How to Run a Complete Local SEO Audit with Claude (All 8 Dimensions)

A new agency client needs a complete baseline local SEO audit before starting a campaign. The agency wants to cover every dimension — GBP, citations, reviews, competitive position, on-page SEO, and AI visibility — in one session.

What a Full Audit Covers

A comprehensive local SEO audit examines 8 dimensions:

  1. GBP Profile: Completeness, accuracy, optimization
  2. Citations: NAP consistency across directories
  3. Reviews: Count, rating, sentiment, response rate
  4. On-Page Local SEO: Website local optimization signals
  5. Competitive Position: Gap analysis vs. local pack competitors
  6. Rankings: Current map pack and organic positions
  7. AI Visibility: Presence in ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews
  8. Link Authority: Local backlink profile strength

Each dimension contributes to local search visibility. Gaps in any dimension can hold back overall performance.

The Master Audit Prompt

"Run a complete local SEO audit for [Business Name] at [Address].
Primary target keywords: [keywords] in [city].
Cover all dimensions: GBP profile, citations, reviews,
on-page local SEO, competitive position, and AI visibility.
Prioritize recommendations and flag quick wins."

What Claude Pulls and Analyzes

The local-seo-audit skill combined with localseodata-tool orchestrates multiple endpoints:

  • local_audit: Overall health scoring
  • business_profile: GBP detail analysis
  • profile_health: Completeness assessment
  • citation_audit: NAP consistency
  • local_pack: Current ranking position
  • competitor_gap: Signal comparison
  • review_velocity: Review metrics and trends
  • ai_visibility: AI platform presence

Claude synthesizes all of this into a unified audit report.

Reading the Dimension Scores

COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL SEO AUDIT
[Business Name] | [Date]

OVERALL SCORE: 61/100

DIMENSION SCORES

GBP Profile: 64/100 ⚠️
  Completeness: 71%
  Categories: 2 (competitors average 6)
  Photos: 14 (competitors average 38)
  Attributes: 8 of 22 relevant attributes checked

Citations: 58/100 ⚠️
  Consistent: 24 directories
  Inconsistent: 8 directories (old phone on 5, wrong address on 3)
  Missing: 12 major directories

Reviews: 72/100 ✓
  Count: 89 reviews (competitor average: 142)
  Rating: 4.6 (below 4.7 threshold)
  Response rate: 34% (competitor average: 87%)
  Sentiment: Positive overall, 3 unresolved complaints

On-Page Local SEO: 45/100 ✗
  Location pages: None
  Schema: Missing LocalBusiness
  NAP on site: Inconsistent (footer shows old phone)
  Local content: Minimal

Competitive Position: 55/100 ⚠️
  Current map pack position: 5.2 average
  Top competitor: 4 positions ahead
  Key gaps: Reviews (-53), photos (-24), categories (-4)

AI Visibility: 31/100 ✗
  ChatGPT: Not appearing in test queries
  Perplexity: Not appearing
  AI Overview: Appearing in 1 of 5 test queries
  Issue: Bing Places unclaimed, thin web presence

Quick Wins vs. Strategic Priorities

The audit distinguishes between quick wins (fix this week) and strategic priorities (long-term focus):

QUICK WINS (implement this week)

1. Add 6 missing secondary GBP categories
   Time: 15 minutes | Impact: HIGH
   Missing: [Category 1], [Category 2], [Category 3]...

2. Add "Emergency service" and "Licensed" attributes
   Time: 5 minutes | Impact: HIGH
   Direct match for voice and intent queries

3. Correct old address on Yelp and Bing Places
   Time: 30 minutes | Impact: HIGH
   Affects citation consistency + ChatGPT visibility

4. Respond to 28 unanswered reviews
   Time: 2 hours | Impact: HIGH
   Response rate from 34% to 100%

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES (ongoing focus)

1. Review generation campaign
   Gap: 53 reviews behind average competitor
   Timeline: 3-6 months to close gap
   Target: 10+ reviews per month

2. Citation building
   Gap: Missing from 12 major directories
   Timeline: 1 month for submission, 2-3 months for indexing

3. Local link building
   Gap: DR 22 vs. competitor average 34
   Timeline: 6-12 months for meaningful improvement

4. Location page creation
   Gap: No dedicated location pages
   Timeline: Create within 30 days

Turning the Audit Into an Action Plan

30-DAY ACTION PLAN

WEEK 1: Quick Wins
□ Day 1: Add GBP categories and attributes (30 min)
□ Day 1: Fix NAP on website footer (15 min)
□ Day 2: Respond to all unanswered reviews (2 hours)
□ Day 3: Submit Yelp and Bing corrections (30 min)
□ Day 4: Claim Bing Places (30 min)

WEEK 2: Foundation
□ Add LocalBusiness schema to website
□ Submit to 5 missing tier-1 directories
□ Upload 15 new GBP photos

WEEK 3: Content
□ Create primary location page
□ Optimize homepage for local keywords
□ Add FAQ section with local content

WEEK 4: Systems
□ Set up review generation workflow
□ Create monthly reporting baseline
□ Identify first 5 local link opportunities

Delivering the Audit to a Client

For client delivery, the format matters:

"Format this audit for client delivery:
- Executive summary (2 paragraphs, business language)
- Visual score cards by dimension
- Prioritized action list with time estimates
- Next steps recommendation"

Executive summary example:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

[Business Name] has a solid foundation for local SEO but significant
opportunities for improvement. Currently ranking positions 5-6 in the
map pack for primary keywords, the path to top 3 is clear: close the
review gap, fix citation inconsistencies, and complete GBP optimization.

The audit identified 4 quick wins that can be implemented this week
with immediate impact, plus 4 strategic priorities for the first quarter.
With systematic execution, reaching the top 3 within 90 days is achievable
given the current competitive landscape.

Audit Frequency

New client: Full audit before starting work Ongoing clients: Quarterly full audit, monthly spot-checks After major changes: Re-audit affected dimensions

Monthly spot-check prompt:

"Run a quick local SEO health check for [Client Name].
Compare current state to baseline audit from [date].
Flag anything that's changed significantly."

The Complete Audit Workflow

  1. Gather client information (name, address, keywords, competitors)
  2. Run comprehensive audit prompt
  3. Review dimension scores
  4. Identify quick wins and priorities
  5. Create action plan with timeline
  6. Format for client delivery
  7. Present findings and get approval
  8. Execute action plan
  9. Re-audit to measure progress

A comprehensive audit that would take a full day manually takes 30 minutes with LocalSEOSkills. The output is more thorough and more consistent than manual auditing.