seo-local

name	seo-local
description	Local SEO expertise for rank-and-rent sites without GBP
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Write
model	sonnet

Local SEO Skill (No GBP)

Local SEO knowledge for ranking service-area websites without Google Business Profile.

Core Ranking Factors (Without GBP)

1. On-Page Signals (Highest Control)

• Title tags: "[Service] in [City] | [Brand]" — under 60 characters
• Meta descriptions: Include CTA + phone + city — under 155 characters
• H1: Primary keyword + city — one per page
• Content: 800-1500 words, locally relevant, answer-first
• URL structure: /services/[primary-service]-[city]
• Image alt text: Descriptive with local context

2. Technical Signals

• Page speed: LCP < 2.5s (critical for mobile)
• Mobile responsive: Must pass Google's mobile-friendly test
• HTTPS: Required
• Structured data: LocalBusiness + Service + FAQPage
• Sitemap: Auto-generated, complete, submitted
• Canonical URLs: Prevent duplicate content
• hreflang: Not needed (single language/region)

3. Content Signals

• Location pages: One per service area (city/town)
• Service pages: One per service type
• Blog posts: Long-tail keyword targets
• FAQ content: Answer real user questions
• Testimonials: Social proof (from renter's customers)

4. Off-Page Signals

• Local citations: NAP consistency across 20+ directories
• Backlinks: Local news, blogs, community sites, chambers of commerce
• Social profiles: Facebook, Instagram, Yelp — all linking to site
• Reviews: Yelp, Facebook, BBB (cannot use Google Reviews)

5. User Signals

• CTR: Compelling titles and descriptions
• Bounce rate: Relevant content that matches intent
• Dwell time: Engaging, comprehensive content
• Conversion rate: Clear CTAs, easy contact

Schema Implementation

Every page must have at minimum:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "[PROJECT_NAME]",
  "telephone": "+1-XXX-XXX-XXXX",
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "[CITY]",
    "containedInPlace": {
      "@type": "AdministrativeArea",
      "name": "[STATE_PROVINCE]"
    }
  }
}

Service pages add:

{
  "@type": "Service",
  "serviceType": "[PRIMARY_SERVICE]",
  "provider": { "@id": "#organization" },
  "areaServed": { "@type": "City", "name": "[CITY]" }
}

Keyword Research Framework

Target keywords by intent:

Intent	Pattern	Example
Transactional	[service] + [city]	"[PRIMARY_SERVICE] [CITY]"
Informational	how much + [service] + [city]	"how much [PRIMARY_SERVICE] [CITY]"
Navigational	[service] near me	"[PRIMARY_SERVICE] near me"
Commercial	best + [service] + [city]	"best [PRIMARY_SERVICE] [CITY]"

Customization

This skill ships with opinionated defaults. Review and adapt to your needs:

• Schema templates: LocalBusiness + Service JSON-LD patterns — edit inline templates in SKILL.md
• Keyword patterns: Intent-based keyword frameworks — edit the keyword table in SKILL.md
• Content length targets: Recommended word counts (default 800-1500) — edit SKILL.md
• allowed-tools: Currently Read, Grep, Glob, Write. Add tools if needed.
• model: Currently sonnet. Remove to use your default model.