Last updated: August 2026 When we search for a restaurant, a professional, a shop or a company in our area, Google tries to show us the businesses it considers most relevant to our [...]

Last updated: August 2026

When we search for a restaurant, a professional, a shop or a company in our area, Google tries to show us the businesses it considers most relevant to our query and location.

This is where Local SEO comes into play: the set of strategies and activities designed to improve a business’s visibility in location-based searches, both in Google’s traditional search results and on Google Maps and local search results.

Local SEO is not just for restaurants and retail stores. It can also be essential for consultants, professional firms, B2B companies, tradespeople and any business serving customers within a specific geographic area.

Google identifies three main factors that influence local search results:

• relevance: how closely a business matches what the user is searching for;
• distance: how far the business is from the location used in the search;
• prominence: how well known and authoritative the business is, both online and offline.

We cannot artificially move a business closer to a potential customer to influence the distance factor. However, we can do a great deal to improve the other signals.

Here are the 9 Local SEO rules I consider most important.

1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

What was once called Google Places and later Google My Business is now known as Google Business Profile.

For a local business, it is one of the most important digital assets because it can appear directly in Google Search and Google Maps.

The first step is to claim and verify your profile and make sure all the information is complete and accurate.

In particular, check:

• the real business name;
• address or service area;
• phone number;
• website;
• opening hours;
• primary category;
• relevant secondary categories;
• services and products;
• photos and videos of the business.

Your primary category deserves particular attention. It should describe your actual business as accurately as possible, rather than being selected simply because it contains attractive keywords.

The business name should also match the name the company actually uses. Artificially adding city names, services or keywords to the profile name can create more problems than benefits.

2. Keep Your Business Information Consistent

One of the traditional principles of Local SEO still applies: Google needs to clearly understand who you are, where you are located and how customers can contact you.

For this reason, your business name, address and phone number — often referred to as NAP, or Name, Address, Phone — should remain consistent across the main places where your business appears online.

Check that there are no outdated phone numbers, previous addresses, different business names or duplicate profiles.

Consistency is especially important across:

• your official website;
• Google Business Profile;
• official social media profiles;
• important industry portals;
• professional associations;
• relevant marketplaces or authoritative directories.

This does not mean submitting your business to hundreds of directories. Quantity alone is not a strategy. A smaller number of reliable and relevant sources is usually far more valuable.

3. Optimize Your Website for Local Search Intent

Having a presence on Google Maps does not make your website less important. On the contrary, your website’s SEO contributes to Google’s overall ability to understand and evaluate your business.

You therefore need to understand how people actually search for your services in a specific area.

For example, users might search for:

• dentist in Brescia;
• accountant near me;
• vegetarian restaurant in central Milan;
• metal fabrication company in Bergamo;
• Google Ads consultant in Brescia.

The goal of SEO is to identify which searches have genuine commercial value and create pages that truly satisfy that search intent.

However, this does not mean creating dozens of nearly identical pages where only the city name changes. A local landing page should exist when you can provide genuinely useful and specific information for that location.

For example, a local page can include:

• services available in the area;
• projects or customers from that location;
• response times and service conditions;
• local testimonials;
• office or branch information;
• directions;
• location-specific frequently asked questions.

Local SEO is still SEO. Page titles, content structure, internal linking, content quality and search intent remain important.

If you want to explore the broader topic, you can also read my rules for building a successful SEO strategy.

4. Build a Serious Review Strategy

Reviews serve two purposes: they influence how potential customers perceive your business and they can contribute to your visibility in local search.

Google itself indicates that review quantity and ratings can contribute to a business’s prominence.

That means review management should not be left to chance.

You can create a simple process:

1. provide a good customer experience;
2. ask for a review at the right moment;
3. make the process easy by using your direct review link or profile QR code;
4. monitor new reviews;
5. reply to both positive and negative reviews.

Be careful, however: buying reviews or offering incentives in exchange for positive ratings violates Google’s policies.

One authentic review is worth far more than ten artificial ones, especially when you are building your reputation over the long term.

5. Create Content with Genuine Local Relevance

Local SEO does not mean repeating the name of your city throughout your website.

A more effective approach is to create content that demonstrates a real connection between your business, your expertise and the local market.

For example:

• case studies involving customers from the area;
• guides specifically created for the local market;
• analysis of common local problems;
• events your company participates in;
• partnerships with local organizations;
• projects completed in the area;
• FAQs based on real customer questions.

This has two benefits: you can capture more specific searches while also building signals that help both users and search engines understand your company’s genuine presence in the area.

6. Earn Relevant Links, Citations and Mentions

In the original 2015 version of this article, I recommended submitting businesses to local directories. Today, I would give this tactic much less importance.

Links still matter, but it is far more valuable to earn links and mentions that come from real relationships.

For example:

• industry associations;
• business partners;
• suppliers;
• customers;
• local events;
• local newspapers and magazines;
• universities;
• business organizations;
• local projects and sponsorships.

Google also considers links and other information found across the web when evaluating how prominent a business is.

A good link building strategy can therefore support Local SEO when it prioritizes quality, relevance and authority over raw quantity.

7. Use LocalBusiness Structured Data Correctly

In the old version of this article, I referred more generally to Rich Snippets. Today we can be much more precise.

Google supports LocalBusiness structured data, which allows you to provide explicit information about your business through the code of your website.

Depending on the business type, this data can include:

• name;
• address;
• phone number;
• URL;
• opening hours;
• business type;
• geographic coordinates;
• other relevant information.

Whenever possible, it is better to use the most specific Schema.org type available rather than the generic LocalBusiness type.

Structured data does not automatically guarantee higher rankings or the appearance of enhanced search results, but it helps search engines interpret your business information more explicitly.

8. Think Mobile-First and Focus on Conversion

In 2015, having a mobile-friendly website could still be considered a competitive advantage. Today, it is simply a basic requirement.

Users performing local searches often want to take immediate action:

• make a phone call;
• get directions;
• book an appointment;
• check opening hours;
• send an enquiry;
• compare reviews;
• check prices or services.

For this reason, driving traffic to the website is not enough. You need to remove every unnecessary obstacle between the search and the conversion.

On mobile devices, your phone number, directions, WhatsApp if appropriate, contact forms, booking options and calls to action should all be easy to find and use.

Website speed, readability, navigation and the clarity of your offer therefore become part of your Local SEO strategy as well.

9. Measure Local SEO Through Real Business Results

One of the main differences between an improvised SEO strategy and a professional one is measurement.

Do not limit yourself to asking:

“What position do I rank in for this keyword?”

Instead, ask:

“How many customers is our local visibility actually generating?”

Google Business Profile allows you to analyse several types of user interactions, including — where available — views, searches, direction requests, phone calls and website clicks.

You can combine this information with:

• Google Search Console;
• Google Analytics;
• UTM parameters;
• call tracking;
• CRM data;
• actual leads and sales generated.

This way, Local SEO stops being just a ranking exercise and becomes a real customer acquisition channel.

Local SEO, Ads and Social Media: What’s the Difference?

In the original version of this guide, I included PPC advertising and social media among the nine Local SEO rules.

Today, I prefer to keep them separate.

Google Ads and social advertising can be extremely effective for reaching people within a specific geographic area, but they are not Local SEO activities.

Likewise, a strong social media presence can increase brand awareness, branded searches, traffic, relationships and opportunities to earn links and mentions. Its impact on Local SEO, however, is mostly indirect.

Local SEO, advertising, social media and reputation management work best when they are part of an integrated marketing strategy, but it is important not to confuse the role of each channel.

Conclusion: Local SEO Is Mainly About Trust

Local SEO has changed significantly since I first published this article.

The underlying principle, however, remains surprisingly similar.

Google needs to understand:

• who you are;
• what you do;
• where you operate;
• how relevant you are to the search;
• how credible and well known your business is.

This is why the strongest local strategies are not built around a few tricks for Google Maps.

They come from aligning your Google Business Profile, website, content, reviews, citations, authority and real-world presence in the local market.

And that is the real point: good Local SEO should not try to make a company look local.

It should help Google understand just how local that company really is.