local-seo-agent

name	local-seo-agent
description	Orchestrates google-search-console, google-business-profile, competitive-local-strategy, and google-updates-sentinel skills into a unified local SEO strategy with monthly audit cadence. Use when running local SEO campaigns, onboarding new clients, or performing monthly audits.
metadata	{"author":"synthex","version":"1.0","engine":"synthex-ai-agency","type":"reference-skill","triggers":["local SEO","local search","local marketing","service area","citation building","local keywords","maps optimisation","local audit","suburb targeting"],"requires":["google-search-console","google-business-profile","competitive-local-strategy","google-updates-sentinel"]}
context	fork

Local SEO Agent — Unified Local Search Strategy

Purpose

This is the overarching strategy skill that orchestrates all 4 local SEO skills into a unified local search campaign for Australian SMBs. It provides the workflows for client onboarding, keyword research, content creation, citation building, and ongoing monthly audits.

New Client Onboarding Decision Tree

New business connecting to Synthex?
  |
  Step 1: Connect Google Search Console
  |   OAuth flow --> syncProperties via useGSCProperties
  |   Verify primary property is set
  |
  Step 2: Connect Google Business Profile
  |   OAuth flow --> syncLocations via useGBPLocations
  |   Verify primary location is set
  |
  Step 3: Run 28-day GSC baseline
  |   fetchAnalytics(siteUrl, { dimensions: ['query', 'page'] })
  |   Record: total clicks, total impressions, avg position, top queries
  |   This becomes the benchmark for all future reporting
  |
  Step 4: Run GBP listing optimisation checklist
  |   See google-business-profile skill -- 12-point checklist
  |   Fix any gaps immediately (categories, hours, description, photos)
  |
  Step 5: Run competitive audit
  |   addCompetitor for 3-5 local competitors
  |   generateBenchmarkReport to establish competitive baseline
  |   identifyContentGaps to find opportunity areas
  |
  Step 6: Establish Sentinel monitoring
  |   runSentinelCheck(userId, orgId) to create first health snapshot
  |   Verify crons are running (gsc-monitor 4AM, gbp-monitor 5AM, sentinel)
  |
  Step 7: Generate first month plan from gaps
       Combine: GSC quick wins + GBP fixes + competitive gaps
       Prioritise by impact and effort
       Output: 4-week action plan

Local Keyword Research Methodology

Step 1: Extract Current Queries from GSC

fetchAnalytics(siteUrl, {
  dimensions: ['query'],
  rowLimit: 1000,
})

Export the full query list. Categorise each by intent and local relevance.

Step 2: Identify Local Modifiers

For each core service, create keyword variants:

• "[service] [suburb]" — e.g. "plumber Parramatta"
• "[service] near me" — e.g. "plumber near me"
• "[service] [region]" — e.g. "plumber western Sydney"
• "best [service] [suburb]" — e.g. "best plumber Parramatta"
• "[service] [suburb] reviews" — e.g. "plumber Parramatta reviews"

Step 3: Cross-Reference Competitor Gaps

Use identifyContentGaps from competitive-local-strategy skill. Topics covered by 3+ competitors with >5% engagement that you do not cover = priority targets.

Step 4: Categorise by Intent

Intent	Pattern	Page Type
Transactional	"hire [service]", "[service] quote", "book [service]"	Service page with CTA
Informational	"how to [topic]", "what is [topic]", "[topic] guide"	Blog post or FAQ
Navigational	"[business name]", "[business name] reviews"	Homepage or GBP listing
Local	"[service] [suburb]", "near me"	Service-area page

Step 5: Map Keywords to Pages

Each target keyword needs a dedicated page. Never target the same keyword on multiple pages (cannibalisation). Create a keyword-to-URL mapping document.

Service-Area Page Structure

Template

H1: [Service] in [Suburb], [State]

[Unique introduction -- 150-200 words. Never duplicate across suburb pages.
Reference specific local landmarks, demographics, or common issues in this area.]

H2: Our [Service] Services in [Suburb]
[Detailed service descriptions with local knowledge. What makes this area
different? What problems do customers in this suburb commonly face?]

H2: Why Choose [Business] for [Service] in [Suburb]
[Differentiators, experience in this area, local knowledge]

[Embedded Google Map using GBPLocation coordinates]

H2: What Our [Suburb] Customers Say
[Local testimonials -- filter GBPReview records by suburb mention in comment]

[NAP Block -- matching GBP exactly]

[LocalBusiness Schema Markup -- JSON-LD]

Anti-Pattern: Thin Suburb Pages

NEVER create pages that are identical content with only the suburb name swapped. This is a thin content signal that triggers the helpful content classifier.

Each suburb page must have:

• Unique introduction referencing the actual suburb
• Local-specific service details
• Genuine local testimonials or case studies
• Original photos from that service area — mandatory, not "if possible", per the founder's REAL IMAGES ONLY mandate (.claude/rules/real-images-only.md); see the Image Sourcing note below

Image Sourcing (REAL IMAGES ONLY — founder mandate)

Service-area and GBP imagery comes from the owned corpus — public/reference-library/ (manifest.json) and the private bucket reference-library-private (real customer job photos per area; ingest via POST /api/admin/private-refs, signed URLs). Any AI-generated visual for a page or post goes through lib/services/ai/image-generation.ts generateImage() (or the generate_image MCP tool): grounded-by-default, industry auto-detected, BLOCKED when no owned references exist ("add real photos to the reference library first"), useReferences:false the only audited UNGROUNDED escape hatch, carpet-style-v1 LoRA (trigger ccwcarpet) auto-applies for carpet-cleaning. Frames extracted from owned videos via the Railway media worker / media_* MCP tools supply fresh monthly photos (see Phase 4 below).

Citation Building Workflow

Priority 1: Major Australian Directories

Directory	Type	Action
Google Business Profile	Map/Search	Already managed via Synthex
Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect	Map	Submit via Apple Business Register
Bing Places for Business	Map/Search	Submit via Bing Places portal
Yellow Pages Australia	Directory	Claim or create listing
True Local	Directory	Claim or create listing
Hotfrog	Directory	Claim or create listing
StartLocal	Directory	Claim or create listing
Yelp Australia	Directory/Review	Claim or create listing

Priority 2: Industry-Specific

Lookup table by vertical (from competitive-local-strategy skill):

• Tradies: HiPages, ServiceSeeking, Oneflare, Airtasker
• Medical: HealthEngine, HotDoc, RateMDs
• Legal: Law Society (state), FindLaw Australia
• Hospitality: TripAdvisor, Zomato, OpenTable
• Beauty: Fresha, StyleSeat, Bookwell

Process Per Citation

1. Verify NAP matches GBPLocation exactly (see google-business-profile skill NAP protocol)
2. Use consistent description — first 250 characters identical across all citations
3. Upload the same logo/profile photo
4. Use UTM-tracked URL: ?utm_source=[directory]&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=local-seo
5. Record submission date for quarterly audit

Quarterly Citation Audit

• Re-check all citations for NAP accuracy
• Update any that have drifted (phone number changes, address changes)
• Add new directories where competitors appeared since last audit

Local Link Acquisition Strategy

Tier 1: High Authority, High Relevance

• Business associations and industry groups (e.g. Master Plumbers, HIA)
• Local chamber of commerce membership
• Local council business directories
• Professional body member pages

Tier 2: Medium Authority, Local Relevance

• Local news sites (press releases for community involvement)
• Community event sponsorship (event pages link to sponsors)
• Local charity partnerships (charity pages link to supporters)
• Local business award submissions

Tier 3: Lower Authority, Easy to Acquire

• Blogger partnerships (local lifestyle/area blogs)
• Supplier cross-links (if suppliers have a partner page)
• Local Facebook group features (with website link)
• Community forum contributions with profile link

Assessment Criteria

For each opportunity, assess:

• Domain authority — higher is better, but local relevance matters more
• Relevance — is the linking site topically or geographically related?
• Effort — how much work to acquire? Balance against potential impact

Review Generation Strategy

Target

2-5 new genuine reviews per month per location.

Ethical Tactics

1. Post-service SMS/email — include direct link to Google review page using metadata.newReviewUri from GBPLocation
2. QR codes — display in-store or on business cards linking to review page
3. Staff training — train front-line staff to ask satisfied customers for reviews
4. Follow-up emails — automated follow-up 24-48 hours after service completion

Monitor Unreplied Reviews

useGBPReviews({ unreplied: true })

Every unreplied review is a missed opportunity. Target 100% response rate.

Rules

• Never incentivise reviews with discounts or rewards (against Google policy)
• Never gate reviews (asking for rating first, then only directing positives to Google)
• Never post fake reviews or have staff write reviews
• Never ask customers to change or remove negative reviews

Competitor Displacement Phases

Phase 1: Audit (Weeks 1-4)

• Connect GSC + GBP for the client
• Add 3-5 competitors via addCompetitor
• Run generateBenchmarkReport for baseline
• Run citation gap analysis
• Identify top 10 content gaps

Phase 2: Foundation (Weeks 5-8)

• Close citation gaps — submit to all directories where competitors are listed
• Match competitor review count — begin review generation campaign
• Fix all GBP listing issues from 12-point checklist
• Publish first 2-3 service-area pages targeting highest-volume local keywords

Phase 3: Content Offensive (Weeks 9-12)

• Produce differentiated content on high-opportunity gaps
• Each piece: 10x depth, local angle, genuine E-E-A-T signals
• Cross-post via content-pipeline and platform-content-adaptor
• Begin local link acquisition (Tier 1 targets first)

Phase 4: Maintain and Expand (Ongoing)

• Maintain review velocity (2-5/month)
• Publish 2-4 Google Posts per month
• Upload 2-3 fresh photos monthly (sourced per Image Sourcing above — real owned photos only, never stock or ungrounded generation)
• Monitor CompetitorAlert for changes in competitive landscape
• Monthly audit cycle (see below)

Monthly Audit Cadence

Week 1: GSC Performance

• Pull 28-day GSC analytics via fetchAnalytics
• Compare against previous month and baseline
• Check GSCSnapshot trends for any regressions
• Identify new quick-win keywords (position 4-10, high impressions)
• Check for any Sentinel alerts

Week 2: GBP Health

• Pull GBPSnapshot metrics via useGBPInsights
• Review response audit — any unreplied reviews? (useGBPReviews({ unreplied: true }))
• Check posting frequency — are we hitting 1-2 posts/week?
• Photo freshness — when was last upload?
• Verify listing details still accurate (hours, phone, categories)

Week 3: Citation Audit

• Spot-check 5 citations for NAP consistency
• Any new directories to add?
• Any old listings with outdated information?
• Check competitor citation presence for new opportunities

Week 4: Content and Competitive Review

• Run identifyContentGaps for updated gap analysis
• Review competitor activity from CompetitorAlert records
• Assess which content pieces performed best
• Plan next month's content calendar

Monthly Report Card

Deliverable for each client:

Section	Data Source	Key Metrics
Search visibility	GSCSnapshot	Total clicks, impressions, avg position, top 10 queries
Local presence	GBPSnapshot	Search views, maps views, website clicks, phone clicks, direction clicks
Review health	GBPReview	Total reviews, avg rating, response rate, new reviews this month
Keyword positions	GSC analytics by query	Position changes for target keywords
Recommendations	All skills combined	Top 3 priority actions for next month

Cross-References

Skill	When to Invoke
google-search-console	Interpreting search analytics, diagnosing indexing issues, sitemap management
google-business-profile	Listing optimisation, review management, Google Posts, insights analysis
google-updates-sentinel	Traffic drops, algorithm impact diagnosis, health score monitoring
competitive-local-strategy	Competitor analysis, benchmarking, content gaps, displacement tactics
business-dna	Brand messaging consistency across all local content
content-pipeline	AI content generation for service-area pages and blog posts

Reference skill: This is a read-only architecture guide — it documents existing systems and does not generate creative or code output. No capability uplift block is needed.

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Foundation & Gate Wiring (SYN-1049)

Adopted from the senior-skill standard so every artefact this connector produces is checked against the locked foundation before it lands.

Reads at every invocation (never cached — re-read each run):

• .claude/memory/ceo-foundation.md — GBP compliance (Q3.2.3), AI-search realism, schema discipline.
• .claude/memory/verification-gates.md — gate state for any claim referenced.

Output gate: every client-facing artefact this connector produces routes through brand-voice-enforce before the CEO batched-review queue. A REJECT blocks the artefact until the quoted offending string is fixed.

Evidence standard: every quantitative or factual claim carries exactly one tag — [VERIFIED] / [INFERENCE] / [UNCONFIRMED]. Untagged = defect (.claude/rules/fabel-evidence-standard.md). Never state a projected result as fact.

Spec: see spec.md in this skill directory.