Local SEO Launch Checklist: 47 Steps Before You Publish

Use this checklist before publishing or republishing a local business website. It covers the minimum set of technical, content, and Business Profile steps that prevent the most common launch failures. It is not exhaustive — pair it with the Technical SEO Pre-Launch Checklist for structural depth.

Foundation

• ✓Business name, address, and phone (NAP) are consistent with the Google Business Profile
• ✓Primary Business Profile category matches the core service
• ✓Service areas are set accurately and honestly
• ✓Hours of operation are current, including holiday exceptions

Website

• ✓Homepage states the service, the market, and a clear call to action above the fold
• ✓Each service has its own page with unique, useful content
• ✓Location pages are unique and not near-duplicates of each other
• ✓Contact page repeats NAP and embeds a map
• ✓A lead form or call action is reachable from every page
• ✓Title tags and meta descriptions are unique per page
• ✓Canonical tags point to the preferred URL on every page
• ✓XML sitemap is reachable and references only canonical URLs
• ✓robots.txt does not block important paths

Structured data

• ✓LocalBusiness schema (or a more specific type) is present and valid
• ✓NAP in schema matches the Business Profile exactly
• ✓Opening hours, geo, and URL fields are populated

Business Profile

• ✓Profile is verified and owned by the business
• ✓Primary and secondary categories are chosen deliberately
• ✓At least one post is published
• ✓Photos (exterior, interior, team, work) are uploaded
• ✓Review responses are drafted for any existing reviews

Measurement

• ✓Google Search Console property is verified
• ✓Conversion tracking (calls, forms) is in place
• ✓A baseline report is captured before launch for later comparison