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2.2 Recommendation List
After the joint audit, I put together a clear recommendation list.
This is not a generic template or a long menu of every possible SEO tactic. It is a prioritized roadmap based on what we actually found during the audit and what matters most to the business. The goal is clarity: the owner should finish this step knowing exactly what needs to be done, why it matters, and in what order.
How the Recommendations Are Built
The list is shaped by two things at the same time:
The technical and visibility findings from the audit
What I learned about the business itself — how it operates, who it serves, and what the owner actually wants
Because the owner is the expert in their craft, the recommendations are designed to support that reality rather than pull them away from it. The work should reduce friction and bring in better visibility, not create a second full-time job.
What Almost Always Comes First
In the majority of cases, the website is the first priority.
A weak or poorly structured website limits everything else. Even a well-optimized Google Business Profile performs better when it is supported by a clear, properly built site. The homepage in particular is treated as the foundation — it needs to communicate what the business does, include consistent business information, use strong calls to action, and send clean signals to Google.
From there the recommendations usually expand outward:
Full site structure with real depth (About, Contact, service or product pages)
Technical foundations (schema, titles, indexation, tracking)
Google Business Profile alignment and cleanup
Citation and NAP consistency work
Review systems
Ongoing monitoring and content support
The exact order and emphasis shift based on what the audit revealed. Some businesses need heavy website work. Others already have a decent site and need more attention on the Google Business Profile, reviews, or consistency across the web.
Setting Expectations Early
One of the most important parts of this step is being direct about what the business owner will need to provide over time.
A complete local system does not stay strong on autopilot. It needs occasional real input — photos, updates, basic information about completed work, and feedback. I handle the strategy, technical work, monitoring, and implementation. The owner’s role is to stay connected to the actual business so the online presence remains accurate and useful.
I explain this clearly at the recommendation stage, so there are no surprises later.
What the Recommendation List Looks Like
The list is practical and prioritized. It typically includes:
What needs to be fixed or built first
Why that item matters based on the audit
What the expected impact is
What I will handle versus what I will need from the owner
It is written in plain language. The point is not to impress with technical terms. The point is to make the path forward obvious.
Why This Step Matters
Without a clear recommendation list, work tends to become reactive. Things get fixed when they break or when someone complains. With a prioritized list, the effort stays focused on the highest-impact items first and builds in a logical sequence.
This step turns the findings from the audit into an actual plan. Everything that follows — the homepage work, the full site build, the Google Business Profile cleanup, the review systems, and the ongoing partnership — is guided by this roadmap.
That is the purpose of the recommendation list.
Next step: → 2.3 Homepage as the Foundation
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