local-seo

# 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. | Rule | Guideline | |------|-----------| | **Exact match** | "Street" vs "St." or "LLC" inconsistency = Google may treat as different entities | | **Fix first** | Audit and fix inconsistencies before adding new citations | | **Tools** | BrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local for audit | ## Google Business Profile | Element | Guideline | |---------|-----------| | **Address** | Physical address; no P.O. boxes | | **Description** | 750 chars; primary keywords in first 100 | | **Hours** | Accurate; seasonal availability | | **Category** | Primary category matches business type | | **Service-area** | Hide 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 ## Citation Audit - Incorrect or outdated data - Duplicate entries - Missing listings on key directories Fix before adding; compounding errors harm rankings.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