Local SEO Checklist

Search your business on Google Maps. If unclaimed, visit business.google.com to verify ownership.

Use the most specific category available. Add secondary categories for other services.

Use all 750 characters. Mention Reading, your area, and core services naturally.

Include special hours for bank holidays. Incorrect hours erode trust and rankings.

Geo-tag photos with EXIF data. Upload at least 3 new photos monthly.

Post updates, offers, or news weekly. Each post includes a CTA and relevant image.

List every service with a description and price range where applicable.

Wheelchair accessible, free Wi-Fi, appointment links — every attribute feeds ranking signals.

Add every town and suburb: Reading, Caversham, Tilehurst, Earley, Woodley, etc.

Pre-populate with common questions. Answer all user questions within 24 hours.

Aim to match or exceed your top local pack competitor's review count.

Respond to every negative review professionally. Address the issue, don't argue.

Recency matters. Build a systematic review request process into your workflow.

Mention the service and location naturally in responses. Avoid template replies.

Send a direct Google review link within 48 hours of service completion.

Gently guide reviewers: "We'd love to hear about your experience with [service]."

Even small differences (Ltd vs Limited, St vs Street) confuse search engines.

These are foundational UK directories. Claim and complete each profile fully.

Law Society, NAEA, Checkatrade, Bark — whichever applies to your sector.

Reading business directories, Berkshire platforms, Thames Valley Chamber listings.

Critical for iPhone users. Visit businessconnect.apple.com to claim.

Bing powers Alexa, Cortana, and many AI assistants. Don't neglect it.

Facebook is a citation source even if you don't actively post there.

Keep under 60 characters. Format: Primary Keyword Location | Brand.

One H1 per page. Include the area naturally — don't stuff keywords.

Thin pages signal low expertise. Cover the topic thoroughly with local context.

Caversham, Tilehurst, Earley, Wokingham — each area deserves unique content.

Build a hub-and-spoke structure. Service hubs link to area-specific variants.

Consistent, crawlable NAP across the site reinforces local relevance.

Use an iframe embed of your GBP location. Reinforces geographic signals.

Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile. Test with Google's mobile-friendly tool.

Include name, address, phone, opening hours, geo coordinates, and areaServed.

Use the Service type with provider, areaServed, and serviceType properties.

Marks up questions and answers for potential rich result display in Google.

Helps Google understand site hierarchy. Shows breadcrumbs in search results.

Test with PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, minify CSS/JS, use caching.

HTTPS has been a ranking signal since 2014. Non-HTTPS sites show a warning.

Submit at search.google.com/search-console and bing.com/webmasters.

Check for accidental Disallow rules blocking key pages or CSS/JS resources.