pragmatic-seo-local-business

name	pragmatic-seo-local-business
description	Local business-specific SEO and AI visibility guidance covering Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, location pages, local intent alignment, and structured data for local search.

Pragmatic SEO & AI Visibility Skill — Local Business Adaptation

This is a site-type adaptation of the canonical skill. Canonical source: skill/PRAGMATIC_SEO_AI_VISIBILITY_SKILL.md

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Site Type Context

Type: Local Business Primary goal: Drive local search visibility, map pack presence, and in-store or appointment-based conversions. Typical pages: Homepage, services pages, location pages, about, contact, reviews.

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Priority Focus Areas for Local Business

1. Google Business Profile

For most local businesses, Google Business Profile (GBP) has more direct impact on local visibility than the website itself. Audit this first.

Check:

• profile is claimed and verified
• primary category accurately reflects the business
• secondary categories cover relevant services
• hours, phone number, and website URL are accurate
• service area is correctly defined if applicable
• photos are current, representative, and not stock images
• reviews are monitored and responded to
• no duplicate or suspended profiles exist
• location page on the website matches GBP data exactly

2. NAP consistency

Name, Address, Phone number must be consistent across the website, GBP, and major citation sources.

Check:

• NAP in page footer or contact page matches GBP exactly
• formatting is consistent (street abbreviations, suite formats, etc.)
• phone number format is consistent
• no old addresses or phone numbers still live on the site

3. Location pages

For businesses with multiple locations, each location needs its own page with distinct, useful content.

Check:

• one dedicated page per physical location
• each page has unique content, not just a name swap on a template
• NAP on each page matches the corresponding GBP listing
• embedded map or directions link present
• internal linking connects the homepage to all location pages

4. Local intent alignment

The title tags, H1s, and page copy on key pages should reflect local intent.

Check:

• service + city combinations appear naturally in titles and H1s where appropriate
• content describes the service in the context of the local area, not just generically
• do not over-optimize by forcing city names unnaturally into every sentence

5. Structured data

LocalBusiness schema should reflect what is visible on the page and in the GBP listing.

Check:

• LocalBusiness (or a more specific subtype) is present on the homepage and location pages
• name, address, telephone, openingHours match the visible content and GBP
• geo coordinates are accurate when included
• do not add fake addresses or phone numbers to markup

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Schema Priorities for Local Business

Page	Recommended Schema
Homepage	LocalBusiness (or subtype), Organization
Location page	LocalBusiness (or subtype), BreadcrumbList
Service page	WebPage, BreadcrumbList
Contact page	LocalBusiness, BreadcrumbList

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Common Local Business SEO Risks

• GBP not claimed or outdated
• NAP inconsistency between site and GBP
• Multiple locations using identical page copy
• LocalBusiness schema with data that does not match the page or GBP
• Review markup applied incorrectly on LocalBusiness pages expecting rich result stars
• Doorway-style location pages with no unique content
• No internal links from homepage to individual location pages

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Confidence Labels Applied Here

All recommendations in this adaptation follow the canonical confidence system:

• Official — supported by Google Search Central or Bing documentation
• Recommended — strong industry practice
• Heuristic — useful but not guaranteed