Local SEO guide: how to rank in local search and Google Maps

Local SEO is how a business gets found by people nearby who search for what it offers, such as "accountant in Utrecht" or "CRM consultant near me". To rank, you need a complete and verified Google Business Profile, a fast mobile-friendly website with clear location information, consistent contact details across the web, and a steady flow of genuine reviews.

The upside of local SEO is that you only compete with businesses in your area, not the whole country. The downside is that those local competitors are often fighting for the same few spots in the map results.

How does Google rank local businesses?

Google explains that local results are mainly based on three factors:

• Relevance: how well your Business Profile matches what someone is searching for.
• Distance: how far your business is from the person searching, or from the location in their search.
• Prominence: how well known your business is. This includes information Google finds across the web, such as links and articles, and your review count and ratings.

You cannot change distance. Most local SEO work therefore goes into relevance and prominence. Google is also clear that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking.

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile controls how your business appears in Google Search and Maps. It is free, and it is the single most important local SEO asset.

1. Create or claim your profile and verify it, so Google knows you are allowed to manage it.
2. Use your real-world business name, exactly as it appears on your signage and website. Google's guidelines forbid adding keywords, taglines or locations to the name, and doing so can get the profile suspended.
3. Enter a precise address, or set a service area if you visit customers rather than receive them. Service-area businesses should hide their address. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not eligible.
4. Choose the most specific primary category that describes what your business is, and add as few extra categories as needed.
5. Add opening hours, holiday hours, phone number, website, services and attributes such as accessibility or parking.
6. Upload real photos of your premises, team and work, and keep adding new ones.
7. Use posts to share offers, events and updates.

Keep the profile current. Wrong opening hours or an old phone number cost you customers and trust.

Optimize your website for mobile

Many local searches start on a phone, and Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. Google recommends responsive design: the same page and URL for every device, with the layout adapting to the screen. See responsive website for the basics.

Practical checks:

• Speed: compress images and limit heavy scripts. Our guide to Core Web Vitals explains what Google measures.
• Tap targets: make buttons and phone numbers easy to tap. A click-to-call link is often the most used button on a local site.
• Short forms: ask only for what you need, or split long forms into steps.
• Readable text: use a comfortable font size and enough white space.
• Same content on mobile and desktop: if a separate mobile site hides content, Google may not see it.

Create location and service-area pages

If you serve several towns or have more than one office, give each its own page. A good location page includes:

• The business name, address and phone number for that location
• Opening hours
• An embedded map and directions
• What you offer in that area, written for that area rather than copied with the town name swapped
• Photos of the location or team
• Reviews or case studies from local customers

Thin pages that only change the place name add little value. Write fewer, better pages instead.

Use local keywords

Local keywords combine a service with a place, such as "B2B marketing agency Rotterdam". To find them:

• Look at the searches suggested by Google Search itself and the "People also ask" box
• Check the queries that already bring visitors in Google Search Console
• Use Google Keyword Planner, which needs a Google Ads account, or another keyword research tool

Then use them naturally in:

• The title tag and meta description of each relevant page
• Headings and body text, without stuffing
• Short, readable URLs
• Image file names and alt text, where they describe the image

For more on finding terms, read how to do keyword research for SEO.

Keep your name, address and phone number consistent

Your business name, address and phone number, often shortened to NAP, should match everywhere: your website, your Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, industry directories and social profiles. Inconsistent details make it harder for search engines and customers to trust which information is correct. Check these listings whenever you move or change your phone number.

Add structured data

LocalBusiness structured data tells Google your business name, address, opening hours, phone number and more in a format machines can read. Google requires at least the name and address, and recommends properties such as opening hours, telephone, URL and geo coordinates. Validate the markup with Google's Rich Results Test.

Earn and respond to reviews

Reviews feed into prominence and help people choose between businesses. Google's own tips ask businesses to respond to reviews.

• Ask happy customers for a review, for example in a follow-up email with a direct link
• Reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and quickly
• Never buy reviews or write fake ones. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and incentives tied to positive or negative sentiment, and Google removes reviews that break its policies

Build local links and mentions

Links and mentions from local sources build prominence. Ideas that work for most businesses:

• Local chambers of commerce, business associations and industry bodies
• Sponsoring local events, clubs or charities
• Local news coverage of something genuinely newsworthy
• Partnerships with complementary local businesses

Read building backlinks: what you need to know for the wider picture.

How long does local SEO take?

There is no fixed timeline. Profile fixes, such as correcting your category or hours, take effect once Google accepts the edit. Reviews, links and content build prominence over months. Treat local SEO as ongoing work, and track calls, direction requests and website clicks in your Business Profile performance report alongside your rankings.

For more ideas beyond search, see our local business marketing strategies and the glossary entry on local marketing.