The one-time local foundation, in the order that matters. Most items are free; the whole list is an honest weekend plus a few waiting periods.

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Google Business Profile

Profile claimed and verified under a business-owned Google accountThe single hardest asset to recover if an ex-employee or agency holds it.
Primary category is the most specific true option; secondaries addedThe highest-impact field on the profile.
Business name is your real name — no stuffed keywordsPolicy violation competitors successfully report.
Every service listed individually with a description
Address shown (storefront) or hidden with an honest service area (SAB)
Hours correct, holiday hours set in advanceWrong hours are the fastest local trust-killer.
10+ real photos (jobs, team, premises) and a plan for monthly additions
The five questions every caller asks are answered in your profile description, services, and site FAQGoogle retired public Q&A (2025); its AI answers ("Ask Maps") now synthesize from those sources — they can only say what your content says.

Reviews

One-tap review link generated and saved where asks happen (phone, invoice template)
The ask built into job completion — same message, every customer, nothing offeredCount is an asking metric; gating and incentives are the two lines you never cross.
Every existing review has a response — including the bad ones, professionally

Canonical NAP written down — THE name, address format, and phone used everywhere
Big four claimed and matching: Google, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp
Searched your own name + phone; contradictory old listings corrected
NAP in the site footer exactly matching the profile; LocalBusiness schema added
One real page per core service; city pages only where you can say something specific
Search Console verified and sitemap submitted

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