate | 100% of reviews replied | Unanswered reviews | | Post frequency | Weekly | No posts in 30+ days | | Q&A | Proactive answers | Unanswered questions |

Step 2: Verify NAP Consistency

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) must be identical everywhere:

# Check website for NAP occurrences
grep -rn "address\|phone\|tel:\|street\|suite\|zip\|postal" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.html" --include="*.json" . | grep -v node_modules

NAP consistency audit:

| Source | Name | Address | Phone | Consistent? | |--------|------|---------|-------|------------| | Website (footer) | ? | ? | ? | Baseline | | Website (contact page) | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | Google Business Profile | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | Yelp | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | Facebook | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | Apple Maps | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | BBB | ? | ? | ? | Match? | | Industry directories | ? | ? | ? | Match? |

Common NAP inconsistencies:

| Issue | Example | Fix | |-------|---------|-----| | Abbreviation mismatch | "St" vs "Street" vs "St." | Pick one format, use everywhere | | Suite format | "#100" vs "Suite 100" vs "Ste 100" | Standardize to one format | | Phone format | "(555) 123-4567" vs "555-123-4567" | Use one format consistently | | Business name | "Acme LLC" vs "Acme" vs "ACME Inc." | Use exact legal name | | Old address | Moved but didn't update all listings | Update every citation |

Step 3: Check Local Schema Markup

# Search for LocalBusiness schema
grep -rn "LocalBusiness\|PostalAddress\|GeoCoordinates\|openingHours" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.html" . | grep -v node_modules

Required LocalBusiness schema:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "[Business Name]",
  "description": "[Business description]",
  "url": "https://[domain]",
  "telephone": "[phone]",
  "email": "[email]",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "[street]",
    "addressLocality": "[city]",
    "addressRegion": "[state]",
    "postalCode": "[zip]",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "[lat]",
    "longitude": "[lng]"
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "09:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ],
  "image": "https://[domain]/images/storefront.jpg",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://facebook.com/[page]",
    "https://yelp.com/biz/[listing]"
  ]
}

Use the most specific @type:

| Business Type | Schema Type | |-------------|------------| | Restaurant | Restaurant | | Law firm | LegalService or Attorney | | Dentist | Dentist | | Real estate | RealEstateAgent | | Auto repair | AutoRepair | | Generic | LocalBusiness |

Step 4: Verify Location Pages

For businesses serving multiple locations:

# Check for location pages
find app/ pages/ -path "*location*" -o -path "*city*" -o -path "*area*" 2>/dev/null | grep -v node_modules

Location page requirements:

| Element | Required | Why | |---------|----------|-----| | Unique title with city name | Yes | "Plumbing Services in Austin, TX" ranks locally | | Unique meta description | Yes | Describes services specific to that area | | Unique content (300+ words) | Yes | Boilerplate with swapped city names gets penalized | | Embedded Google Map | Recommended | Shows exact location, helps Google confirm address | | Local testimonials | Recommended | Reviews from customers in that area | | NAP for that location | Yes | Specific address and phone for that location | | LocalBusiness schema | Yes | With location-specific address | | Service-area mention | Yes | Neighborhoods, suburbs, or zip codes served | | Local landmarks/references | Recommended | "Located near [landmark], serving [neighborhoods]" |

Red flags for location pages:

• ❌ Same content on every location page with only the city name swapped
• ❌ No actual presence in the claimed location
• ❌ Keyword-stuffed city names ("Austin plumber Austin TX plumbing Austin")
• ❌ Doorway pages that all redirect to the same main page

Step 5: Check Local Keyword Targeting

# Check for local keywords in titles and headings
grep -rn "title:\|<h1\|<H1\|<h2\|<H2" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.md" . | grep -v node_modules | head -20

Local keyword patterns:

| Pattern | Example | Where to Use | |---------|---------|-------------| | [Service] in [City] | "Plumbing in Austin" | Title tag, H1, meta description | | [City] [Service] | "Austin plumber" | Body content, H2 headings | | [Service] near [Landmark] | "Dentist near UT Austin" | Body content | | [Service] [Neighborhood] | "HVAC repair East Austin" | Location pages | | Best [Service] in [City] | "Best pizza in Austin" | Blog posts | | [Service] [City] [State] | "Attorney Austin TX" | Schema, footer |

Local keyword placement:

| Location | Priority | Notes | |----------|----------|-------| | Title tag | High | "[Service] in [City] - [Brand]" | | H1 heading | High | Include city name once naturally | | Meta description | High | Mention service area | | First paragraph | Medium | Natural mention of location | | Footer | Medium | Full NAP in every page footer | | Image alt text | Medium | "Team at [Brand] [City] office" | | URL slug | Medium | /locations/austin-tx |

Step 6: Review Citations and Directories

Key citation sources to verify:

Tier 1 — Essential (verify first):

| Directory | Why It Matters | |-----------|---------------| | Google Business Profile | #1 local ranking factor | | Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect | iOS users, Siri results | | Bing Places | Bing search, Cortana | | Yelp | High domain authority, reviews | | Facebook Business | Social signals, reviews | | Better Business Bureau | Trust signals |

Tier 2 — Industry-specific:

| Industry | Directories | |----------|------------| | Restaurants | TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Zomato | | Legal | Avvo, FindLaw, Justia | | Medical | Healthgrades, Zocdoc, WebMD | | Real estate | Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin | | Home services | HomeAdvisor, Angi, Thumbtack | | General | YellowPages, Manta, MapQuest |

Citation audit:

• Verify NAP is identical on every listing
• Remove duplicate listings on the same directory
• Claim unclaimed listings (competitors can edit them)
• Add missing listings for uncovered directories

Step 7: Check Review Management

# Check for review schema
grep -rn "Review\|AggregateRating\|ratingValue" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" . | grep -v node_modules

Review strategy checklist:

| Element | Status | Action | |---------|--------|--------| | Google review count | [count] | Target 20+ for local visibility | | Average rating | [X.X] | Maintain 4.0+ | | Review recency | Last review [date] | Get 1-2 new reviews per month minimum | | Response rate | [X]% | Reply to 100% of reviews (positive and negative) | | Review schema on site | [✅/❌] | Add AggregateRating if you display reviews | | Review request process | [✅/❌] | Send post-service email with review link |

Review response templates:

Positive review response:

"Thank you [Name]! We're glad [specific detail they mentioned]. We appreciate your business and look forward to helping you again."

Negative review response:

"Thank you for your feedback, [Name]. We're sorry about [specific issue]. We'd like to make this right — please contact us at [email/phone] so we can resolve this for you."

Review rules:

• Never buy or fake reviews — Google detects and penalizes
• Don't offer incentives for reviews (violates most platform ToS)
• Respond within 24-48 hours
• Always address specific concerns in negative reviews
• Use the reviewer's name and reference specific details

Step 8: Output Local SEO Scorecard

📍 Local SEO — Scorecard Complete

Business: [name]
Location(s): [city/cities]
Overall local score: [X/100]

Category scores:
  Google Business Profile:  [X/10] — [summary]
  NAP consistency:          [X/10] — [count] inconsistencies found
  Local schema:             [X/10] — [present/missing]
  Location pages:           [X/10] — [count] pages, unique content check
  Local keywords:           [X/10] — [coverage summary]
  Citations/directories:    [X/10] — [count] verified, [count] missing
  Reviews:                  [X/10] — [count] reviews, [rating] avg

Priority action items:
  🔴 Critical:
    1. [e.g., "Claim unclaimed Google Business Profile"]
    2. [e.g., "Fix NAP inconsistency on Yelp listing"]
  🟠 High:
    3. [e.g., "Add LocalBusiness schema to homepage"]
    4. [e.g., "Create unique location pages for 3 service areas"]
  🟡 Medium:
    5. [e.g., "Add local keywords to title tags"]
    6. [e.g., "Submit to 5 missing citation directories"]
  🔵 Low:
    7. [e.g., "Implement review request email workflow"]

Next steps:
1. Fix all Critical items this week
2. Submit to missing citation directories
3. Set up review request workflow
4. Update GBP with weekly posts and fresh photos
5. Re-audit in 3 months

Level History

• Lv.1 — Base: Google Business Profile audit, NAP consistency verification, LocalBusiness schema generation, location page requirements, local keyword targeting, citation/directory audit, review management with response templates, scored local SEO output. (Origin: MemStack Pro v3.2, Mar 2026)