When someone searches “pizza near me” or “plumber in Brooklyn,” Google shows two sets of results: a map with a few local businesses, called the local pack, and the regular organic results below it. Local SEO is the work of showing up in both.
To make it concrete, say I’m opening a pizza place in New York City, open 24/7. I’ve bought the ovens and hired the staff, and the chain down the street still shows up first. Here’s how I’d change that.
How Google ranks local results
Google uses three main factors:
- Relevance How well your business matches the search, based on your profile, categories and website.
- Distance How close you are to the searcher, or to the location in their search.
- Prominence How well known your business is, based on reviews, links, articles and listings across the web.
The order shifts with the search. “Near me” leans on distance, and “open now” favors businesses that are open at that moment.
Set up your Google Business Profile
Your Business Profile is the foundation of local SEO, and it’s free.
- Claim and verify it Go to google.com/business and search for your business. Google verifies ownership by phone, text, email, video or postcard, depending on the business.
- Choose categories carefully Your primary category matters most. Add a few secondary categories that fit, and stick to what you actually offer.
- Fill in every field Hours, website, phone, services or menu, attributes and a description. For restaurants, salons and hotels, add a booking or ordering link.
- Check your map pin Make sure it sits exactly on your entrance.
- Add real photos Interior, exterior, team and products, taken in good light. Pick a strong cover photo, ideally with people in it.
- Use call tracking Put a tracking number in the primary phone field and your main number in the additional phone field, so calls stay connected to your business across the web.
Rule of thumb
Write your profile description fresh, in plain language, rather than pasting it from your website.
Get listed beyond Google
Customers also search Apple Maps, Bing and Yelp, and these listings support your prominence on Google.
- Core platforms Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and Yelp.
- General directories Yellow Pages, the Better Business Bureau and your local chamber of commerce.
- Industry directories Sites like TripAdvisor, Angi or FindLaw, depending on your field.
Each of these mentions is called a citation. Keep your name, address and phone number (NAP) identical everywhere, down to “St.” versus “Street.”
Run a citation audit
Tools like BrightLocal, Whitespark or Moz Local show where your business is listed and flag listings that are incomplete, inconsistent or duplicated. Fix those first, then add new listings.
Optimize your website for local search
- Show your NAP sitewide Put your name, address and phone number in the footer if you have one location.
- Target your main city on the homepage Use it in the title tag, H1 and opening copy.
- Add LocalBusiness schema Use structured data with the most specific type that fits, like Restaurant, and include your name, address, phone, hours and profile links. Build it from your own details and test it with Google’s Rich Results Test.
- Make it fast on mobile Most local searches happen on phones. Check your pages with PageSpeed Insights.
- Use HTTPS Most hosts include a security certificate for free.
Build location pages
If you have several locations or serve several areas, give each one its own page.
- Structure State, then city, then location, with each level linking down to the next.
- Unique content Local reviews, photos, staff, directions, an embedded map and the details people search for in that area. Avoid templated pages with only the city name swapped.
- Local wording Do keyword research per area, since people describe the same service differently from place to place.
A window replacement company, for example, could build a page for each town it serves, with photos and reviews from jobs completed there, all linked from a main “window replacement in Massachusetts” page.
Location pages take time to build and a few months to gain traction, so plan for that from the start.
Earn reviews
Reviews affect both rankings and whether people choose you.
- Ask every customer Ask right after the sale or service, when the experience is fresh. A short link or QR code makes it easy.
- Follow Google’s rules Google prohibits offering incentives for reviews and asking only satisfied customers.
- Respond to every review Reply to positive and negative reviews. A thoughtful reply to a bad review often reassures future customers more than the review itself worries them.
- Keep them steady A steady stream of reviews looks more natural than a burst.
Earn local links
Links from local sites show Google you’re part of the community:
- Sponsor a local team, event or charity.
- Join business associations and the chamber of commerce.
- Partner with nearby businesses on content or events.
- Create a useful local resource. A moving company in Chicago could publish “Things you’ll need when moving to Chicago.”
- Pitch local news sites and blogs when you have something worth covering.
Keep your profile active
- Update details right away Change your hours, phone or address as soon as they change, and update your citations to match.
- Watch for unwanted edits Anyone can suggest changes to your profile, and Google sometimes accepts them. Check it regularly.
- Use Google Posts Share offers, events and updates.
- Keep everything complete Google now answers customer questions with AI, using your profile, website and reviews. The more accurate your details, the better those answers.
Local SEO checklist
- Business Profile claimed, verified and complete
- Primary category set, map pin accurate
- Listed on Apple, Bing, Yelp and key directories with identical NAP
- NAP in the site footer and LocalBusiness schema on the homepage
- A page for each location or service area
- A routine for asking for and responding to reviews