Local SEO Basics: Google Business Profile and Beyond

When someone searches for a service with "near me" or a town name, search engines try to show businesses that are relevant, nearby and well regarded. Local SEO is the work of making sure your business appears in those results. Whether you run a cafe, a plumbing business or a digital marketing studio on the Gold Coast or in Glasgow, the basics are the same.

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is the listing that appears in Google Maps and in the local results box. It is free and often brings more enquiries than a website for local businesses.

• Choose the most accurate primary category, plus a few relevant secondary ones.
• Add your real opening hours, including holiday changes.
• Write a clear description of what you do and where.
• Add genuine photos of your premises, team or work.
• Keep it updated with posts, offers or news if you have them.

If you serve customers at their location rather than your own, you can set a service area and hide your street address.

Keep your details consistent

Your business name, address and phone number should match everywhere they appear: your website, your profile, social media and directories. Inconsistent details, such as an old phone number on one directory, can confuse both customers and search engines.

Earn honest reviews

Reviews influence both rankings and whether people choose you. Ask happy customers to leave a review, make it easy with a direct link and reply to reviews politely, including critical ones. Never buy reviews or write fake ones; it breaks platform rules and consumer protection laws in many countries.

Create useful local pages

Your website should make your location and service area clear. A contact page with your address and a map helps. If you serve several towns, individual pages can work, but only if each one says something genuinely useful about that area. Pages that simply swap the town name are thin content and rarely help.

Get mentioned locally

Links and mentions from local sources, such as community groups, local news, event sponsorships, chambers of commerce and trade associations, are strong local signals. They also bring real visitors.

Make your website mobile-friendly

Local searches often happen on phones, sometimes on the move. Make sure your phone number is tappable, your address is easy to find and your pages load quickly. Our guide to website design basics covers the essentials.

Track the results

Your Google Business Profile shows how people find your listing and what they do, such as calls, direction requests and website visits. Combine that with Google Search Console data to see which local searches bring people to your site.

Local SEO builds on the same foundations as any other SEO. See SEO techniques that still work for the wider picture.