By name: local-seo description: "Local SEO mastery for service-area businesses. Google Business Profile management, map pack ranking, citation building, review strategy, competitor intelligence, DBA strategy, virtual offices, and community presence. Load alongside seo-foundations for any local business deployment (ServiceStack primary, but applicable to any CAIO client serving a geographic area)." version: 1.0.0
Local SEO
Purpose
Non-obvious patterns for local search ranking — beyond what any developer would know from general SEO knowledge. Load seo-foundations first for keyword research and on-page basics.
1. GBP Seasonal Category Rotation
Documented ranking factor for multi-service trades. The primary GBP category should match current search demand.
HVAC:
Nov-Mar → "Heating Contractor"
Apr-Oct → "Air Conditioning Contractor"
Plumbing (if also does drain cleaning):
Spring/Fall → "Plumber"
Summer (pool season) → varies by market
Agent proposes the swap via Helm queue. Owner confirms. After two approval cycles, this earns autonomy (auto-swap with notification).
2. Grid-Based Rank Tracking
Don't track from one point. Rank varies dramatically by searcher location.
METHOD:
- Define service area as a geographic boundary
- Create a grid of tracking points (25-point default, 5×5)
- Query each keyword from each grid point
- Visualize as heat map overlay on actual map
DATA SOURCE: DataForSEO SERP API (Local Pack endpoint)
COST: ~$0.001-0.002 per query. 25 points × 10 keywords = $0.25-0.50/scan
FREQUENCY: Weekly
WHAT TO TRACK:
- Position (1-3 = in pack, 4-20 = local finder, not ranked)
- Which competitors appear at each point
- Week-over-week movement per grid point
- Average position across all points (headline metric)
3. SEO Score — Weighted 100-Point Model
Single metric for contractor SEO health surfaced in Helm.
FACTOR WEIGHT SOURCE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GBP completeness 15 pts Google GBP API
Review score (rating × volume × velocity × 20 pts GBP API + DataForSEO
recency)
Review response rate + response time 5 pts review-mgmt module
Photo freshness (30/60/90 day tiers) 5 pts Google GBP API
Post activity (last 30 days) 5 pts Google GBP API
Q&A health (questions answered, freshness) 3 pts Google GBP API
Citation consistency (top 50 directories) 15 pts DataForSEO Business Data API
Website SEO score 15 pts DataForSEO On-Page API
Backlink profile 10 pts DataForSEO Backlinks API
Behavioral signals (CTR, directions, calls) 7 pts GBP Insights API
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL 100 pts
Score generates three highest-impact actions per week — surfaced in Helm, not a dashboard to stare at.
4. NAP Consistency — Exact Match Only
CRITICAL: NAP must be EXACTLY identical everywhere.
- "123 Main St" ≠ "123 Main Street" ≠ "123 Main St."
- "Suite 200" ≠ "Ste 200" ≠ "#200"
- "(704) 555-1234" ≠ "704-555-1234" ≠ "7045551234"
- "ABC Plumbing LLC" ≠ "ABC Plumbing" ≠ "A.B.C. Plumbing LLC"
Store as canonical NAP in the local-presence module.
All submissions and checks reference the canonical version.
NAP change propagation order: GBP first (source of truth) → website → Tier 4 aggregators (cascades) → Tier 1 manually → Tier 2-3. Run consistency scan 30 days after to verify propagation.
5. Review Routing System
Not all customers should go to Google. Route by satisfaction signal.
JOB COMPLETED → 2hr delay → SMS + email: "How was your experience?"
5 stars → Direct link to Google review with keyword coaching prompt
"Tip: mentioning the service and your neighborhood helps other
people in [area] who need similar work."
4 stars → Internal feedback form → follow up → optionally redirect to Google
1-3 stars → Internal escalation → owner alerted → NEVER routes to Google
AI-drafted positive responses: queue for review; after 10+ approvals → auto-publish. Negative responses: ALWAYS require owner approval. Response within 4 hours.
6. DBA Strategy
Google's business name field directly affects ranking. "John Smith LLC" loses to "Charlotte Emergency Plumbing." A DBA lets contractors legally use a keyword-rich name.
SCORING: search volume × availability × natural-sounding
GOOD: "[City] [Service]" — "Charlotte Plumbing Co"
GOOD: "[Region] [Service]" — "Lake Norman Electric"
BAD: "[City] Best Cheap Emergency [Service]" — keyword stuffing
Google's spam updates penalize keyword-stuffed names
The DBA MUST be legally registered (not just displayed)
7. Virtual Office Compliance
Virtual offices expand map pack presence to new cities without opening a branch. Google requirements:
MUST MEET ALL:
□ Real street address (no PO boxes)
□ Staffed during stated business hours
□ Can pass Google's video verification if required
COMMON FAILURES (cause listing suspension):
✗ Regus/WeWork address used by 50 other businesses
✗ Address listed as "virtual" on the space provider's own site
✗ Hours listed but nobody actually there
ROI benchmark: ~$100-200/mo cost. Expected ~5 calls/month × 30% close rate × $300 avg ticket = $450/month revenue.
8. Photo Geotagging Pipeline
EXIF DATA INJECTED at job completion:
- GPS latitude/longitude (from job address)
- ImageDescription: "[Service] by [Company] in [City]"
- DateTimeOriginal: Job completion timestamp
Photos feed: GBP posts → service page galleries → location pages
Format: WebP, responsive sizes, descriptive alt text
9. Citation Tiers
Build in order — each tier takes time to propagate.
TIER 1 (Week 1 onboarding): GBP, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, Yelp, BBB,
Nextdoor, Thumbtack, Angi, HomeAdvisor
TIER 2 (Month 1): Yellow Pages, Manta, Superpages, MapQuest, Foursquare
TIER 3 (Niche): Trade-specific — HVAC.com, Plumber.com, manufacturer dealer
locators, state licensing boards, trade associations
TIER 4 (Data Aggregators): Data Axle, Neustar/Localeze, Foursquare
Submitting here pushes NAP to hundreds of smaller directories
Usage in Agent Harness
For any local business site build:
1. Load seo-foundations (base layer)
2. Load local-seo (this skill)
3. Load aeo-geo if AI visibility is in scope
4. Load seo-integrations for technical implementation
5. Load seo-agent-playbook for Helm workflow setup