Local SEO Checklist for New Campaigns

Starting a new local SEO campaign without a clear setup process is how things fall through the cracks. A missing NAP citation here, an unclaimed directory listing there — and three months in, you're wondering why rankings aren't moving.

This checklist covers everything you need to get right from day one when launching local SEO for a new client.

Google Business Profile Setup

GBP is still the most important local ranking signal, so get this right before anything else.

Claim and verify the listing. If the business already has one, claim it. If not, create it and go through verification (video verification is now common — heads up).
Fill out every field. Business name, address, phone, website, hours, holiday hours, business description, categories, services, and attributes.
Choose the right primary category. This carries the most weight. "Plumber" is different from "Emergency Plumber" — pick what matches the core service.
Add secondary categories for additional services, but don't go overboard.
Upload photos. Interior, exterior, team, products/services. Listings with photos get significantly more clicks.
Set up the service area if the business goes to customers rather than having them visit a location.
Enable messaging and make sure someone is actually monitoring it.

NAP Consistency and Citations

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Inconsistency across the web is one of the most common local SEO problems, and one of the easiest to fix early.

Audit existing citations using a tool like BrightLocal or Whitespark. Find any duplicates or outdated listings and get them corrected or removed.
Standardize the NAP format. Decide on one version — "St." vs "Street," "Suite 4" vs "Ste. 4" — and use it everywhere. Document it in a client brief so it doesn't drift.
Build citations on core directories: Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, YellowPages, Angi (if relevant to the industry), and any local Chamber of Commerce directories.
Target industry-specific directories. A restaurant benefits from OpenTable and Zomato. A dentist needs Healthgrades and Zocdoc. Identify the right ones for each client.
Check aggregators like Data Axle and Neustar Localeze — they feed data to dozens of directories, so getting these right multiplies your effort.

On-Page Local SEO Essentials

Citations and GBP matter, but the website still needs to be set up to reinforce local relevance.

Create a dedicated location page (or optimize the homepage if they're single-location). This page should include the full NAP, an embedded Google Map, service area information, and locally relevant content.
Include the city/region in title tags and H1s. "Roof Repair in Austin, TX" is more locally relevant than just "Roof Repair."
Add LocalBusiness schema markup. Use JSON-LD format and include name, address, phone, URL, opening hours, and geo coordinates. Google doesn't require it, but it helps.
Embed a Google Map on the contact page or location page.
Make sure the website is mobile-friendly. Most local searches happen on phones. Run it through Google's Mobile-Friendly Test if you're not sure.
Check page speed. Core Web Vitals matter for rankings. Use PageSpeed Insights and fix anything in the red.
Set up proper internal linking to the location page from the homepage and relevant service pages.

Review Strategy from Day One

Reviews aren't something to think about later. Set up a system at the start.

Audit existing reviews on GBP, Yelp, Facebook, and any industry-specific platforms. Note volume, rating, and how (or whether) the business responds.
Set up a review request process. This could be as simple as a follow-up email or SMS template the client sends after a job is done. The sooner this is running, the sooner reviews start coming in.
Respond to existing reviews — especially any negative ones that have gone unanswered. Write responses for the client (or with their input) that are professional and acknowledge feedback.
Brief the client on review policies. Google doesn't allow incentivized reviews. Make sure they know not to offer discounts or gifts in exchange.
Set a baseline metric. Document current review count and average rating so you can show improvement over time.

Tracking and Reporting Setup

You can't manage what you don't measure. Get tracking in place before you start optimizing.

Set up Google Search Console and verify the website. This is where you'll track keyword impressions, clicks, and any indexing issues.
Install Google Analytics 4 if it isn't already. Make sure goal tracking is configured for calls, form submissions, or whatever conversions matter to this client.
Enable GBP Insights — specifically track search queries, profile views, direction requests, and calls.
Set up rank tracking for local keywords using a tool that tracks local pack positions, not just organic rankings. Local and organic rankings behave differently.
Document a monthly reporting template that covers GBP metrics, keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversions. Clients stay happy when they can see progress clearly.
Take baseline screenshots or exports before the campaign starts. Rankings, traffic, review count — capture everything so you have a before/after reference.

A well-executed setup phase is what separates campaigns that build momentum from ones that stall out. Most local SEO wins — ranking in the local pack, showing up for "near me" searches, getting found over competitors — come down to doing the fundamentals consistently and correctly.

If you're running multiple client campaigns, keeping all of this organized across different businesses gets complicated fast. Campaignly is built for exactly that — manage your clients, campaigns, and deliverables in one place so nothing slips through the cracks.