The 12-point online checklist for local businesses

A no-jargon list to score your own online presence in ten minutes. Tick the ones you've got, and you'll see exactly where the customers are leaking out.

You can't fix what you can't see. Most owners feel vaguely that their online presence "could be better" but never pin down what's actually missing. So here's a concrete checklist. Go through it honestly, count your ticks, and the gaps will point straight at where you're losing customers.

The 12 things every local business needs online

• A website that loads in under three seconds on a phone
• Your phone number visible and tappable on every page
• A claimed, fully completed Google Business Profile
• The correct primary category on that profile
• At least 20 reviews, with recent ones from this quarter
• A reply to every review, good and bad
• Real photos of your premises, team and work
• Identical name, address and phone everywhere online
• An obvious way to book or contact you in one tap
• Opening hours that are actually current, including holidays
• A short, plain description of what you do in customer words
• At least one post or update in the last month

How to read your score

Ten or more: you're ahead of most local competitors, keep it consistent. Six to nine: you're visible but leaking trust, fix the missing items first. Five or fewer: customers are almost certainly choosing better-presented rivals, and the fastest wins are the Google profile and reviews.

The shortcut

Each item is small. Together they're a part-time job you don't have time for. We run all twelve for local businesses on one flat monthly price. Want us to score your presence against this list for free and show you the three highest-impact fixes? Grab a free audit.