Local Search Checklist

The listing itself. Get this wrong and nothing else matters.

• Claimed and verified your Google Business Profile An unverified listing barely ranks, and anyone can suggest edits to it. 6
• Business name matches your signage and your website exactly Stuffing suburbs or services into the name is against Google’s rules and gets listings suspended. 4
• Primary category is the specific one, not a general one "Electrician" beats "Contractor". The primary category does more for ranking than almost anything else on the profile. 5
• Added every secondary category that genuinely fits 3
• Service area set to the suburbs you actually work in Covering half the state waters you down. Google trusts a tight, believable area more. 4
• Phone number is the one you actually answer, and it matches your website 4
• Website link points to a live page, not an old or dead URL 4

Ranking gets you seen. This is what gets you called.

• Opening hours filled in, and kept right over holidays 4
• Description written the way customers describe the work, not industry jargon 4
• Every service listed separately with a line of detail each 5
• At least 10 real photos of finished jobs, not stock images Profiles with real job photos get noticeably more calls. It is the cheapest win on this list. 6
• Logo and a cover photo uploaded 3
• Messaging turned on only if you will actually reply to it A slow reply on Google messaging is worse than having it switched off. 3

The part everyone knows about and nobody does consistently.

• Asking every happy customer for a review, the same day you finish Same day is the whole trick. Ask a week later and most people never get to it. 7
• Your Google review link saved in your phone, ready to send Build the message → 4
• Replied to every review, the good ones and the bad ones 6
• At least 10 reviews on the profile 4
• Reviews mention the actual job and the suburb You cannot script this, but asking "what did we do for you?" in the request nudges it. 4

Google cross-checks you against the rest of the internet.

• Name, address and phone identical on your site, Facebook and any directories Mismatched details across the web are one of the most common reasons a listing underperforms. 5
• A page on your website for each main service 5
• Your suburb or region appears in your homepage title and headings 4
• Site loads fast and works properly on a phone 3
• Posting a Google update at least once a month 3