Local SEO

The practice of optimising a business's online presence to appear in local search results and Google Maps for geographically relevant queries.

Local SEO focuses on improving visibility for location-specific searches — "dentist near me", "best pizza in Chicago", "plumber London". The primary ranking factors for the Google Maps local pack (the 3 business listings that appear with a map for local searches) are: Google Business Profile (GBP) optimisation, proximity to the searcher, prominence (local authority), and relevance.

Key local SEO components: claimed and optimised Google Business Profile (accurate NAP — Name, Address, Phone; business category; photos; hours; reviews), consistent NAP across the web (directories, citations), local reviews and ratings, localised on-page content (city/neighbourhood keywords, location pages for multi-location businesses), and local backlinks (from local news, chambers of commerce, local directories).

LocalBusiness schema markup on your site helps Google understand your business entity — connect it to your physical address, phone, hours, and service areas. For multi-location businesses, create individual location pages with unique content for each location rather than templated pages that differ only by city name.