Local SEO
Found on Google and the map.
Search for a dentist or a plumber nearby and Google shows three businesses on a map. Local SEO is the work that helps yours get there: your Google profile, your reviews, your listings and your site. We do it for local businesses.
- 72%of people consider three businesses or fewer before they choose.BrightLocal, June 2026
- 75%choose a local business in under 30 minutes.BrightLocal, June 2026
- 35%of owners say their Google profile is active. 85% have one.BrightLocal, October 2026
What decides who shows up on the map?
Google ranks local results on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. In practice, the fields that say what your business is count most.
- Your primary categoryThe one choice on your Google profile that says what you are. The wrong one hides you from the searches that matter.
- DistanceHow close you are to the person searching. Nobody can change it, so we work on everything else.
- Keywords in your business nameThey help, but only if they are your real name, the one on your sign. Adding them breaks Google’s rules and can get a profile suspended.
- An address in the town searchedA real one. A virtual office can get a profile suspended.
- Open when they searchAccurate hours, holidays included. Google favors businesses that are open now.
The top five of 187 factors in the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey of 47 local search experts. Google’s own account: how Google ranks local results.
Reviews, links and what other sites say about you then decide the order among the businesses nearby.
What does local SEO include?
Local SEO is the work on your Google profile, reviews, listings and pages that gets you found nearby. We fix what is wrong first, then keep the work going.
- Your Google profileThe right category, services, hours, photos and posts. Kept active.
- Reviews, a steady habitOne simple ask after every visit, the same for every customer. We draft the replies, and you approve them.
- ListingsThe same name, address, phone and hours on Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing and the directories for your trade.
- Service pagesA page for each service you want to be found for, written for the people who search for it.
- The map gridWhere you show up at points all around your business, checked every month.
- Calls and bookingsTracked from Google to your phone, so the monthly report shows customers, not only rankings.
What we never do.
Shortcuts on Google Maps get profiles suspended. We don’t take them.
- Keywords stuffed in your name
- Fake or paid reviews
- Virtual office addresses
- Promised rankings
- Your profile, in your name
- You approve everything
Questions about local SEO.
How long does local SEO take?
Fixes to your Google profile, hours and listings can show within weeks. Reviews and pages build over months. Every month you see where you show up and how many people called or booked.
Why don’t I show up on the map a few miles away?
Distance from the person searching is a big part of how Google ranks the map, and nobody can change it. We make you the best match nearby, and the grid in your monthly report shows how far your reach goes.
Should I add keywords to my business name?
No. Google’s rules say the name on your profile must match the name on your sign. Profiles with keywords added can be suspended, and getting back can take weeks.
Who owns my Google profile?
You do. We work on it as a manager you add, and you can remove us at any time.
Is local SEO the same as AI SEO?
They share most of the work. Google’s AI cites Google profiles more than any other source for local businesses, so a strong profile helps on the map and in AI answers. More on AI SEO.