Most local businesses aren't losing customers because their marketing is bad — they're losing them to a dozen small, boring gaps nobody ever sat down and checked. This is that checklist. It's the exact list we run through with every new client before touching a single ad or piece of content, because none of the rest matters if the basics underneath it are broken.

Free to use, share, or print. If you get through this and everything's already checked off, you're in better shape than most local businesses we see.

Google Business Profile

  • Claim and verify your listing — an unclaimed profile means you can't fix wrong hours, respond to reviews, or add photos.
  • Business name matches your real signage exactly — no keyword-stuffed names like "Sharma Electricians — Best AC Repair Delhi."
  • Correct category selected — the single biggest lever for showing up in the right local searches.
  • All service areas listed — every city/area you'd actually take a client in.
  • At least 5 real photos — your actual space, product, or team, not stock images.
  • Hours are accurate — including holidays. Wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a first-time customer's trust.

Website basics

  • Loads in under 3 seconds on mobile — most local searches happen on a phone, and slow sites lose visitors before they see anything.
  • Phone number and city are visible without scrolling — someone deciding whether to call shouldn't have to hunt for it.
  • Works properly on a phone screen — test it yourself on your own phone, not just a laptop.
  • Has an actual way to contact you — a form, a click-to-call number, or both, not just a static email address buried in text.
  • HTTPS (the padlock) is active — browsers now flag non-secure sites, which quietly kills trust before a visitor reads a word.

Local SEO

  • Business name, address, and phone (NAP) match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, and every directory listing — inconsistency confuses search engines and slows down your visibility.
  • Page titles mention your service and city — "Plumber in Noida," not just "Home."
  • Listed on at least 2-3 relevant directories — JustDial, Sulekha, IndiaMART, or industry-specific ones.
  • At least one other real website links to yours — a partner, a supplier, a local news mention, a directory — search engines treat this as a trust signal.

Social media

  • Same profile photo, name, and bio wording across every platform you're active on.
  • Posted at least once in the last two weeks — an inactive-looking profile reads as an inactive business, even if you're busy.
  • Bio links to your actual website or contact page — not left blank or pointing to nothing.
  • Real photos of your work, not just quote graphics — evidence beats stock templates every time.

Reviews & trust

  • At least 10 Google reviews — the point where most people start actually trusting a rating.
  • You've responded to your most recent reviews — good and bad. An unanswered bad review sits there forever; a thoughtful response often earns more trust than the review itself lost.
  • No obviously fake or bulk-added reviews — Google can penalize this, and customers can usually tell anyway.

Tracking

  • Google Analytics (or similar) installed on your website — you can't improve what you can't see.
  • You know your cost per lead if you're running any paid ads — reach and likes don't pay rent, leads do.
  • Someone actually checks these numbers monthly — a tracking tool nobody looks at is the same as not having one.