Local SEO Services
If you run a local business of any type (a dentist’s office, flower shop, or anything in-between), several key parts of your overall SEO strategy matter most. I group them into four crucial aspects for local success:
- Website
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- Local listings
- Off-page SEO (backlinks)
Working on all four is essential for being found not only in organic SERPs but also in Google Maps. Below, I explain how we optimize each one and what you should consider.
Website Optimisation
If you need a brand-new site for your local business, we can help you with that—see our Website Design & Development Services for details. You’ll get a site built to the highest UX/UI standards: fast, responsive, and SEO-optimised.
Here are the SEO aspects I find crucial for long-term success. I’ve phrased them as a checklist so you can review where your site stands and spot potential improvements:
- Does your website have dedicated service or product pages?
This is one of the most important factors for any local business because you need to show the exact services or products you offer. For example, a local cleaning company should have separate pages for each service: residential carpet cleaning in [area], upholstery cleaning in [area], commercial cleaning in [area], pressure washing in [area], etc. The exact pages—and how many—depend on the keyword research we carry out before finalising your site structure. - How well are those service (landing) pages optimised for conversions?
- Are CTAs and contact information prominent?
- Can a visitor book a service or call you quickly (with details above the fold)?
- Is your location clearly displayed above the fold for walk-in customers?
- What about content quality?
Avoid fluff. Do you answer potential customers’ main questions immediately? Do your landing pages include enough detail—service or product descriptions, processes, pricing, and FAQs? - Do you serve multiple locations?
If so, create separate location pages for each area you cover. This is vital for service-area businesses like roof cleaning companies working across several towns or suburbs. - Are customer reviews and testimonials visible?
People trust social proof, so show verified customer feedback prominently. - Do you use rich media (images, videos)?
Before-and-after photos boost both SEO and credibility. - About Us page
Many owners overlook this, but it’s essential. Share your story, motivation, and brief team bios to build trust and improve SEO. - Portfolio or completed projects
Showcase past work—what you did, where, and how—ideally with before-and-after imagery.
Beyond these, we also review:
- UX/UI: Is your site user-friendly and easy to navigate?
- On-page SEO: Title tags, headings, page structure, FAQs, structured data.
- Technical SEO: Security, hosting, and page speed.
Blog section: Only publish truly helpful content. Focus on bottom-funnel topics that convert. For instance, a New York dental office offering orthodontics could write “How much does Invisalign cost in New York?”—a query searchers use near the end of their buying journey. Make sure every blog post includes a clear call to action.
Google Business Profile Optimisation
I focus on 12 core elements that affect rankings the most.
| # | Aspect | Why it matters / what to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business name, address, phone (NAP) & verification | Make sure the name exactly matches real-world signage, the address is precise, and the phone is local. Finish verification—Google’s new Video Preview flow lets you review your video before submitting, so take advantage of it to avoid rejections. |
| 2 | Primary category (and 2–3 secondary categories) | Google’s annual ranking survey again lists primary category as the single strongest pack-ranking factor, followed closely by additional categories. |
| 3 | Complete every field | Businesses with a “complete” profile are 2.7 × more likely to be viewed as reputable and 50 % more likely to be chosen by customers. |
| 4 | Keywords (but not stuffing) in the Business name & description | Having the main keyword in the title still correlates with higher pack positions, but over-optimization can trigger suspensions. Add supporting keywords naturally in the 750-character description instead. |
| 5 | Accurate hours, special hours & real-time updates | Searches for “open now near me” keep climbing; outdated hours lead to negative reviews and lower visibility. Update holiday / event hours in advance. |
| 6 | High-quality photos & short videos | Google shows photo carousels prominently; listings with 100+ owner photos get 520 % more calls (internal Google study). Upload a geo-appropriate cover, interior shots, team photos, and 30-sec clips to showcase atmosphere or results. |
| 7 | Fresh Posts & the new “What’s Happening” section | Use Google Posts weekly for offers, events, product drops. Restaurants and bars can now surface specials under a “This week” label that pulls from Posts or social feeds. |
| 8 | Products, Services & structured Menus | Fill out product/service cards with names, prices and photos. They feed directly into “justifications” (e.g., “Provides teeth-whitening” badge) that make you stand out in the pack. |
| 9 | Reviews — volume, velocity, rating & response | Quantity of native Google reviews, high numeric rating and keyword-rich text are all top-10 pack factors; respond to every review within 24 h for engagement signals. |
| 10 | Messaging, Call-to-Action links & UTM-tagged URLs | Enable Google Messages (or bookings for service verticals). Tag website, appointment and menu links with UTM parameters so you can track clicks in GA4. |
| 11 | Attributes & accessibility tags | Select relevant attributes (e.g., “women-owned”, “wheelchair-accessible”)—they influence filter searches and appear as icons in Maps. |
| 12 | Spam-proofing & citation consistency | Remove duplicate or keyword-stuffed competitors (Google’s “Suggest an edit”). Keep NAP consistent across major directories; inconsistency remains a top trust/ranking dampener. |
Customer reviews are vital. They can significantly boost your visibility in the local Map Pack. While a solid profile foundation is mandatory, positive reviews set you apart. Encourage satisfied customers to leave feedback—quality service naturally drives this, but incentives (e.g., 10 % off the next purchase) can help. Always respond to reviews; automation tools make this easy.
Encourage reviewers to mention the specific service they used. Those keywords reinforce relevance.
Handling negative reviews: They happen. Respond promptly and address issues—prospective customers want to see you’re attentive, not silent.
Other profile elements (services, menu photos, etc.) vary in importance by industry. For a restaurant, menu items and pictures matter most; for a welding company, service details and project photos come first.
Local Listings (Directories)
Why local listings (citations) still matter in 2025:
- Trust & data validation – Search engines cross-check your Name-Address-Phone (NAP) profile across thousands of sources. Consistency signals that the business is real and reduces the risk of duplicate or spam listings.
- Ranking signal (≈ 7 % of the local-pack algorithm) – Citations are no longer the top lever, but the annual Whitespark/Advice Local survey still places them at roughly 7 % of the signals that decide who shows up in the Map Pack. Neglecting them is like skipping a prerequisite.
- “Barnacle SEO” & referral traffic – High-authority directories (Yelp, Apple Maps, Avvo, etc.) often rank on page 1 themselves. Earning a spot there lets you “cling” to their visibility and capture ready-to-buy traffic—even if your own site is new.
- Review & reputation hubs – Many directories double as review platforms, which influence click-through rate and conversions.
Data pipeline to voice search, in-dash navigation & AI assistants – Aggregators feed your data to GPS units, voice assistants, chatbots, and emerging generative search experiences.
| Goal | What to focus on | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Uniform NAP everywhere | Use one canonical business name, street address, and primary phone. Avoid tracking numbers in directory fields; add call-tracking with a dynamic swap script on your own site instead. | Even minor mismatches dilute authority and can trigger duplicate-listing suppression. |
| Quality > quantity | Choose directories with real traffic, strong domain authority, and relevance to your vertical or geography. | Low-quality links/citations add noise and can look spammy to Google. |
| Enrich each listing | Fill every optional field: category, description with keywords, hours, services/products, images, social links. | Completeness boosts click-throughs and unlocks rich snippets (e.g., “Provides teeth-whitening”). |
| Leverage “barnacle” sites | Optimize your profile on the directories that already rank for “[service] near me”. Treat them like micro-landing pages: add FAQs, specials, and respond to reviews quickly. | Captures ready demand and sends trust signals via branded search volume. |
| Monitor & clean up | Use a citation-tracking tool quarterly to spot duplicates, changes, or rogue listings. Suppress or merge as needed. | Prevents fragmentation that erodes authority and confuses users. |
| Track performance | Append UTM parameters to “Website” or “Appointment” links so directory clicks show up in GA4 Source/Medium reports. | Quantifies ROI and helps you double-down on high-converting platforms. |
Backlinks
We help you build domain authority through:
- PR opportunities and mentions
- Guest posting and contributor outreach
- Resource and review-page submissions
- Link-worthy assets like infographics and guides
For many sites I’ve audited, the missing piece was high-quality, contextual backlinks. The goal is to build links to pages already performing well—typically those ranking between positions 4 and 12 for their main keywords—so we can push them higher in the SERPs.
Domain relevance is crucial: we want backlinks from sites in similar or complementary niches. If you operate a local business in Seattle, for instance, links from local blogs, news outlets, and online publishers that cover the area or the state can be especially valuable.
Key criteria when choosing sites to build links from:
- The domain attracts organic traffic.
- It has quality backlinks.
- It ranks in the top 10 for relevant keywords.
- Content is editorial, not overly promotional.
- The site avoids spammy linking practices.
Another important aspect is the use of anchor texts — they should appear natural, using a mix of exact match, partial match, branded, generic, and long-tail anchors.
The biggest takeaway here is that the most valuable backlinks come from pages already ranking in the top 10 or top 20. The reason is simple: search engines like Google already “trust” and value those pages. Ideally, your backlinks should come from these kinds of sources.
Over the years, I’ve done extensive testing and can say with confidence that one backlink from a page ranking in the top 10 is more valuable than three guest posts on random sites, even if those sites have good metrics.