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If you run a business with a physical location -- a shop, a restaurant, a salon, a clinic, a gym -- local SEO is the single most important digital marketing investment you can make.
When someone searches "dentist near me" or "plumber in Leeds" or "best pizza in Sheffield," Google shows them a map with 3 businesses. Those 3 businesses get the vast majority of clicks.
This guide covers everything you need to get into that top 3.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the practice of optimising your online presence so Google shows your business to people searching for services in your area.
It's different from regular SEO in three important ways:
1. Google Maps is the primary battlefield. The map pack appears above organic results for local searches.
2. Proximity matters. How close you are to the searcher affects your ranking.
3. Reviews are a major ranking factor. More than in regular SEO.
How Google Ranks Local Results
Google has explicitly confirmed three factors determine local ranking:
Relevance
How well your listing matches the search query. If someone searches "emergency plumber" and your Google Business Profile says "general plumbing services," you're less relevant than a competitor who explicitly lists emergency services.
How to improve: Fill in your GBP completely. List every service. Choose the most specific primary category. Write a detailed business description.
Distance
How far your business is from the searcher. You can't change your location, but you can influence your service area definition.
How to improve: Set your service area correctly in GBP. If you serve multiple areas, list them all. Create location-specific pages on your website.
Prominence
How well-known your business is online. Based on links, reviews, citations, and overall web presence.
How to improve: Get more reviews. Build citations in directories. Get mentioned on local websites. Create useful content that earns links.
The Local SEO Checklist
1. Google Business Profile (Critical)
Your GBP is your most important local SEO asset.
Setup:
Claim and verify your listing at business.google.com
Choose the most specific primary category available
Add up to 9 secondary categories
Write a complete business description (750 characters max)
Maintenance:
Keep hours up to date (especially holidays)
Post weekly (updates, offers, events)
Add new photos monthly
Respond to every review within 24 hours
Answer customer questions in the Q&A section
Photos that matter:
Exterior (with signage visible) -- helps Google verify your location
Interior -- shows customers what to expect
Team photos -- builds trust
Product/service photos -- shows what you offer
At least 10 photos total, updated regularly
2. Reviews (Critical)
Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals.
What matters:
Quantity: More reviews = more trust = higher ranking
Quality: Average rating matters. 4.0+ is good, 4.5+ is great
Recency: Recent reviews signal an active business
Response rate: Responding to reviews shows engagement
Keywords in reviews: When customers naturally mention your services, it helps relevance
How to get more:
Ask every happy customer directly (in person is best)
Send a follow-up email or text with a direct review link
Make it easy -- the shorter the path to leaving a review, the more you'll get
Display the Google review link on your website, receipts, and email signature
How to handle negative reviews:
Respond professionally within 24 hours
Acknowledge the issue
Offer to resolve it offline
Never argue publicly
One negative review among many positive ones actually builds credibility
3. NAP Consistency (High Priority)
NAP = Name, Address, Phone. This information must be identical everywhere.
Check these platforms:
Google Business Profile
Your website (header, footer, contact page)
Facebook business page
Bing Places
Apple Maps Connect
Yell.com / Thomson Local
Industry-specific directories
Local chamber of commerce
Companies House (if registered)
Common mistakes:
"Smith's Plumbing" vs "Smiths Plumbing Ltd"
Suite/unit numbers included on some, missing on others
Mobile number on some, landline on others
Old address that was never updated after moving
4. Location Pages (High Priority)
If you serve multiple areas, each area needs its own page.
Each location page should include:
Location-specific title tag: "Plumbing Services in Leeds | Smith's Plumbing"
Location-specific meta description
Full address and phone for that location
Embedded Google Map
Opening hours for that location
Services available at that location
LocalBusiness schema markup (JSON-LD)
Local testimonials
Driving directions or area-specific content
Unique content (NOT just the same text with the city name swapped)
LocalBusiness schema example:
```json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Plumber",
"name": "Smith's Plumbing - Leeds",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
"addressLocality": "Leeds",
"addressRegion": "West Yorkshire",
"postalCode": "LS1 1AA",
"addressCountry": "GB"
},
"telephone": "+44-113-123-4567",
"url": "https://smithsplumbing.co.uk/leeds",
"openingHoursSpecification": [{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": ["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"],
"opens": "08:00",
"closes": "18:00"
}],
"geo": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": 53.8008,
"longitude": -1.5491
}
}
```
5. Citations (Medium Priority)
Citations are mentions of your business on other websites, typically in directories.
Priority directories for UK businesses:
1. Google Business Profile (already covered)
2. Bing Places for Business
3. Apple Maps Connect
4. Yell.com
5. Thomson Local
6. Yelp UK
7. Facebook
8. LinkedIn Company Page
9. FreeIndex
10. Bark.com
Industry-specific directories matter more than general ones. A plumber listed on Checkatrade or TrustedTraders carries more weight than a listing on a generic directory.
6. Local Content (Medium Priority)
Create content that's relevant to your local area:
- "Best [services] in [your area]" guides
Local event coverage
Area guides (parking, transport, what's nearby)
Case studies featuring local customers
Partnerships with other local businesses
Involvement in local community events
This builds local relevance and earns links from local websites.
7. Website Technical Foundation
Your website's technical SEO supports your local SEO:
- Fast loading (LCP < 2.5s)
Mobile-friendly (most local searches happen on phones)
HTTPS with security headers
Clear site structure with logical navigation
Internal links connecting location pages to service pages
Measuring Local SEO Success
Track these metrics:
Google Business Profile Insights (views, searches, actions)
Map Pack position for target keywords
Review count and rating over time
Website traffic from local searches (Google Search Console)
Phone calls from GBP listing
Direction requests
Check monthly:
Run your own local SEO audit
Compare to competitors
Identify new keyword opportunities
Update content and GBP as needed
Common Local SEO Myths
"I need to be in every directory." Quality over quantity. 10 authoritative directories beat 100 random ones.
"I need thousands of reviews." 50 genuine reviews at 4.5 stars beats 500 fake-looking 5-star reviews.
"Paying Google guarantees Map Pack placement." Google Ads and organic Maps rankings are separate. You can't buy your way into the organic Map Pack.
"SEO is a one-time fix." Local SEO requires ongoing maintenance -- reviews, content, GBP updates, citation monitoring.
Get Your Local SEO Audited
We include a dedicated Google Maps & Local SEO section in every audit -- something most SEO tools skip entirely. We check your schema markup, NAP consistency, GBP integration, location pages, and compare you to local competitors.
*Find out how visible you are on Google Maps. [Get your local SEO audit](https://seorankmasters.com) -- from GBP 29.*
Related Articles
[Why Your Business Doesn't Show Up on Google Maps](/blog/02-google-maps-not-showing)
[What Is a Good SEO Score?](/blog/01-what-is-good-seo-score)
[5 SEO Quick Wins Any Business Owner Can Do Today](/blog/04-seo-quick-wins)
[SEO Audit Checklist: Everything We Check](/blog/10-seo-audit-checklist)
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