/seo-local

name: seo-local
description: "Run spec, audit, competitor benchmark and build for local visibility, on the two assets a local business owns: the location page and the Google Business Profile, plus reviews and NAP citations. Spec: LOC, GBP, REV and CIT requirements with IDs. Audit: seo_audit.py and section_audit.py --type location on the page, a manual GBP checklist. Benchmark: the local pack and top organic results for '{service} {city}', their pages via page_benchmark.py, their profiles by hand (categories, review count and velocity, photos, posts). Build: name and category decisions, a 100% complete profile, a review engine with reply templates, NAP consistency, location pages with LocalBusiness schema, multi-location and service-area setups, suspended-listing reinstatement, then a scripted acceptance re-run. Use for GBP, Google Maps, the local pack, 'best [trade] in [city]' AI answers, reviews and star ratings, citations, a business not showing on Maps, or a suspended listing."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: "Sorank (https://sorank.com)"
  version: "2.0.0"

Local SEO: Google Business Profile, Reviews, Citations and Local Pages

Local SEO decides who appears when a buyer searches "plumber near me", opens Google Maps, or asks an AI assistant for "the best dentist in Geneva". Three surfaces matter: the local pack (Maps results inside the SERP), localized organic results, and AI assistant recommendations. They feed on overlapping signals: the Google Business Profile, reviews, the linked website, and the consistency of the business entity across the web. Local visibility fails when the profile is half empty, the reviews trickle in bursts, the NAP differs from one directory to the next, and the profile links to a homepage instead of a real location page.

This skill treats two assets as the "pages" it owns, the **location page** on the site and the **Google Business Profile**, and runs the four-phase standard (spec, audit, benchmark, build) on both, with the review program and the NAP citations as shared requirements. The methodology combines two evidence levels, labeled throughout:

• **Field heuristic**: rules derived from 115+ real agency audits of local and service businesses (2024-2026). Consistently observed, not lab-measured.
• **Measured**: claims backed by a published study, an industry survey, or official documentation, with the source.

Company knowledge first (Obsidian)

If the working environment contains an Obsidian vault or any local knowledge base (a folder of .md notes, often with a .obsidian directory), read the relevant notes before acting: brand and product facts, target keywords, competitors, and the SEO action log of what was already tried. Ground every recommendation in that context instead of asking the user for facts the vault already holds. At the end of the session, append the actions taken to the vault's SEO action log so the next session starts informed.

When to use this skill

Use it to diagnose why a business is invisible in the local pack, set up or complete a Google Business Profile, build a review generation engine, write review replies, plan location pages, structure a multi-city or service-area business, or recover a suspended listing.

Stay in scope. Hand adjacent work to the right skill:

| Task | Skill | |---|---| | GBP, reviews, local pack, NAP, location page strategy (this skill) | seo-local | | Finding and building citation and directory links | seo-backlinks | | Writing service pages and city pages (copy and wireframe) | seo-content-service-page | | LocalBusiness schema implementation details | seo-schema-markup | | Block-by-block gap audit of any page type | seo-page-sections | | Site crawlability, speed, AI crawler access | seo-technical | | Local keyword selection | seo-keyword-research | | Writing rules for AI answer citability | geo-visibility | | Measuring AI assistant mentions | geo-tracking | | Full-site audit | seo-geo-audit |

Phase 1. The spec

Four tables: the location page (LOC), the Google Business Profile (GBP), the review program (REV), and NAP and citations (CIT). Common requirements C-01 to C-27: skills/seo-geo-audit/references/common-page-spec.md. They apply to the location page in full (title, meta, H1, canonical, images, breadcrumb, structured data validity, server HTML, em dashes); the LOC rows below only add what is specific to a local page. "Verified by" is a `seo_audit.py` finding code, a `section_audit.py` block, or "manual".

Location page (LOC)

One page per establishment. Block order and copy: references/location-page-template.md and the seo-content-service-page skill.

| ID | Requirement | Threshold | Verified by | Why | |---|---|---|---|---| | LOC-01 | Local keyword pattern: "{service} {city}" as the target keyword | City in title, URL, H1, meta description, first paragraph, one image alt | kw_placement_low, kw_not_in_intro, manual (city in each zone) | The local head term; the placement matrix applied to the place | | LOC-02 | One page per establishment, linked from the matching profile | 1 page per real location; never one shared "Locations" page for all branches | manual | A shared page lets no branch rank locally | | LOC-03 | Full NAP, byte-identical to the profile, canonical format | Name, address, phone match GBP character for character; service-area business with a home address keeps it off the page and leads with areas | section_audit "contact_details", manual comparison with GBP | Inconsistent NAP is the most common local ranking blocker (field heuristic) | | LOC-04 | Opening hours identical to the profile | Same days and times, holiday hours included | section_audit "opening_hours", manual | A contradiction with the profile erodes both | | LOC-05 | Embedded Google map of the location | 1 | section_audit "map_embed" | Orientation and a local relevance signal | | LOC-06 | Services offered at this location, with prices | Each service with a price or price range in plain HTML text | sec