SEO: Local#

Guides local SEO: Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, and citation building. Businesses with accurate NAP across 40+ authoritative sites see ~19% higher visibility in Google Maps. Use this skill when optimizing for local search, setting up GBP, or auditing citations.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment#

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read Sections 4 (Audience), 5 (Website).

Identify:

1. Business type: Storefront vs service-area
2. Location: Single or multiple
3. Current listings: Existing GBP, directories

NAP Consistency#

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. Critical for local rankings.

RuleGuidelineExact match"Street" vs "St." or "LLC" inconsistency = Google may treat as different entitiesFix firstAudit and fix inconsistencies before adding new citationsToolsBrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local for audit

Google Business Profile#

ElementGuidelineAddressPhysical address; no P.O. boxesDescription750 chars; primary keywords in first 100HoursAccurate; seasonal availabilityCategoryPrimary category matches business typeService-areaHide address if no storefront; define service areas

Citation Building#

Targeted precision over submitting to every directory.

Priority order:

1. Google Business Profile
2. Apple Maps
3. Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook
4. Better Business Bureau, Foursquare, Nextdoor
5. Niche directories (Healthgrades, Angi, etc.)

Citation Audit#

• Incorrect or outdated data
• Duplicate entries
• Missing listings on key directories

Fix before adding; compounding errors harm rankings.

Output Format#

• NAP (exact format for consistency)
• GBP optimization checklist
• Citation priority list
• Audit findings (if applicable)

Related Skills#

• geo: GEO for AI search; local + AI overlap
• localization-strategy: Multilingual; local + i18n
• directory-submission: Directory listings; different from local citations