Local SEO: GBP, reviews, NAP — not GEO citations

Google Business Profile is a page you do not fully own, and it is still the highest-leverage local URL for “Northfield Motors Frederick” and “used cars near me.” Categories: pick the one primary that is true (Used car dealer) and only secondaries you actually offer (Financing, perhaps Auto repair if they do it — do not add Body shop to game the map). Reviews: ask every closed buyer for a truthful review; reply to the public ones. Do not buy stars, do not write fake reviews, do not gate “review us for a gift card” in a way that filters only five-stars. NAP: Name, Address, Phone must match character-for-character across the site footer, GBP, and any directory you actually control. A second tracking number on the website that GBP does not list is a NAP split — label it and fix it, or label unknown if you cannot see the live GBP.

A local SEO citation is a consistent NAP on a directory or the GBP itself so Maps and local pack can trust the lot. A GEO / AI citation is a model naming Northfield inside an answer (“who should I buy a used CR-V from near Frederick?”). Same word, different job. This week you fix categories, reviews, and NAP so the blue local pack can show the lot. You do not write llms.txt, entity schema-for-ChatGPT, or an AI Overview plan — that is the GEO course. Do not claim a GBP edit will make Perplexity recommend Dana.