How to Choose a Local SEO Agency in 2025

Why this choice matters in 2025

• Local discovery happens across Google, Apple, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and AI answers. You need consistency of entities, data, and proof across platforms.
• The Map Pack can drive a large share of high-intent clicks. If your GBP, local pages, and reviews are weak, ads alone will not save you.
• Google’s updates reward helpful, verifiable local content. Shortcuts like link packs and doorway pages risk long setbacks.

How to vet a local SEO agency

1) Proof and portfolio

Ask for recent wins for a similar business type or region. Good proof includes the baseline, actions taken, time frame, and outcomes.
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What good looks like: “From 42 monthly calls to 118 in 90 days after GBP overhaul, three geo pages, citation cleanup, and a reviews program.”

2) Local capabilities

Look for hands-on strength in these areas:

• Google Business Profile: primary and secondary categories, services or products, posts, Q&A, photos, UTM tagging, call tracking
• Local pages: unique copy for top services and key geographies, internal links, clear CTAs, FAQ blocks, local business schema
• Citations: audit, NAP consistency, duplicate suppression, listing management with QA
• Reviews: request flows, response playbooks, and repurposing reviews on site
• Links and mentions: local partnerships, sponsorships, media, and resources with real audience value

3) Strategy and the first 90 days

You should see a calendar, not a promise.

Weeks 1–2

Access GA4, GSC, GBP. Turn on call tracking. Baseline KPIs. Full audit of GBP, pages, citations, links, and competitors.

Weeks 3–4

GBP overhaul. Reviews engine live. Fix critical technical issues. Publish quick-win content updates.

Weeks 5-8

Build three service pages and three geo pages. Internal linking. Add schema. Clean citations and push to aggregators.

Weeks 9-12

Local PR and partner links. Expand FAQs from real queries. First monthly report with next-quarter roadmap.

5) Team and communication

Know who owns your account, how you’ll communicate each week, and how scope changes are handled.

6) Tech stack and access

You should own the data. Agencies can use their tools, but you get admin access to GA4, GSC, GBP, and any call tracking used.

12 questions to ask on your discovery call

Use these to separate real operators from smoke and mirrors.

• What does our first 90 days look like and who does what by when?
• How do you measure success beyond rankings?
• Who owns the accounts and data if we stop working together?
• Show me two recent local wins similar to my business and market.
• How do you optimize GBP each month?
• What is your local page strategy for services and geographies?
• How do you earn links locally without PBNs or mass guest posts?
• How do you manage citations and duplicates across aggregators?
• What will I see in each monthly report, and what decisions will it inform?
• Who will I meet with each week, and how fast do you respond to issues?
• What tools do you use, and will I have visibility into them?
• What is included versus out of scope, and how are change requests handled?

Red flags that justify a hard pass

• Guaranteed number one rankings or a secret sauce
• Link packages, PBNs, or “authority blasts”
• No admin access to platforms and refusal to share raw data
• Reports that focus on vanity metrics without lead data
• One generic package for all industries and markets
• No plan for reviews or local pages
• Long lock-in contracts with no performance checkpoints

Pricing models explained

You will typically see one or more of these:

• Project: a defined audit or build plan with a fixed price
• Monthly retainer: ongoing optimization, content, links, and reporting
• Hybrid: a build sprint followed by a lighter monthly program

Clarify deliverables, meeting cadence, performance checkpoints, and out-of-scope items before you sign.