Audit the six sources AI assistants read for local queries

Why this matters

Audit the GBP, reviews, site pages, listings, posts and NAP data AI reads for local answers.

Before you start

• Google Business Profile manager access
• Access to the website's service and city page templates

How to apply it

1. Audit the Google Business Profile fields named in the post

   Open the profile and check the primary category, hours, photos, description and Q&A. Update missing or outdated fields so each matches the business's current service.

   Check: The Info tab shows a primary category matching the core service, current hours, at least one photo, a description and answers in the Q&A section.

2. Review service and city pages on the website

   Open the site's service pages and city pages. For each service-city combination the business targets, confirm a page exists and names the service and city; make customer reviews visible on those pages.

   Check: A sitemap or site crawl lists one URL per targeted service-city pair that includes both terms in the page copy.

3. Audit third-party listings and mentions

   Search for the business name plus city, and for best [service] in [city]. Check directories, Yelp-type platforms, Reddit threads and local news pages; claim or correct listings that show wrong details.

   Check: Each found listing shows the current business name, address and phone; missing or incorrect listings are noted for correction.

4. Standardize name, address, phone and hours

   Choose one exact format for the business name, address, phone and hours, then apply it to the Google Business Profile, the website's contact or footer area, and the main directory listings.

   Check: The same string appears on the Google Business Profile, the site footer or contact page, and the top three directory listings.

5. Post job photos and updates to the Google Business Profile

   Publish posts and photos of real completed jobs to the profile on a regular schedule.

   Check: The profile's Updates and Photos sections show a post or photo from the current month.

6. Ask customers for specific reviews

   After a job, ask the customer for a Google review and invite them to mention the service performed and the city. Do not script the review; ask for the detail.

   Check: The newest reviews include the service or city term in the reviewer's own words.

7. Check what the assistant reads about the business

   Run a representative long local question in ChatGPT, Gemini or Google AI Mode. Read the answer for the business name, service and city, and note which of the six sources is missing or says something different.

   Check: The answer either names the business with correct service and city details, or the missing or contradictory source is identified for correction.

<goal>
alt heading route measure canonical intent heading anchor cluster breadcrumb template effort redirect image.
</goal>

<context>
measure section sitemap serp link target breadcrumb content image serp heading section schema report.
</context>

<discover_first>
pipeline priority target pipeline redirect content layout anchor priority sitemap signal signal crawler breadcrumb.
</discover_first>

<constraints>
anchor query alt crawler breadcrumb link priority locale schema intent verify markup link heading.
</constraints>

<plan>
priority pipeline query priority snippet audit priority snippet image audit report verify breadcrumb signal.
</plan>

<verify>
anchor crawler canonical sitemap signal locale page heading serp template template effort redirect redirect.
</verify>

<report>
caching intent audit locale layout measure metadata pipeline canonical layout alt sitemap content query.
</report>

Source: @vengeonsp on 2026-10-18 · original post · report an error