Local SEO / Google Business Profile / WordPress SEO Operator for 1 Local Service Business

Overview: We are hiring one reliable freelancer to manage Local SEO, Google Business Profile, light WordPress SEO updates, citations/backlinks, and monthly reporting for one local service business. This is a fixed monthly, ongoing, month-to-month role. The business is a local pet/service-area business. The business name and access details will be provided after hire. Important: This is no longer a broad social media management role. Social media content creation is being handled separately. This role is focused mainly on Local SEO, Google Business Profile, website SEO, citations/backlinks, and reporting. We are not looking for vanity metrics, fake activity, spam SEO, or generic AI content. The goal is simple: improve local visibility, generate more real calls/bookings/leads, keep the Google Business Profile active, keep the website clean and optimized, and make sure all public-facing content looks professional. This job requires strong written English, good judgment, quality control, and reliable communication. If you publish content without proofreading it, use fake AI images/videos, outsource work to other people, miss scheduled calls without notice, or rely on generic automated posts, this is not the right job for you. We need someone who can think like a local business owner, not just complete a checklist. Monthly Scope: 1. Google Business Profile Management Manage and optimize the Google Business Profile for one local service business. Responsibilities include: - Regular GBP posts focused on services, service areas, seasonal needs, customer questions, trust-building, and real business activity - GBP service optimization with accurate service descriptions - GBP photo updates when real photos are available - GBP Q&A support when appropriate - Review generation strategy - Review response suggestions/guidance when needed - Ongoing GBP optimization based on performance and local search opportunity - Monitoring GBP calls, website clicks, direction requests, and visibility GBP content must be accurate, professional, and written in clean English. 2. Local SEO & Website SEO Provide ongoing Local SEO and light WordPress SEO support. Responsibilities include: - On-page SEO updates as needed - WordPress SEO edits as needed - Title tags and meta descriptions - Headings and page structure improvements - Internal linking improvements - Service page recommendations and edits - Location/service-area page recommendations and edits - Basic schema recommendations or implementation when appropriate - Local keyword targeting - Competitor review - FAQ/content recommendations for local search and AI search visibility - Conversion-focused recommendations such as clearer calls to action, trust signals, and click-to-call improvements Do not make major website, hosting, DNS, plugin, redirect, form, analytics, tracking, or theme changes without written approval first. 3. Citation & Backlink Support Support local SEO authority with quality citations and relevant local/niche backlinks. Responsibilities include: - Local citation building - Niche-relevant citation building - Citation cleanup or updates when needed - A small number of relevant local/niche backlinks where possible - Proof links for citations and backlinks completed - No bulk spam links - No fake directories - No low-quality link schemes Quality matters more than quantity. 4. Social Media Boundary Social media content creation is being handled separately. This role may include light coordination with social media, such as: - Recommending service topics that could also be used for social content - Repurposing approved GBP topics into simple post ideas - Coordinating SEO/GBP priorities with the person handling social media - Providing captions for GBP posts when needed This role does NOT require full social media strategy, video creation, graphic design, daily engagement, or full social media account management unless separately agreed. No fake AI-generated business photos. No fake AI-generated employees. No fake AI-generated customers. No fake AI-generated pets. No fake AI-generated facilities. No fake AI-generated jobsite photos. No fake AI-generated commercials/videos unless specifically approved first. AI tools may be used for drafting ideas, but final content must be reviewed, edited, proofread, and made appropriate before anything is sent for approval or published. 5. Content Approval Workflow At least during the beginning of the contract, all public-facing GBP posts, website edits, citations/backlinks, and any content recommendations must be sent for review/approval before publishing or submitting. Once trust is built, we may allow more direct execution, but only if the quality is consistently strong. Nothing sloppy should go live. This includes: - No spelling mistakes - No grammar mistakes - No awkward AI wording - No wrong services - No wrong locations - No fake claims - No misleading photos - No embarrassing graphics - No content that makes the business look cheap or unprofessional 6. Monthly Reporting Provide one clear monthly report. The report should include: - Work completed - GBP posts completed - GBP updates/photos completed - Website/on-page SEO updates completed - Citations created with proof links - Backlinks created with proof links where applicable - Review strategy progress - GBP calls - Direction requests - Website clicks - Visibility/performance notes - Recommendations for the next month Reports should be simple, clear, and focused on real business outcomes. Hard Requirements: - You personally do the work - No agencies - No subcontractors - Strong written English - Must proofread all content before sending or publishing - Must be comfortable working with small local businesses - Must understand Local SEO and Google Business Profile optimization - Must understand basic WordPress SEO - Must be able to provide proof of work - Must communicate clearly through Upwork chat - Must ask questions when business details, service areas, or service priorities are unclear - Must be available consistently each month - Must care about quality control - Must show up on time for scheduled calls or communicate ahead of time if there is an issue Please do not apply if: - You are an agency - You plan to subcontract the work - You use generic AI content without editing - You publish content without approval - You create fake AI images/videos and present them as real business content - You focus only on rankings and ignore calls/leads/bookings - You cannot provide proof links for citations/backlinks - You cannot write clean English GBP posts - You need constant hand-holding for basic Local SEO work - You are unreliable with scheduled calls or response times What Success Looks Like: A successful freelancer in this role will help the business: - Stay active and professional on Google Business Profile - Improve local visibility - Generate more calls, website clicks, direction requests, bookings, or leads - Build accurate local citations - Improve service/location relevance - Keep website SEO updated - Avoid embarrassing or low-quality public-facing content - Provide clear reporting every month - Recommend practical next steps based on business value, not vanity metrics Access Provided After Hire: We can provide access as needed to: - Google Business Profile - WordPress website - Google Analytics / Search Console if available - Business photos/videos when available - Service details - Service-area details - Existing SEO notes and priorities Access will be limited to what is needed. No admin-level or ownership-level changes should be made without written approval. Screening Questions: Please answer these questions in your application. 1. Are you an individual freelancer, or are you an agency/team? 2. Will you personally do the work yourself? 3. Describe your experience managing Google Business Profiles for local service businesses. 4. What GBP metrics do you normally report on each month? 5. What is your process for making sure posts are proofread and professional before they go live? 6. Do you use AI for content? If yes, how do you make sure the final content does not sound generic or fake? 7. Are you comfortable with an approval workflow before publishing GBP posts, website edits, citations, backlinks, or other public-facing work? 8. Please share an example of a local business GBP post or caption you have written. 9. Please rewrite this caption so it sounds professional for a local service business: “we do good work call us today best service in town cheap prices fast work” 10. What kind of citation or backlink work would you do for a small local service business? 11. What WordPress SEO updates are you comfortable making? 12. Are there any website changes you would NOT make without approval first? 13. Are you comfortable working with one local service business under one fixed monthly contract? 14. What Pacific Time hours are you reliably available? 15. What response time can I expect during those hours? 16. If the contract ends or access is revoked, can you provide a full handoff within 24 hours? 17. What would you need from us in the first 7 days to get started properly? Contract Type: Fixed monthly contract. Project Type: Ongoing month-to-month. Communication: All contract, scope, payment, approval, and official work communication must stay documented through Upwork. Final Note: We are looking for a long-term reliable operator, not someone who just checks boxes. Quality, judgment, communication, punctuality, and consistency matter more than volume.