**Welcome!** This is your complete guide to [Local SEO: Step-by-Step Ranking](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11605436-start-here-the-local-seo-setup-checklist)—a guided article series within the Search Atlas Help Center that walks you through claiming your Google Business Profile, improving local search visibility, and building a strong SEO foundation for your business.

Each article breaks down a key step in the process, guiding you through everything you need to show up and compete in local search results.

**⚠️ Known Issues – Updated May 28, 2026**

A few active bugs affect workflows referenced in this series. Fixes are in progress; this callout will be removed once they ship.

- **Rank Tracker – GBP location search (KE-1249):** When creating a new Rank Tracker project, GBP location search may appear to return no results due to a system error (not a data issue).
- **Local SEO Heatmaps – Add Business (GBP-1261):** Adding a business on the Local SEO Heatmaps page is currently unavailable; both Place ID and GBP import methods return an HTTP 400 error.
- **Classic Report Builder – Local SEO reports (RB-1273, fix queued for deployment):** The Classic Report Builder may hang when loading Local SEO reports — relevant if you're following Step 6 (Monitor Your Local SEO Performance). Workaround: reload the report URL directly instead of navigating to it within the builder. Local SEO labels may also display as generic "Local SEO ##" rather than the actual location names.

If you hit any of these, please [contact Search Atlas support](https://help.searchatlas.com/) for the latest status.

**🧩 Articles in this series**

1. **[Step 1: Set Up the Essentials – Get Your Business on Google](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11608783-step-1-set-up-the-essentials-get-your-business-on-google)**

2. **[Step 2: Keep Your Google Business Profile Active](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11610071-step-2-keep-your-google-business-profile-active)**

3. **[Step 3: Stay Consistent: Weekly Local SEO Tasks](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11610180-step-3-stay-consistent-weekly-local-seo-tasks)**

4. **[Step 4: Optimize Your Website for Local SEO](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11610356-step-4-optimize-your-website-for-local-seo)**

5.[**Step 5: Build Local Authority Over Time**](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11610519-step-5-build-local-authority-over-time)

6. **[Step 6: Monitor Your Local SEO Performance](https://step%206)**

**7. [Step 7: Boost Your Local Rankings with Strategic Actions](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11612275-step-7-boost-your-local-rankings-with-strategic-actions)**

You can follow each step in order—or jump directly to the topic that fits your current needs.

**🔜 Ready?** **[Start with Step 1: Set Up the Essentials →](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11608783-step-1-set-up-the-essentials-claim-and-configure-your-google-business-profile)**

**⚠️ Having issues with your listing?**

If your Google Business Profile has been suspended or disappeared from Maps,

**[follow our guide to recover a suspended Google Business Profile →](https://help.searchatlas.com/en/articles/11612888-recover-a-suspended-google-business-profile)**

**📚 Useful Official Resources (Applies to All Steps)**

- **[Google Business Profile Help – Google Support](https://support.google.com/business/#topic=4596754)**  
  Official support hub for setting up, verifying, and managing your Business Profile on Google.
- **[Guidelines for representing your business on Google – Google Support](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177)**  
  Official policies on how to list your business correctly—critical for staying compliant and avoiding penalties or removals.