By the Vibe22 team · 45 items across 5 sections · 15 min read · Updated September 10, 2026

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Foundation (7 items)

These have to be right before anything else matters. If you skip these, GBP optimization and content work get half the lift.

HTTPS / SSL on every page15 min (most hosts)
Mixed-content pages get penalized. Force https:// site-wide.
Site loads in under 2.5s on mobile (LCP)1–4 hrs
Google Core Web Vitals threshold. Run PageSpeed Insights with the mobile profile.
Mobile responsive — no horizontal scroll30 min audit
Test every page on a 375px viewport.
Google Search Console verified20 min
Add the property, submit your sitemap, watch coverage report weekly.
Google Analytics 4 installed + key events configured45 min
Phone clicks, form submits, email clicks marked as conversions.
XML sitemap submitted to GSC15 min
Auto-generate via Next.js or your CMS. Re-submit when you add pages.
robots.txt allows AI crawlers (GPTBot, Google-Extended, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot)5 min
No Disallow rules for these. They're how you get cited in AI Overviews.

Google Business Profile (10 items)

GBP is 80% of local SEO impact for service businesses. Most owners spend 10 minutes on it once and never return. These 10 items are the gap.

Primary category matches your highest-value service5 min
Not "general contractor" if you primarily do roofing. Specific > generic.
3–5 secondary categories listed10 min
Each captures a different long-tail search. GBP allows up to 9.
750-char GBP description with city + primary service20 min
Front-load the keyword. Use natural language — not keyword stuffing.
Service list with 100+ char description per service60 min
Each service is its own ranking opportunity. Write a paragraph for each.
20+ photos: storefront, team, work, equipment, before/after30 min if you have photos
Geotag photos with EXIF data when shot on-site.
Logo + cover photo set, both at recommended dimensions20 min
Logo: 250×250px. Cover: 1024×576px. Don't stretch a low-res file.
Hours match your real availability — including holidays5 min/holiday
Update for Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. Mismatch = trust signal lost.
1+ GBP post per week (offers, news, events)15 min/week
Post freshness is a ranking signal. 100-word posts with a photo work best.
8–10 owner-seeded Q&As covering common pre-purchase questions45 min
Pricing range, service areas, certifications, warranty.
Owner response on every review (good and bad)5 min/review
Even a one-line "thanks Mike!" counts. Negative reviews need professional, brief replies.

Every page needs these. Most websites get half right and call it done. The other half is what separates page 1 from page 2.

Unique title tag per page, 50–60 chars30 min for a small site
Format: [Service] [City] | [Brand]. Example: "Water Damage Restoration Mississauga | Acme Restoration"
Meta description per page, 140–160 chars30 min
Pitch the click. Include the city + service + a differentiator (24/7, certified, etc.)
Single H1 per page matching the user's search intent15 min
Not your brand name. The user's search.
H2/H3 hierarchy that mirrors your content outline15 min
Don't skip levels. Don't use H4+ unless deeply nested.
Internal links — every page links to 3–5 related pages45 min
Pillar page + supporting articles. PageRank flows through links.
Image alt text on every image (descriptive, not keyword-stuffed)20 min
"Crew installing furnace in Markham basement" — not "best HVAC Markham."
Canonical tag on every page10 min if your CMS does it
Prevents duplicate-content issues. Self-referencing on most pages.
No broken internal links (run Screaming Frog or use Ahrefs free)30 min
404s waste crawl budget and frustrate users.
Click-to-call phone number above the fold on mobile10 min
<a href="tel:..."> wrapping the visible number.
Service-area cities mentioned naturally in body content20 min/page
Don't list 30 cities at the bottom — that's 2010 SEO. Mention 3–5 cities organically per page.

AI Overviews and rich results pull from schema first. Most local sites have zero schema beyond the default theme markup.

LocalBusiness or specific subtype schema30 min
Use the most specific subtype available — Plumber, Restaurant, MedicalClinic, etc.
Organization schema with logo + sameAs links15 min
sameAs links your social profiles + GBP — establishes brand identity.
Service schema for each service line45 min
Each service is a separate entity. Helps Google understand your offerings.
FAQPage schema on a top-converting page60 min
Earns rich-result snippets AND is the highest AI-citation trigger.
Breadcrumb schema across all pages20 min
Shows breadcrumbs in SERPs, improves CTR.
Review/AggregateRating schema (if you have ≥10 reviews)15 min
Stars in SERPs lift CTR 15–35%.
/llms.txt published at site root30 min
Emerging standard for AI crawlers. Tell them what to index and cite.
Validate all schema with Google Rich Results Test + Schema.org validator15 min
Bad schema is worse than no schema.

These compound monthly. Don't expect overnight results — but if you do these for 6 months you'll be the dominant local result.

Service × city combination pages (one per high-value combo)4–8 hrs/page
5 services × 8 cities = 40 pages. Each unique, each 800+ words.
Author bylines + Person schema on long-form content15 min/page
E-E-A-T signal AI engines look for. Adds 12+ AI citation points.
About page with founder story, certifications, team2 hrs
Trust signal. Most service businesses skip this. Don't.
Contact page with full NAP + service area map45 min
Embedded Google Map. Form. Phone. Email.
Blog with 1+ post per month — solving real customer problems4 hrs/post
Not generic "5 Tips for X" filler. Real problems your customers face.
Update existing content twice a year (datePublished + dateModified)30 min/page
Recency signal for both Google and AI engines.
Local citation consistency (NAP matches across 30+ directories)4 hrs initial, 30 min/quarter
Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, Foursquare, industry directories. Use BrightLocal or Whitespark to scan.
Backlinks from 5+ local sources (chamber, partners, sponsorships)Ongoing
Local relevance > domain authority for local SEO.
Customer testimonials + case studies on dedicated pages1 hr/case study
With photos, names, and real metrics. Generic stars-only widgets don't cut it.
Video on at least one key service page2 hrs total
Even 30 seconds. Google rewards page-time, and video makes pages stickier.

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Don't want to do all 45?

Most clients see meaningful ranking lift in 4–8 weeks just from the first 12. The remaining 33 are nice-to-have once the basics are clean.