Local SEO is where small businesses win against big competitors. If you're a plumber, dentist, restaurant or service business in the Lower Mainland, local search is everything. Here's a checklist to dominate "near me" searches and Google Maps.

The Essential Local SEO Checklist

Foundation (Do First)

  • ☐ Claim Google Business Profile (business.google.com)
  • ☐ Verify your address (get postcard, don't skip this)
  • ☐ Complete all GBP fields: name, address, phone, hours, website
  • ☐ Add service areas (Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford if relevant)
  • ☐ Add 10+ photos (office, team, work samples)
  • ☐ Your website has your name, address, phone (NAP) in header or footer

Citations (Local Directories)

  • ☐ Claim Yelp business page
  • ☐ Claim Yellow Pages Canada
  • ☐ List on BBB Canada
  • ☐ Check Google Maps directory listing
  • ☐ NAP consistency across all listings (exact spelling, phone format)

Content & Keywords

  • ☐ Homepage mentions your city 3-5 times naturally
  • ☐ Service pages target "[service] [city]" keywords
  • ☐ Create "[city]" location pages if serving multiple areas
  • ☐ Blog posts include local keywords ("restaurant in vancouver", "dentist near me")

Reviews (The Ranking Lever)

  • ☐ Get your first 10 reviews (use email, ask verbally, make it easy)
  • ☐ Respond to every review (thank positive reviews, address negative ones)
  • ☐ Target 50+ reviews by 6 months (each new review = ranking boost)

Technical & Mobile

  • ☐ Mobile-first responsive design
  • ☐ Page speed under 3 seconds
  • ☐ Schema markup (LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage)
  • ☐ Structured data validation (Schema.org)

Quick Wins (This Week)

  1. Claim Google Business Profile, fill in all details
  2. Verify your business address
  3. Take 10 photos, upload them
  4. Email 5 past clients asking for reviews
  5. Add your city name to your homepage

The Timeline

  • Week 1: GBP setup + verification
  • Weeks 2-4: Get first 20 reviews, claim directory listings
  • Months 2-3: Local content, location pages, continued reviews
  • Months 4-6: Build authority, add structured data, monitor rankings

Local SEO can triple your phone calls in 6 months. We handle the heavy lifting, GBP optimisation, reviews, local content, citations, so you focus on running your business.

Get a local SEO audit