Local SEO Questionnaire — 60 Questions to Ask a Local Business Before Starting Google Business Profile Work

Quick answer: A local SEO questionnaire collects everything needed to plan Google Business Profile and local search work: exact business name and registrations, locations and hours, services and prices, ideal customers, competitors, current Google profile access, review history, website and domain ownership, directory listings, brand assets, goals and how results will be measured. Use the 60 questions below as a Google Form or printed sheet before your first strategy call.

Whether you're an agency onboarding a client or an owner preparing to hire help, answering these questions upfront saves weeks of back-and-forth and prevents common mistakes like keyword-stuffed names or wrong categories.

How to use this questionnaire

• Agencies: send as a Google Form before the kickoff call; review answers with the client.
• Owners: fill it in yourself — it doubles as a self-audit and makes agency quotes comparable (choosing an agency).
• Keep answers in a shared document and update yearly.

Section 1: Business basics

1. Exact business name as on signboard and registrations?
2. Legal entity name (if different)?
3. Year founded at this location?
4. Owner/founder names and roles?
5. Registrations: GSTIN, Udyam, Shop Act, FSSAI, licences?
6. Main business category in your own words?
7. What do customers usually call your business when recommending it?
8. One sentence on what makes you different?

Section 2: Locations and hours

9. Full address with landmark and PIN code?
10. Do customers visit your premises, or do you visit them, or both?
11. Areas or localities you actually serve?
12. Number of branches (and addresses)?
13. Regular hours for each day, including breaks and weekly off?
14. Special hours for festivals or seasons?
15. Parking and accessibility details?

Section 3: Services, products and pricing

16. Top 10 services/products by revenue?
17. Starting prices or ranges for each?
18. Services you want more of (most profitable)?
19. Services you don't want to promote?
20. Seasonal services or peaks?
21. Brands you sell or service (and whether you're authorised)?

Section 4: Customers

22. Who are your ideal customers (age, area, profession)?
23. How do most new customers find you today?
24. What questions do customers ask most often?
25. Languages customers speak?
26. Average bill size and repeat-visit frequency?

Section 5: Competitors

27. Top 3–5 competitors customers compare you with?
28. Which competitor appears above you on Google most often?
29. What do they do better? Worse?

Section 6: Google Business Profile

30. Is there a profile? Link?
31. Which Google account is the primary owner?
32. Who else has access (staff, agencies)?
33. Is it verified? Any past suspensions?
34. Any duplicate or old listings you know of?
35. Current primary and secondary categories?
36. Phone number on the profile — answered by whom?

Section 7: Reviews and reputation

37. Current rating and review count?
38. How do you ask for reviews now?
39. Who replies to reviews?
40. Recurring complaints in reviews?
41. Reviews on other platforms (Justdial, Zomato, Practo)?

Section 8: Website and digital assets

42. Website URL? Who owns the domain and hosting?
43. Website platform (WordPress, builder, custom)?
44. Access to Google Analytics and Search Console?
45. Social media accounts and who manages them?
46. WhatsApp Business in use? Catalogue?

Section 9: Citations and listings

47. Directories you're listed on (Justdial, IndiaMART, Sulekha, Mappls)?
48. Any old phone numbers or addresses still online?
49. Associations or memberships?

Section 10: Brand assets

50. Logo files (high resolution)?
51. Brand colours and fonts?
52. Real photos available (shopfront, interior, team, products)?
53. Can we visit for a photo session?

Section 11: Goals and reporting

54. Main goal for the next 6 months (calls, walk-ins, bookings, a specific service)?
55. How many new customers per month would make this worthwhile?
56. Budget for marketing per month (marketing budget)?
57. Who approves posts, replies and changes?
58. Preferred reporting frequency and format (local SEO KPIs)?
59. Any planned changes (move, rebrand, new branch)?
60. Anything you never want said or shown publicly?

After the questionnaire

1. Run an audit (local SEO audit).
2. Check rankings from customer locations (ranking check).
3. Fix access: client as primary owner, agency as manager.
4. Agree a 90-day plan and onboarding steps (agency onboarding checklist).

Red flags in answers

• Agency or ex-employee is primary owner → fix immediately (lost access).
• Name on Google differs from signboard → correct (name rules).
• Virtual office address → check eligibility (co-working rules).
• Past "review packages" → stop and clean up (review policy).

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this questionnaire for clients?

Yes — copy it into your own form or document.

How long does it take to fill?

About 30–45 minutes for a single-location business.

Should owners fill it themselves?

Yes, ideally with the person who handles customers daily.

Is this enough for an audit?

It's the input; the audit checks the actual profile, website and listings.

Does Chamko need this information?

Chamko collects the essentials during onboarding and syncs details from your Google profile automatically.