Local SEO Checklist for a B2B SaaS Business in Austin, United States

Tony Yan

·September 27, 2025

·8 min read

Use this practical, compliance-safe checklist to establish and grow local visibility for a B2B SaaS headquartered in Austin. It’s organized into one-time foundations, iterative optimizations, and ongoing operations—so your team can run it quarterly without guesswork.

How to use this checklist

Who it’s for: B2B SaaS teams with an Austin HQ or staffed office serving clients locally and nationally.
What it solves: Consistent NAP data, compliant Google Business Profile (GBP) setup, credible local citations, and a review program that strengthens trust without violating rules.
How to run it: Complete the Foundation once, then run Optimization items monthly and the Ongoing section each quarter.

1) Foundation setup (do these first)

Confirm your NAP is consistent everywhere (Mandatory)
- Action: Standardize your legal name, address (with suite), and phone across your website, GBP, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, and core directories.
- Why it matters: Inconsistent listings weaken trust and rankings. Follow Google’s address formatting guidance in the Help Center, referenced by the 2025 version of Manage your business address (Google Help).
- Done when: Name, full street address, suite, city, state, ZIP, and phone match exactly across all major profiles.
Claim and verify your Google Business Profile (Mandatory)
- Action: Claim the Austin HQ listing and verify. Choose a primary category like “Software company,” add accurate service areas if you don’t serve customers at the office, and hide the address if you’re a service-area business.
- Why it matters: Google’s policies govern eligibility, representation, and reviews. See the All Business Profile policies & guidelines (Google, 2025).
- Done when: Ownership is verified, categories set, address/service-area configured, and core details (hours, phone, website) complete.
Register in Apple Business Connect (Mandatory)
- Action: Create or claim your Austin HQ location in Apple Maps via Apple Business Connect; set categories and an Action link such as “Book a demo.”
- Why it matters: iOS users rely on Apple Maps. Follow Register your company or organization (Apple Business Connect) and About Actions (Apple).
- Done when: Location is verified, categories set, images uploaded, and the demo/website Action link works.
Set up Bing Places and align with GBP (Recommended)
- Action: Create or claim your Bing Places listing and, if available, use the in-product “Import from Google Business Profile” feature, then confirm categories, photos, and hours.
- Why it matters: Visibility on Bing and Microsoft ecosystems complements Google. Microsoft’s public documentation changes over time; align data with GBP and maintain periodic checks (see Microsoft Learn context under Bing Maps APIs).
- Done when: Listing is live, verified, and mirrors your GBP essentials.
Build the Austin HQ page on your site (Mandatory)
- Action: Publish a location page with consistent NAP, an embedded map pin, local partnerships/events, and clear CTAs (Book a demo, Contact sales). Add a short FAQ reflecting GBP Q&A.
- Why it matters: Reinforces local relevance and offers conversion paths. Include structured data per Google Search guidance.
- Done when: Page is live, indexed, and includes NAP, map, local content, and conversion elements.
Add structured data (Mandatory)
- Action: Implement Organization schema sitewide and LocalBusiness schema on the Austin HQ page only if the office is staffed and accepts appointments. Validate with Rich Results Test.
- Why it matters: Structured data helps search engines understand your business. See Local Business structured data (Google Search Central).
- Done when: JSON-LD validates without errors, including PostalAddress and optional geo coordinates.
Submit core citations and data aggregators (Mandatory)
- Action: Ensure listings on GBP, Apple, Bing, Yelp, LinkedIn Company Page, BBB Central Texas, and key Austin directories. Distribute core data through U.S. aggregators (Data Axle, Neustar Localeze, Foursquare).
- Why it matters: Aggregators help your NAP propagate across the ecosystem. See BrightLocal guide on data aggregators.
- Done when: Profiles are live and NAP matches; aggregators submissions are confirmed.
Join Austin-authoritative directories (Recommended)
- Action: Create/claim profiles in credible local directories like the Austin Chamber members directory or Built In Austin companies; link back to your HQ page.
- Why it matters: Local authority and referral traffic from Austin’s tech ecosystem.
- Done when: Profiles are complete with logo, description, NAP, and website link.

2) Optimize GBP and local listings (iterate monthly)

Choose precise categories and add a keyword-clear description (Mandatory)
- Action: Set “Software company” as primary if accurate; add secondary categories only if they truly represent services. Write a concise description with differentiators and Austin context.
- Why it matters: Categories strongly influence relevance and discovery; description clarifies positioning.
- Done when: Categories reflect real operations and the description is customer-friendly and policy-safe.
Add Products and Services with clean naming (Mandatory)

Action: In GBP, add Products (e.g., “Marketing Automation Platform”) and Services (e.g., “Implementation support”) with short descriptions and optional pricing.
Why it matters: Structured offerings improve discovery. See Add products & services (Google Help, 2025).
Done when: Each core product/service is present, consistent with your site, and kept current.

Upload real photos and short videos (Mandatory)

Action: Add office/team photos and brief UI/product clips; avoid stock. Refresh quarterly.
Why it matters: Media increases trust and engagement. Refer to Google’s Add photos & videos guidance for quality tips.
Done when: You have a minimum set (logo, cover, interior/exterior, team, product UI) and quarterly updates scheduled.

Post updates or events routinely (Recommended)

Action: Publish GBP Posts for product updates, Austin events (e.g., Tech Week), or partnerships.
Why it matters: Posts keep the profile fresh and communicate timely value. See Create posts (Google Help).
Done when: A monthly posts cadence exists with owner assigned.

Enable messaging and add an appointment/demo link (Recommended)

Action: Turn on messaging if your team can respond quickly; add a “Book a demo” link.
Why it matters: Reduces friction for prospects. See Messaging (Google Help) and Add a booking link.
Done when: Response SLAs are defined and links function with tracking.

Seed and manage GBP Q&A (Recommended)

Action: Post common prospect questions (pricing tiers, security, integrations) and answer with clarity; mirror answers on your site FAQ.
Why it matters: Q&A educates and reduces friction. See Q&A management (Google Help).
Done when: Top 5–10 FAQs are present and monitored weekly.

Add UTM tracking to GBP links (Mandatory)

Action: Append UTMs to your GBP website and appointment URLs to measure traffic and conversions in GA4.
Why it matters: Separates GBP traffic from other sources. Follow BrightLocal’s GBP UTM tracking guide.

Example:

https://www.yourdomain.com/?utm_source=google-my-business&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=austin_hq

Done when: GA4 shows distinct source/medium for GBP and you review performance monthly.

3) Build a compliant reviews program (ongoing)

Document your reviews policy and training (Mandatory)

Action: Create a written policy for soliciting and responding to reviews. Train CSMs/AMs to request reviews ethically at renewal, successful onboarding, or post-implementation milestones.
Why it matters: Compliance protects your brand and ensures trust. Google prohibits fake or conflict-of-interest reviews per the Business Profile policies hub (Google, 2025), and the FTC’s 2024 rule bans deceptive testimonials—see the FTC final rule press release (Aug 2024).
Done when: Policy is published internally, and staff are trained with templates.

Request Google reviews without incentives or gating (Mandatory)

Action: Email recent promoters with a direct link to your GBP reviews page. Never offer rewards, and don’t pre-screen to filter out neutral/negative feedback.
Why it matters: Incentives and gating risk violations and penalties. Reference the FTC 2024 rule above; adhere to Google’s policies.
Done when: A monthly outreach process exists and is logged.

Expand to B2B SaaS platforms (Recommended)

Action: Encourage customers to review you on G2 and Capterra; if incentives are considered, ensure neutrality and platform compliance (disclosure where required).
Why it matters: Prospects often check SaaS-specific review sites. See G2’s review validity guidelines and Capterra’s review verification.
Done when: Profiles are current, and reviews accrue steadily from verified customers.

Create a response playbook and escalation path (Mandatory)

Action: Define response templates for positive, neutral, and negative reviews; set SLAs; escalate legal/privacy concerns to compliance.
Why it matters: Timely, professional responses signal reliability and improve perception.
Done when: Playbook is documented, owners assigned, and responses tracked.

Monitor and report review health monthly (Recommended)

Action: Track volume, average rating, response time, and themes; feed insights into product and CX.
Why it matters: Continuous improvement and early detection of issues.
Done when: A monthly dashboard is reviewed by marketing and CX.

4) Build Austin-local content and links (quarterly)

Publish Austin-relevant content on the HQ page (Recommended)

Action: Add sections on local partnerships (Austin Technology Council), community involvement, and upcoming events (e.g., Austin Tech Week).
Why it matters: Demonstrates local presence and authority to both users and search engines.
Done when: Content is current and linked to credible local organizations.

Earn local backlinks from credible organizations (Recommended)

Action: Join programs that list members/partners and provide profiles with links (Austin Chamber, ATC, Built In Austin). Request inclusion of your HQ page.
Why it matters: High-quality local links support rankings and referral traffic.
Done when: You’ve secured at least 3–5 Austin-authoritative links.

Sponsor or speak at Austin events (Recommended)

Action: Engage with Capital Factory, university programs, or local meetups; ensure event listings mention and link to your site.
Why it matters: Real-world presence builds brand credibility and local signals.
Done when: You maintain a quarterly calendar of Austin activities with backlinks secured.

5) Measurement, maintenance, and security (quarterly)

Audit listings for NAP accuracy and duplicates (Mandatory)

Action: Review GBP, Apple, Bing, Yelp, BBB, and directories for NAP consistency; find and fix duplicates.
Why it matters: Data drift is common; duplicates can cause confusion and ranking issues.
Done when: All discrepancies are corrected and duplicates suppressed/merged.

Review GBP Insights and GA4 performance (Recommended)

Action: Compare GBP metrics (views, actions) with GA4 traffic and conversions from UTM-tagged links. Expect differences; look for trends.
Why it matters: Guides prioritization of content, media, and posts.
Done when: Quarterly findings inform next month’s actions.

Refresh GBP media and posts (Recommended)

Action: Update photos/videos; publish a post highlighting Austin activities or product updates.
Why it matters: Freshness and authenticity encourage engagement.
Done when: Latest quarter’s media and post are live.

Validate structured data after site changes (Mandatory)

Action: Re-run validation if you update the HQ page or site template; check Organization and any LocalBusiness markup.
Why it matters: Prevents broken rich result eligibility; refer back to Local Business structured data (Google Search Central).
Done when: Validation passes and required properties remain intact.

Confirm primary ownership and admin controls (Mandatory)

Action: Keep company-controlled email as the primary owner for GBP/Apple/Bing; review admin roster; remove ex-employees.
Why it matters: Protects access and prevents listing hijacks.
Done when: Admin lists are current and 2FA is enabled where available.

Quick compliance reminders

Don’t list unstaffed or virtual offices as physical locations; for service-area operations, hide the address and set service areas per Google policy. See the Business Profile policies hub (Google, 2025).
Don’t incentivize or gate Google reviews; align with Google policy and the 2024 FTC rule on deceptive reviews noted above.
Keep categories and services true to what you offer; misrepresentation can lead to enforcement.

Optional advanced: schema and UTM fine-tuning

Add sameAs to Organization schema (LinkedIn, GitHub, Crunchbase) and geo coordinates to LocalBusiness where appropriate.
Track appointment/demo links separately using utm_content=gbp-appointment.
Monitor Search documentation updates for schema changes via Google Search documentation updates.

Runbook cadence

Monthly: GBP posts, photo refresh as needed, review outreach and responses, check Q&A.
Quarterly: Full listings audit, structured data validation, Austin content updates, admin roster review, local link-building actions.
Annually: Reconfirm categories, services/products, and data aggregator status; review compliance policy with legal.

By following this checklist, your B2B SaaS brand will establish credible local signals in Austin, earn trustworthy reviews, and maintain compliant, measurable visibility across Google, Apple, and Bing.