When someone searches “emergency plumber”, “dentist near me” or “coffee shop open now”, Google assumes they want something nearby. Local SEO is how a business makes sure it’s among the options they see. It covers Google Maps, the local pack at the top of the results, and the regular organic results for location-based searches.
For businesses that serve a specific area, like Coastline Plumbing or Brightside Dental, local search is usually where most new customers come from.
The main parts of local SEO
Google Business Profile. The free listing behind your map and local pack presence. Accurate categories, hours, services, photos and regular activity matter. See Google Business Profile.
Reviews. The number, score, recency and content of reviews affect both ranking and whether people choose you. See online reviews.
Your website. Clear service pages, location or area pages, your name, address and phone on every page, LocalBusiness schema, and a site that works well on phones.
Citations. Accurate listings on the main directories and industry sites. See local citations.
Local links and mentions. From local news, community organizations, sponsorships and partners.
How Google ranks local results
Google names three factors: relevance (how well you match the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (how well known and well regarded you are). You can’t change your distance, so most local SEO work goes into relevance and prominence.
Where to start
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, with the most accurate primary category.
- Make sure your name, address and phone match everywhere.
- Build a page for each main service on your website.
- Ask every satisfied customer for a review, and reply to all of them.
- Fix your core citations: Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, Yelp and the main directories for your industry.
- Earn a few local links from organizations you already work with.
How to measure it
- Map rankings across your area, not just from your office
- Calls, direction requests and website clicks from your profile
- Organic traffic and leads to service and location pages
- Review count and rating over time
Common mistakes
- Treating local SEO as a one-time setup rather than ongoing work
- Fake addresses or keyword-stuffed business names
- Ignoring the website because “it’s all about Google Maps”
- Measuring success with a single search from the office
RankThat’s Local SEO tools cover a Local Rank Grid, citations, and Google Business Profile reviews you can read and reply to, alongside rank tracking and site audits for the website side.