Local SEO

Local SEO is the practice of improving a business’s visibility in search results for people looking for products or services in a specific area. It covers Google Maps, the local Map Pack in normal results, and organic results for searches such as “dentist in Harley Street” or “plumber near me”.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

Who needs local SEO

Any business that serves customers in a particular place:

  • Businesses with premises customers visit, such as clinics, shops, restaurants and offices.
  • Service area businesses that travel to customers, such as plumbers, cleaners and builders.
  • Professional services serving specific towns or regions, such as accountants, solicitors and consultants.

How Google ranks local results

Google says local rankings depend mainly on three factors:

  • Relevance: how well your business profile and website match the search.
  • Distance: how close you are to the searcher or the location in the search.
  • Prominence: how well known and trusted your business is, based on reviews, links, mentions and overall web presence.

You cannot change your location, but you can strongly influence relevance and prominence.

The key parts of local SEO

  1. Google Business Profile: the most important factor for map results. Complete every section, choose accurate categories, add photos, services and opening hours, and keep it updated.
  2. Reviews: earn a steady stream of genuine reviews and respond to them.
  3. NAP consistency: keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere.
  4. Local citations: list your business in relevant directories and platforms. My list of UK web directories is a good starting point.
  5. Local website optimisation: include your location in titles and content naturally, add LocalBusiness Schema Markup, embed a map and show clear contact details.
  6. Local landing pages: if you serve several areas, create genuinely useful pages for each.
  7. Local links: earn links from local news, associations, sponsors and partners.

Local SEO for specialist sectors

Some sectors face extra competition and regulation. Dental and medical practices, for example, need strong trust signals and careful content. See my dental SEO service and dental clinic SEO strategies for a detailed example.

Measuring local SEO

  • Business Profile performance: views, searches, calls, website clicks and direction requests.
  • Local rank tracking: positions in the map pack across different points in your area, since rankings vary by street.
  • Google Search Console: queries including location names.
  • Enquiries and bookings attributed to local search.

Common local SEO mistakes

  • Incomplete or unverified Business Profile.
  • Different addresses or phone numbers across directories.
  • Keyword-stuffed business names, which break Google’s guidelines.
  • Fake reviews or review gating.
  • Dozens of thin location pages with copied text.

Local SEO is often the fastest route to new customers for small businesses, because local competition is usually lower than national competition.

For help with local search in your area, see my SEO consultant locations across the UK.

Key Takeaways

  • Local rankings depend on relevance, distance and prominence.
  • Your Google Business Profile is the most important local asset.
  • Consistent NAP details, genuine reviews and local links build prominence.
  • Use genuinely useful local pages to reach towns beyond your map pack radius.
  • Measure calls, direction requests and enquiries, not just rankings.

Related Terms

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