What is local SEO?

How it differs from ordinary SEO

Search for “how to fix a dripping tap” and Google shows articles from anywhere. Search for “plumber near me” and it shows a map with three businesses, chosen partly by where you are standing. That second kind of result is what local SEO is concerned with.

The map results are drawn from Google Business Profiles, not directly from websites. So a business can have an excellent website and still be missing from the map, and a business with a modest website and a well-kept profile can lead it.

The three things Google uses

Google’s own guidance on how local ranking works names three factors.

• Relevance. How well your profile matches what was searched for. This is why categories, services and descriptions matter.
• Distance. How far you are from the searcher, or from the place they named. You cannot change this one.
• Prominence. How well known the business is. Google says this is based on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.

Local SEO is the work of improving the two you can influence.

What is included in local SEO

1. Google Business ProfileClaimed, verified and complete: categories, services, hours, photographs, description. See our profile guide.
2. ReviewsA steady flow of genuine reviews, each one answered. See how to get more reviews.
3. Consistent listingsThe same name, address and phone number on every directory and platform. These are called citations.
4. Local pages on your websiteA page for each service and, where you genuinely work there, each place, written about that place.
5. Local links and mentionsFrom suppliers, associations, local press and community groups.
6. TrackingKnowing which calls and enquiries came from the map and which from the website.

Who needs it

Any business whose customers are in a particular area: shops, restaurants, trades, clinics, professional firms, venues. That includes businesses that travel to their customers. A plumber working from home can hide the address and list the areas covered instead; Google calls this a service-area business.

Businesses that sell nationally online need ordinary SEO more than local, though a shop with premises needs both.

What it costs

A Google Business Profile is free. Asking for reviews is free. Correcting your listings costs time. That is most of the foundation.

Money comes into it with the website, and with help: a one-off setup, or ongoing management where the market is competitive. Our guide to what SEO costs sets out the published ranges.