Essentially, it’s the work done by or for local businesses to ensure they appear in front of potential customers when those customers search for related terms.

If someone searches for ‘best pizza place in Manhattan’, what they’re hoping to find is just that. While many may believe that the results they’re being shown are literally the best, the reality is that the Local Pack uses a special local algorithm to determine which businesses’ Google Business Profiles (GBP) it will show.

Performing local SEO is a concerted effort to tell the local algorithm that your business is one of the ones it should showcase in local search results. It’s not just about leaving it to chance and hoping your quality will bring you out on top.

So it’s as simple as getting a Google Business Profile, adding some geographic keywords to your website, and moving on, right?

If only! There’s a bit (a lot!) more to it than that. Let’s look a little deeper.

How does local SEO work?

So, how do you actually get local SEO to work for you? That’s the big question you’ll have, whether you’re trying to get your single-location coffee shop to rank, or a client’s multi-location laundrette brand. I’m going to help answer the key questions: ‘How do I do local SEO?’ and ‘How does Google’s local algorithm work, and how can I optimize for it?’ 

Let’s start with that algorithm I keep on mentioning.

What does Google’s local algorithm look at?

Google’s local algorithm (or ‘system’ as Google calls its algorithms) looks at factors that it uses to decide what to show for traditional searches alongside factors that are more specific to local searches.

Google’s local algorithm focuses on three key pillars:

• Relevance: Google assesses how relevant your business is to the search a user has made. It does this by looking at a number of factors, like the category you’ve chosen on your Google Business Profile, other local listings you’ve built, and the description for your business. It also looks at the content your website, among other things.
• Proximity: This is the one that really makes this a truly local algorithm. Google looks at the location of the searcher when they perform the search to try and give them the most useful information, assuming they’re looking for a business nearby.
• Prominence: How well does your business or brand stand out, and how well known is it for the things being searched? A bunch of other businesses will likely be just as relevant and well-located, so in order to present the best results, the algorithm looks at what sets the leading businesses apart. Think reviews, links to your website from reputable sources, mentions in the press, and so on.

With the above in mind, local SEO works by having someone perform a series of tasks that help Google understand that your business is the best one to rank for that search. Some of these tasks are quick, like claiming your GBP and picking your categories, and some need to be consistently performed over a long period of time, like review management or link building.

Why is local SEO important?

Without local SEO, your business probably won’t be found when someone performs a local search.

For example, if someone in Chicago searches ‘nail salon in lincoln park’ and you’re up against tons of businesses that have hundreds of reviews, a well-maintained GBP and a bunch of well-optimized local landing pages, you’re unlikely to show up. And, if you don’t show up, the chances of someone coming across your business online drastically decrease.

Google themselves put out a key statistic in 2018 that’s still used widely across the industry to help highlight why local SEO is so important: 46% of all search queries have local intent. If that isn’t enough to convince you that it’s worth focusing on your visibility in local search, I don’t know what is. But if you want to see some more local SEO statistics, we’ve got you covered.

Local SEO vs Traditional SEO: What’s the Difference?

The core difference between SEO for local businesses and SEO for other kinds of businesses (such as e-commerce) is in the tasks you’ll need to undertake to improve the local business’s visibility.

Tasks for traditional SEO are aimed at helping a website rank in non-localized searches. Tasks for local SEO are aimed at helping a real-world business rank for a local search.

You’ll notice that I’ve said “business” there rather than a website. That’s because a business can technically rank for local searches on Google without a website, as long as they’ve claimed their Google Business Profile.

Let’s have a look at what a search term with local intent returns in Google compared to a search term without local intent.

Here is a search for ‘car tires’, one that Google sees as a more generic e-commerce search. As you can see, there are a number of Google Shopping options, some paid ads, and then links to websites.

Now take a look at the results of a search for ‘car tires lincoln park chicago’.

As you can see, there’s a stark difference. The local search shows the ‘Local Pack’, which I mentioned previously, and the organic results underneath that are localized, too.

The Local Pack is a box that contains a selection of Google Business Profiles and a map. It’s this section:

That’s very different from a traditional SERP, so it’s logical that the work you need to do isn’t exactly the same.

Traditional SEO tasks include things like:

• Link building and PR
• Technical SEO (although this encompasses a lot of different tasks)
• Content optimization and creation

All of these tasks do form part of any local SEO work, it must be said. So if you’re performing local SEO, then using these as a foundation is a good idea. Content and link building, for instance, just need to be done with a localized slant. Traditional SEO tactics are still important, but they simply become part of a wider tapestry.

So with that in mind, what do you need to consider for local optimization?

What are the key tasks involved in local SEO?

There are a whole host of ways to improve your local rankings. If you’re new to this, though, there are a few simple places you can get started.

1. Claim, then optimize, your Google Business Profile
2. Do your keyword research
3. Look at your competitors
4. Build local listings
5. Get more reviews
6. Create localized content

Use our local SEO checklist for a more exhaustive plan.

Claim, then optimize your Google Business Profile

Do it. Now. Maybe even yesterday if you’ve got access to a time machine. Before you start on anything else, this is a simple first step to take.

Do it here. I’ll be waiting to carry on once you have.

Done that? Great. Need help doing it? We’ve got a guide on claiming your Google Business Profile.

A GBP is how Google understands your business, from the business category you select through to the reviews you get. In addition to that, Google populates the Local Pack with GBPs. Starting to see why it’s so important now?

There’s a lot you need to consider with GBP, so we’ve gone into much more detail in our Google Business Profile Handbook.

Work out the keywords you want to rank for

This is the start of any SEO work, whether it’s local or otherwise.

It’s such a big deal that some businesses even include their keywords in their business name. While I wouldn’t necessarily always recommend that, it does highlight that you need to think about how your customers are going to find you as early in the process as possible.

Every SEO expert you talk to will have a different way of recommending performing more detailed keyword research. But a good start is simply searching for your business in the same way that you think your potential customers would, and seeing what comes up in the search results.

Gather a small selection to begin with, and think of the ones with a more transactional intent.

For instance, if you’re a nail salon in Lincoln Park, Chicago:

Nail salon near me

Nail salon in lincoln park

Lincoln park manicure

Best pedicure lincoln park

Other, more “longtail” or informational terms, can come later. For now, you’re just at the beginning of your journey.

There’s a lot more to local keyword research than that, though, so we’ve gone through it in detail as part of another guide in this Handbook.

As you’ll see when you’re optimizing your GBP, having those keywords handy will be useful. A search below shows how Google pulls the information from each GBP to match the searcher’s query.

Look at your competitors

With these keywords in hand, you can quickly discover who your local competitors are going to be.

Of course, you may just be able to look out of a window, or already have market research in hand. Even so, it’s worth remembering that you may have different competitors in online search.

Once you’ve seen who is ranking for your keywords, you can see how they’re doing it. This gives you an idea of how quickly you can be competitive and where your quicker wins will be.

Are they struggling with reviews on their Google Business Profile? Try to get more than them, and prioritize this activity. Is their GBP a mess? Make yours make more sense. Have they engaged with the local community to get a bunch of links? See if you can do that, too. You get the idea.

One way to check this is simply by Googling. Another is  byusing a local SEO tool like BrightLocal’s Local Search Grid.

Build local listings

While they may not be the one-shot to the top three rankings they used to be, local citations (or business listings) are still an important brick in your local SEO foundation.

Not only does Google use them to assess whether the information they have on you is correct, but they’re also an important way of building trust.

Citations are just as the name suggests: mentions of your business’s important information (Name, Address, Phone Number) on trusted sources. It’s worth investing in a number of key citations to get your foundations in order.

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Once you’ve built your citations, it’s important that you keep them maintained and accurate.

Why? Well, it’s important that search engines can rely on the business details they scour the web for, but it’s important for consumer trust, too. In fact, The Local Business Discovery & Trust Report 2023 found that 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online. 

For more of a deep dive into local citations, check out our Local Citations Handbook. If you want to start building your own, we’ve got a lengthy list of business listing sites to help, too.

Get more reviews, then actively manage the ones you receive

Review management is a task that falls somewhere between SEO and customer service. While it can benefit both, your online reputation is particularly important for your rankings.

Google has a review functionality in Google Business Profile for a reason: it sees user and customer feedback as a key signal for ranking businesses in local searches.

It’s worthwhile taking time to look into review guidelines for Google and other major platforms. Our Review Management Handbook also has tips on those guidelines and on how to get more reviews.

Optimize your website for local search

As mentioned above, you technically don’t need a website to rank in local search. But I strongly recommend you have one. Once you get it, you need to make sure it’s designed to help you rank locally.

There are a host of generic on-page SEO tasks you can do to help your local SEO. These includes things like:

• Optimizing meta-data and page titles,
• Implementing local business schema 
• Creating an efficient structure for your site
• Making it mobile-friendly (you can use Chrome Lighthouse to check how you’re doing)
• Building relevant internal links
• Providing a positive user experience

Once you’ve got those basics down, you’ll need to look at your website content.

Mentioning geo-targeted keywords

Think ‘replacement car tires in lincoln park’ or ‘manicure in lincoln park’. If you’re a single location, then this is super easy, as your homepage can do a lot of the heavy lifting. If you’ve got a few locations, or you’re a service area business, then your homepage will be more general, but should still include some important keywords— they may just be city or state-based, rather than borough or small-town based.

Creating location pages

If you have specific business locations all talked about on the same website, then you need to have a way for people to find them. Optimize these location pages for ‘[keyword] in [location]’ as a bare minimum. Then, look at how you can make them truly useful to your potential customers.

We have a more in-depth guide to creating powerful location pages.

Creating local content

If you’re in a highly competitive market, you can then take this even further. Creating localized content can help increase your overall authority and help Google understand that you’re truly the expert in that area.

The type of local content will vary depending on your niche. But a couple of examples for different niches are below:

Law: If you’re performing local SEO for a law firm, you can consider whether there are any laws in your state or city that are unique. Write a guide to help people understand that. Think ‘Divorce law in Texas’, or something like that, and then how you can write a compelling and informative guide on the subject. If someone is searching for those differences, you want to be the site they find that information on.

Real estate: Similarly, if you’re doing a real estate company’s local SEO you could consider creating area guides that really sell why a specific area is good to move to. Roundups of coffee shops or features on schools in those areas could be a great idea.

This is all just scratching the surface. There’s a lot you can do with your content.

Anything else?

That’s just scratching the surface. As I alluded to earlier, building links is something you’ll likely need to consider. The key here, though, will be getting them from relevant local sources.

Other tasks that you may need to consider include:

• Monitoring changes to Google’s algorithm or SERPs
• Fighting spam by reporting businesses that go against Google’s guidelines.
• Engaging with your local community
• Creating social media profiles and actually using them

Tracking Your Work and Reporting Results

Part of any form of optimization process, whether that’s local SEO or your fitness routine at the gym, is taking time to assess how that work is going.

The following are free tools to help you start tracking your results. We have created guides for each to help you set them up and interpret the results.

• Google Business Profile Performance
• Google’s Search Console
• Google Analytics 4

If you’re taking things seriously, investing in a local rank-tracking tool is also worth it. Geo-grid rank trackers are a great way to visualize how your business is ranking as they show how you’re performing for your keywords based on the search location on a map. There are a few different geo-grid rank trackers available, but we’d recommend our own Local Search Grid.

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What next?

I’ve gone over the basics to help you understand what local SEO is. Hopefully, you’re feeling ready to get started with some of these tasks (or at least know what local SEO services to look for providers of—consider BrightLocal’s if you are!) If you’re still unsure about anything, you’re in the right place—the rest of our local marketing handbooks can help.

Whether you have a physical brick-and-mortar location or serve a particular geographical area, local SEO allows you to better connect with people in your neighborhood, town, or city. That’s important given that 80% of US consumers search online for local businesses on a weekly basis.

Benefits of local SEO 

1. Better online visibility: Local SEO activity, such as citation and link building, increases your online visibility, making your business more easily discoverable by new customers.
2. More in-store foot traffic: Greater local visibility brings more foot traffic to your bricks-and-mortar location.
3. Tap into local shopping boom: More than half of consumers prefer to shop locally and support local businesses or smaller brands. Local SEO puts you in contention for those new business opportunities.
4. Targeted web traffic: Optimizing your site for local search delivers more targeted traffic to your website which can lead to more leads, subscriptions, sign-ups, and sales.
5. More calls: Google Business Profile optimization can lead to enhanced Google Maps visibility. This can lead to more calls and more in-person visits.
6. Thought leadership: Content marketing can help you establish a thought leadership position and be seen as an expert in your field.
7. Enhanced trust levels: Reputation management builds trust in your business.
8. More sales: Consumers are known to use online reviews to help with decision-making when choosing a local business.
9. Improved conversion rate: Website optimization can bolster your conversion rate, increasing contact form submissions, phone calls, email subscriptions, or sales.
10. More competitive: Local SEO also makes you more competitive as it encourages you to study what your rivals are doing well and what tactics are working for them to then integrate into your own approach.

This is Why Local SEO is Important

Imagine you’re a bridal boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. Your ideal customer is a bride-to-be actively looking for ‘bridal boutique, Charlotte, North Carolina’. However, the organic search results are populated by big-name brands such as directory sites, top 10 lists, and blogs. This makes it hard to compete and difficult to imagine a route for the bride to find her way to your store.

However, if you perform local SEO, you’ll appear at the top of the search results and in the Local Pack with useful information such as opening times, your phone number and location, an image, and your five-star review rating. The bride-to-be can see you’re close by, offer a great service, and can easily plan a visit or call your store. You’re now in the running to make a sale.

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The 10 Benefits of Local SEO

1. Better Online Visibility 

Many of the activities associated with local SEO will help you improve your visibility in local search results and build better overall online visibility. 

Citation building, for example, is a staple of local SEO activity. This involves building mentions of your company’s name, its physical address (ideally including zip code), and phone number via directory listings, social media profiles, and online review platforms. 

Because you’ll do this in as many different places as possible, it’s easier for your business to be found by the right people (those interested in your specific product or service in their local area) at the right time (when they’re actively searching for a business like yours). If you’re running a B&B in Upstate New York, for example, a Tripadvisor NAP could help interested guests find you and make a reservation.

It’s important to keep the data across these listings, too, as 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online.

2. More In-store Foot Traffic

Greater local visibility can help to bring more foot traffic to your bricks-and-mortar location, whether you’re a cafe, dry cleaner, or hardware store. If you’ve invested heavily in specialist equipment, designed an innovative space, or have a brick-and-mortar location because your products are best experienced in person, growing the number of people stopping by can help you create a buzz about your space and make more sales. 

3. Tap Into the Local Shopping Boom

Recent years have seen widespread changes in consumer buying habits. One of the most notable is that today’s consumers increasingly prioritize local businesses when it comes to making purchasing decisions. 

One of the core benefits of local SEO is it puts you in front of local consumers exactly when they need your products or services. As a result, this can empower you to fully leverage this shift in buyer behavior to grow your business. 

4. Targeted Web Traffic

As a small business, every minute you spend dealing with unqualified leads or people who aren’t likely to make a purchase or book a service is money lost. 

Local SEO can help weed out irrelevant traffic and remove time-wasters that prevent your business from running efficiently, helping ensure your business is only visible to search users in your local area. 

With 72% of consumers using Google to search for local business information, this can be a significant advantage as it allows you to focus your resources on those customers most likely to convert. 

5. More Calls and Visits from Maps Users

Optimizing your Google Business Profile can enhance your visibility on Google Maps. This, in turn, can lead to more calls and in-person visits since Google Maps was specifically designed to help users find local services and plan their journeys. 

Google Maps is populated using information that Google gleans from Business Profiles, so any Google Business Profile optimization you carry out will directly aid your Maps visibility, increasing your number of calls and in-person visits.

6. Establish a Position of Thought Leadership 

Performing content marketing and link building is necessary to establish prominence and relevance, two of the core pillars of local SEO rankings. This same activity can also help you to cultivate a reputation as a thought leader and expert in your field. 

Local content marketing should naturally involve talking about your local area or hometown and involving your local community. Not only does this help grow your position as an expert voice, but it can also bring your customers closer to your business, building stronger links, brand loyalty, and increasing engagement.

When you take the time to create locally-focused evergreen resources you’re also more likely to receive links back to your site from other local businesses. These links, whether from a local source like your town newspaper or an industry-specific site (like your local chamber of commerce) can all add to your authority and credibility, helping position you as an expert in your field. 

7. Enhanced Trust Levels 

It’s no secret that reviews are a cornerstone of local SEO success and a key local search ranking factor. The more reviews you get as part of your reputation management strategy, the more visibility you’ll earn in local search. 

Reviews are also an essential ingredient for building consumer trust—a vital attribute that precedes any business transaction. 

Research confirms that more consumers than ever before are reading online reviews more regularly, and nearly half say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

Greater visibility, combined with top-rated, fresh reviews, is a magic formula for both local pack prominence and higher levels of consumer trust.

8. More Sales

Consumers use online reviews to help with the decision-making process when choosing a local business. Around one in eight people go online to find information about a local business more than once a week. 

Being able to present them with authentic recommendations from their peers for your business as a result of your reputation management activity is a powerful benefit and underlines just why local SEO is important. 

9. Improved Conversion Rates

When asking, ‘What are the benefits of local SEO?’ it’s easy to focus attention on what’s happening on Google and other platforms, but it can also play a direct role in improving the structure and performance of your own website. 

Website optimization tasks carried out for local SEO, such as adding new locally-focused optimization, reviewing landing page text, and working on page load speed, all help with conversion rate optimization (CRO). From there, you should see an increase in the number of conversions your site generates, including increases in contact form submissions, more phone calls, email subscriptions, or sales. 

10. Your Business Becomes More Competitive

An important part of developing and refining your local SEO strategy is benchmarking competitors and identifying what they’re doing better than you. Research suggests that the most successful brands invest in local SEO strategy: 94% of high-performing brands have a dedicated local marketing strategy, compared to 60% of average-performing brands.

Identifying these opportunities to improve (and being able to put the things they have learned into practice without the trial-and-error they may have gone through to arrive at a successful strategy) puts your business on a much more competitive footing. Studying their reviews, for example, could tell you what customers appreciate about their service so you can incorporate a similar approach within your own business.

One of the best ways for a business to get noticed, and to gain an advantage over its competitors, is to rank in the Google Local Pack.

What is the Google Local Pack?

The Local Pack appears at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when a user makes a search query with local intent. It’s sometimes known as the Local 3 Pack, the Google 3 pack, the Google Map Pack, or—and this is my personal favorite—the Snack Pack.

Why is it called a ‘3 pack’?

The three most relevant results—determined by Google’s search algorithm—are featured in this ‘local SERPs pack’, and are distinctly separate from the remaining organic search results. If you own a brick-and-mortar store, then you’ll want to appear here! Below are two different examples, so you can see what the Local Pack looks like in different locations and industries.

A Local Pack for ‘Vegan Restaurants in New York City’

A Map Pack for ‘Car Maintenance Palm Springs’

These top three results are accompanied by a map that shows exactly where they’re located, as well as the address, opening hours, and average star rating from customer reviews, plus a click-to-call option for mobile users. ​​​​​​​

How does Google identify a local search?

The following are different ways for Google to identify that a user is making a search with local intent:

• A user will include the name of the desired geographic area, such as the town or city, within their search term. For example, ‘hair salon in Syracuse, NY’.
• A user will include ‘near me’ within their search query. For example, ‘hair salon near me’. Google will use GPS tracking to accurately understand where the user is searching from.
• A user will type their search query, such as ‘hair salon’, without any additional information. Google will understand that this user is likely searching for a hair salon to visit and will factor in their location while determining the most relevant results.

How is the Google Local Pack different from organic SERPs?

The algorithm for the Google Local Pack is different from organic SERP listings, so you’ll need to consider Local Pack SEO separately—start by checking out these local SEO tips for better visibility.

When it comes to appearance, the main difference is that the Google Local Pack contains clear calls to action, such as to visit the website or to make a phone call. Another important difference is that the Local Pack features concise information about a business that the user will naturally benefit from, such as location and hours of operation.  

These features make these positions more valuable—both to the searcher and to the top-ranking local businesses.

A Brief History of the Google Local Pack

The Google Local 3 Pack has been a feature in local SERPs since 2015. Before this time, Google displayed seven results in a list without a map.  

The reduction from seven results to three is great for readability on mobile devices, and the addition of a map helps the user to immediately understand the location of the results. 

Why should I care?

Of the approximately 40,000 Google searches made around the globe every second, data reveals that 46% of these queries have local intent. This equates to a huge number of people seeking information in their local area every single day. 

The stats also show that at least 93% of Google searches with local intent will include a Local Pack within the results.

What’s more, approximately 50% of users making a local search on a phone will visit a nearby business concerning this query within 24 hours. Plus, 78% of these searches will result in an offline sale in the near future. 

These figures highlight the importance of being visible to consumers who are ready to spend when they make a local search.

How do I climb the Google Map Pack rankings?

To start climbing the rankings into the Google Map Pack, you will first need to claim your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business).

Once you’ve claimed your Google Business Profile (GBP), you’ll then need to optimize it with the appropriate information. This involves completing all of the relevant sections, as well as including photos of your business. 

When deciding which GBP results to return for a query, Google primarily considers:

• Proximity—how close your business is to the user
• Prominence—how popular your business is
• Relevance—how closely matched your business is to the search query

The algorithm will also prioritize listings that are maintained with accurate and up-to-date details, as well as those that contain beneficial information about the business. 

The majority of consumers won’t check beyond the first page of results, so it’s essential that your business is ranking well for a range of different search terms. Once your listing is claimed and optimized, Local Pack SEO should then be the next step to boosting your online visibility. 

What about Google Maps?

Within the Local Pack Google listings, users can click to see more results, and doing so will take them to Google Local Finder (see image below). This is a more comprehensive list of relevant local businesses for the search query.

However, it’s important to be aware that the Local Finder is not the same as Google Maps.

Check out our dedicated post on the difference between Google Local Finder and Google Maps. 

Securing Local Search Success

The importance of ranking in the Google Map Pack shouldn’t be overlooked as a brick-and-mortar business owner. You may wish to hire an agency to help you, but there are many actions you can take yourself. If you want to start learning more about local SEO, then check out our comprehensive article on local ranking factors.

As you push ahead with your local search strategy, it’s important to be aware that Google results will vary when you check your rankings from different locations. Google will always know where you are and will return the results that are most relevant to your current location. 

Variance in the search results can be a stumbling block to understanding how your business is truly performing locally. You can easily solve this problem by using our free tool to accurately observe your local rankings from any location. 

With the best knowledge and the right tools, you’ll be well on your way to local search success!

Both give out local business information, which begs the question—how do they differ and when does a search favor one tool over the other?

Why two tools?

The reason for having two systems is actually pretty straightforward. It all comes back to user intent:

1. Google Local Finder returns results within a small geographic area, making it easy to find nearby businesses. It’s tied to Google Business Profiles and is typically triggered by a user clicking on a local pack result or the ‘more businesses’ button at the bottom of the local pack.
2. Google Maps takes a broader approach to results and isn’t as focused on a small geographic area. This is because it was originally conceived as a mapping engine; a tool that can help you plan your journey and find services such as gas stations, hotels, and restaurants en-route.

In short, Maps are for broader searches and Local Finder is for searches where there’s specific intent to find a certain type of local business.

Google Business Profile Gold Product Expert Krystal Taing expands on this:

So which is which?

What is Google Local Finder?

Google Local Finder is part of Google local search, e.g. when someone types in “handyman in palo alto”, or “handyman near me”. It draws data from a range of sources including Google and third-party reviews, Google Business Profiles, and business websites.

It’s seen when a user performs a standard Google search and then clicks on one of the local pack results.

If you click on a Google Business Profile in the local pack, it shows that profile in the finder, like this:

When Google Local Finder is open, it gives the user a map with multiple local business listings. These results cover pre-determined businesses, along with relevant information to be evaluated by the user. The local finder looks like the below if you have clicked the ‘More businesses’ button at the bottom of the local pack, or if you click off the profile you initially viewed it with.

Google Local Finder then allows you to search in this new tab if you wish to do so, rather than going back to the original SERPs. It gives the illusion that you are searching on Google Maps, but what you are actually doing is searching Google as normal, but an overlay on top of Google Maps to visually display the results.

What about Google Maps?

You likely know what Google Maps is, but for the uninitiated, Google Maps is (unsurprisingly) a map, first and foremost, rather than a search engine. It’s used by millions of people to plan routes, give directions and, in many instances, find businesses. The map-first nature does mean searching for a business works slightly differently from how it would on Google’s own search page or on the Local Finder.

As with the Local Finder, Google Maps draws its ranking data from Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) content. When it comes to rankings in Maps results, Google will place additional weight on the relevance, proximity, and prominence to the searcher.

The overall appearance of Maps is similar to Local Finder, with the primary difference being the area of coverage. Maps defaults to a much wider geographical area, as you can see below for the same ‘handyman in palo alto california’ search.

Maps is more often used during mobile search (including voice searches), as Google Maps is the default mapping app on all Android phones and tablets. It can also be accessed via the ‘Maps’ tab in search on a desktop device.

Search users opening Maps are more likely to be ‘discovering’ – browsing for an area, route, or landmark, without a set of specific business listings in mind. This means that unlike the search above, they may not need to add a location qualifier or a ‘near me’ to their search.

The below search, for instance, was made by simply hovering over that location in the Google Maps app and searching for ‘handyman’.

Ranking In Google Local Finder and Google Maps

The crucial first step: Google Business Profile

Before you can think about improving your rankings in Google Maps and Local Finder, you’ll need to claim your free Google local business listing.

You simply cannot rank on either platform without a Google Business Profile. This is the single most important step here, so make sure you do it.

Follow our complete guide to setting up your Google Business Profile to find out how.

Rankings

With your GBP listing claimed you can now start to think about improving your Google local rankings across the two tools.

It’s important to remember here that although Local Finder and Maps appear to be similar Google treats them differently due to the difference in user intent we mentioned earlier.

This means that two visitors, each searching for the same type of business, in the same location, might be shown two very different sets of results.

In fact, research has shown that results across Local Finder and Google Maps can differ from as little as 8% for local attractions to as much as 39% for women’s clothing stores.

Tips to Rank in Google Local Finder

Due to Local Finder’s close connection with Google’s ‘regular’ local ranking factors, standard local SEO optimization tactics will help you to improve your Local Finder visibility.

1. Nurture Your Google Business Profile

The information that you share with Google plays a key role in where your local business will appear in search.

Make sure that your Google Business Profile is optimized with the correct category selection, a comprehensive ‘about’ section, and accurate NAPs and Questions and Answers.

2. Focus on Local SEO

As mentioned, standard local SEO signals will help determine your rankings in Local Finder:

• Google Business Profile signals: Additional category selections, use of keywords in reviews, and frequency of reviews all matter. GBP signals are a key local SEO ranking factor so it pays to spend as much time as you can optimizing your listing.
• Review signals: Encourage customers or visitors to leave a review and, where needed, immediately address any negative feedback. Customer rating matters, so the more four and five star reviews you can collect, the better.
• Citation signals: Local citations also aid in Google local discoverability. Aim for high-quality, trustworthy, and authoritative citations. Information should be consistent across your citation profile as any discrepancies can dilute trust.
• On-page signals: Local on-page SEO optimization can help boost Local Finder rankings, so conduct a local SEO audit and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Link signals: Link signals including anchor text, linking domain authority, link quantity, and link position, are a key part in positively impacting your Local Finder placement.

3. Your Digital First Impression

Spend time thinking about what you want your ‘digital first impression’ to be and create a plan to achieve this.

As well as getting you seen, this will get people clicking through to your listing and (hopefully) end up with them becoming a customer. Here are some things you can do:

• Enable GBP Messaging
• Use keywords in GBP Products
• Use keywords in Google Posts
• Enable an Appointment URL
• Use Google Posts frequently

Tips to Improve Your Google Maps SEO

Unlike Google Local Finder, Google Maps is a standalone entity and not directly connected to search.

Ranking well on Google Maps depends greatly on the standard pillars of Google’s local search algorithm (relevance, proximity, and prominence), perhaps even more so. This makes Google Maps SEO slightly trickier, but still very much viable.
Here are some tactics you can try to boost these key signals in Google Maps.

1. Highlight your Relevance

Maps users want to know that your business is relevant to their needs.

Look to add suitable attribute icons (such as ‘women-led’ or ‘Black-owned’). While these can appear on both Local Finder and Google Maps, their visual nature makes them even more obvious on Google Maps.

Making sure you’ve chosen the right GBP attributes and justifications can help Google understand your relevance to a search. They also help users understand if your business is a better fit than the others Google has ranked for their query.

You’ll also need to weed out duplicate listings which could contain inaccurate or contradictory information.

2. Make your Proximity Obvious

Maps users want to know that your business is close to their search area.

Include a local phone number with area code and embed Google Maps on your website. Both of these factors work to verify your location and provide users with peace of mind that your business is where you say it is.

3. Make your Prominence Known

Prominence simply means high profile – Maps users want to know that a business is active and legitimate.

You need to maintain an active presence online and posting regularly is the first step. Keep your business hours updated, post photographs of new products, and consider launching a virtual tour.

Similarly, spend time asking customers for reviews. They’re a relatively quick way to help highlight your expertise, especially if you’re getting reviews on your GBP.

Away from Google, securing placements in local media, building links from local sources, being active on social media, and authoring thought-leadership pieces or by-lined articles are also worth exploring.

Conclusion

While there’s no official confirmation that Google treats Google Local Finder and Google Maps differently when it comes to rankings, a causal search will show you that they do.

Ranking highly on Local Finder doesn’t guarantee similar visibility in Maps and vice versa.

To cover all bases of user intent, local businesses should plan to rank for both.

As SEO specialists and digital marketers, staying informed about updates is essential to adapting our strategies effectively. Failing to do so can quickly diminish our local search presence. This advanced guide will help you understand the local search algorithm by breaking down the three major ranking pillars and explore specific ranking factors within these pillars that can significantly impact a business’s local search position. By the end, you’ll be equipped to stay ahead of the competition and know exactly what to focus on. 

Google’s Local Search Algorithm

Google’s local search algorithm uses three key components to determine which businesses appear in local search results: proximity, relevance, and prominence.

Proximity

Proximity refers to the physical distance between the user’s search query and the business. The closer a business is to the user’s location (or the location they are searching for), the more likely it is to appear in the search results. This is one of the most crucial factors, especially for users performing searches with local intent.

There isn’t much a business can do to target this pillar. However, making sure that your Google Business Profile and other listings have an accurate Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) is a good start.

Relevance

Relevance measures how well a business listing matches the search query. Factors like business categories, keywords on the business website, and user-generated content (e.g., reviews) can help improve relevance. A business that aligns well with a search term is more likely to be ranked higher.

Local ranking factors that Google includes in this pillar include:

• Local listings and citations
• On-page signals, including content
• Google Business Prorfile
• Backlinks
• Personalization signals

Prominence

Prominence looks at how well-known and trusted a business is within its community or industry. This factor is influenced by external signals such as backlinks, social media mentions, online reviews, and how frequently a business is mentioned across the web. Prominent businesses that are often referenced and have a higher reputation tend to rank higher in local searches.

Local search ranking factors that Google includes in this pillar include:

• Reviews
• Google Business Profile and other listings
• Backlinks
• Behavioral signals

Together, these three factors form the backbone of Google’s local ranking system. However, within these categories, a number of specific ranking factors can significantly influence a business’s local search position. Let’s break down the individual ranking factors that come into play. 

Local Search Ranking Factors for Local SEO

There are certain factors that determine how well a business performs within the realms of proximity, relevance, and prominence.

This table shows what experts in the 2023 survey identified as the top local search ranking factors, divided into Local Pack and localized organic categories.

To improve both Local Pack and localized organic rankings, you might find it useful to know the average importance of the local SEO ranking factors across both:

1. On-page optimization (28%)
2. GBP (21%)
3. Links (19%)
4. Reviews (11%)
5. Behavioral signals (9%)
6. Citations (7%)
7. Personalization (7%)

Let’s run through each one and see how they influence proximity, relevance, and prominence.

1. On-Page Signals

Optimizing your web pages for given keywords will increase relevance and enhance your chances of being favored by the Google local algorithm. According to Moz’s Local Ranking Factors report, website content relevance accounts for 15% of local search ranking factors, making it an essential component of any local SEO strategy. 

Below is a list of on-page attributes that should be considered when trying to increase relevance for a given keyword or topic. 

Here are some of the on-page signals Google looks at:

Keywords

The key to ranking is ensuring your content is highly relevant to a user’s search query. Google’s 2018 core algorithm update emphasized content relevance over content length or quality. Since then they’ve doubled down on Expertize, Experience, Authority, and Trust (EEAT) signals and in 2022 launched the Helpful Content Update.

Simply put, if your content aligns with what users are searching for and it’s written with true authority, it’s more likely to rank higher.

The key to starting this, is keywords.

• LSI Keywords: By including keywords in your content that are semantically related to each other you increase relevance to your target keyword or query. Search engines are very smart; they are capable of drawing connections between keywords and rewarding pages that do so properly. Tip: Use Google’s search predictor or a tool like this to help.
• Long-tail Keywords: These keywords differ from LSI keywords but also add relevance. Although these keywords are longer, they do tend to convert higher. This is because they are usually more specific and descriptive. Long-tail keywords help add context to your content which helps search engines determine if your page matches the context of a user’s search query.

It all starts with good local keyword research.

Title Tag

First impressions count! Your title tag is one of the first things users see in search results. Make sure it incorporates your target keyword and clearly signals what the page is about. A well-crafted title tag not only helps with SEO but also encourages users to click.

Meta Description

Your meta description is an opportunity to expand on the title tag and provide more context. Including your target keyword here further boosts relevance and provides users with additional details about what to expect from the page.

Body Tags (H1, H2, etc.)

Headings help structure your content and improve relevance. Use descriptive body tags like H1, H2, etc., to break up your content. These tags are not only helpful for readers but also give search engines a better understanding of your content. Be sure to include relevant keywords, especially in your H1 tag, which is the most prominent heading on the page.

Internal and Outbound Linking

Effective linking strategies—both internal and outbound—are essential for boosting relevance and improving the user experience on your website.

• Internal Links: These help users navigate to relevant pages on your website. They help establish hierarchy and spread link equity throughout a website. You can use internal linking to increase relevance for a page by creating a navigation path to similar pages or pages that help strengthen your topic or keyword.
• Outbound Links: Outbound links direct users to external websites for additional information on related topics. These links not only enhance the user experience but also help the Google local algorithm understand your niche. Focus on providing high-quality, relevant outbound links to strengthen your site’s credibility and relevance in the eyes of search engines.

Inbound linking is a whole other kettle of fish, and we’ll get to that later.

Alt Text

Every user consumes information differently, and some people are very visual. As such it’s best to try to include images with your content wherever possible. These assets will help increase user engagement, which helps with ranking.

Whenever you add images to a page you have the option to add alt text, which is a way for search engines to easily crawl and understand what the media is. This is another great place to incorporate keywords. If you have an image that showcases a service your business offers, you want that alt text to include the service keyword. It’s also a really important aspect for accessible reasons, to ensure your content can reach as many people as possible.

Schema

Schema helps you organize and provide search engines like Google with the information they need to understand your content. It helps ensure the best search results possible and improves the way your page is displayed in search results. By adding schema to a page, you can increase the relevance for a given topic or keyword. Search engines can easily find schema and make sense of the content that it represents, helping to ensure that you show up when you should.

URL Structure

Setting up your website’s hierarchy and site architecture is very important. It allows you to tell search engine algorithms how to prioritize and crawl your website. The URL slug that you use should reflect the topic of the page — this is another quick way to increase relevance.

Treat these on-page signals as a checklist. You should be able to go through your target page and check off every one of the above attributes. Once you get through this checklist, you should be able to confidently say that your page is relevant to your target keyword or topic, and so your site is more likely to be favored by the Google local algorithm.

2. Google Business Profile Signals

Whether you’re optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) (formerly Google My Business), Bing Places, or Yahoo Local, ensuring your listing is fully optimized is crucial—studies show that businesses with complete GBP profiles are 70% more likely to attract customer engagement. To achieve this, focus on maintaining accurate NAP (name, address, phone number) information, having a single claimed listing, and properly completing these two essential features.

Categories

Selecting the appropriate primary category for your business is crucial for local search rankings. According to Whitespark’s 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, the primary category is the top factor influencing rankings in Google’s Local Pack. In addition to the primary category, selecting relevant additional categories can further enhance your visibility. However, it’s essential to ensure that all chosen categories precisely define your business to maintain relevance and effectiveness.

For a comprehensive list of categories, you can refer to this list of Google’s Business Profile categories. Similarly, Bing Places offers a detailed list of categories.

A 2023 GBP Category Study from BrightLocal found that businesses using four additional categories within their GBPs have the highest average map ranking of 5.9.

Description

By adding a description of your business, you allow users to know exactly what you do (as well as search engines). This shouldn’t be salesy, or an attempt to market your business. Instead, it should give users (and search engines) the info they require to determine if your business matches their needs or intent.

3. Link Signals

Backlinks are critical indicators of trust and credibility for search engines. High-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites boost your website’s authority, signaling to search engines that your content is reliable and valuable. This directly impacts both prominence and relevance.

A “good” backlink comes from a credible site with a strong Page or Domain Authority that aligns with your page’s topic. For instance, a service page about “car insurance” benefits from links on insurance-related or, better yet, car insurance-specific pages. These links not only increase the prominence of your site by associating it with authoritative sources, but they also improve relevance by reinforcing the specific topic of your content. Conversely, a link from a “home insurance” page would hold less value due to its lack of topical relevance, diminishing its effectiveness in boosting both prominence and relevance.

In local, relevance can trump things like domain authority. A number of links from other trusted sources in your local area, for instance, could do a lot to help your situation.

4. Review Signals

Online reviews for a business not only have the power to increase ranking signals but the power to push a consumer to a decision. You can never have enough reviews!

Ask yourself, would you trust a business with 100 reviews or 10? Chances are it’s the former. That’s because (like the Google local algorithm) users need to gain trust from a brand before purchasing or clicking. So, similar to users, search engines have the ability to analyze the type of review, how many reviews a business has, and how they interact with reviews (respond to them or not). All these factors can increase a brand’s online prominence.

Additionally, the language used in reviews can impact your relevance by reinforcing important keywords or phrases associated with your business. For example, if customers frequently mention your services, products, or location, it helps search engines better understand what your business offers and where it operates.

Here are some tips to strengthen the impact of your online reviews.

Develop a Review Strategy

In order for a business to gain more reviews, you need to develop a strategy. This is very important. If you want to have a great online brand prominence, you need to first find a way to get more reviews. There are lots of tools available to help you generate more reviews.

Respond to Reviews

Once you have a strategy in place, you need to find a way to monitor and manage your reviews. This is just as important as getting reviews. Search engines are able to tell if you engage with customers and reply to their comments. It shows that you’re active and willing to interact.

Display relevant Reviews

Ensure that reviews on specific product or location pages are related to the page’s content. Reviews mentioning specific locations should be displayed on the relevant pages of your site.

A great tool to use is Brightlocal’s Reputation Manager tool. You can monitor all your reviews and highlight the ones you need to respond to. This is especially important for negative reviews. Yes, negative reviews aren’t great but you can respond to them in a positive, proactive way that can turn that negative review around.

Remember that you want to stand out from competitors, and you want your brand prominence to look good in the eyes of users and Google’s local algorithm.

5. Behavioural Signals

Behavioral signals—such as click-through rate, mobile clicks to call, and dwell time—are user-driven actions that impact both prominence and relevance. While their importance has fluctuated, with Local Pack/Finder ranking influence at 8% in 2023, they remain a reliable indicator of user engagement.

Behavioral signals are a reliable source of information for Google because they’re much harder to manipulate than other factors. These actions are taken by the searcher and, therefore, can only be influenced to a certain degree.

Instead of thinking up innovative new ways to influence user behavior, why not spend this time optimizing your GBP to give the user the best possible experience? This involves creating optimized copy for titles, meta descriptions, Posts, and more. Make your listing as valuable and coherent as possible, and you’ll move closer to winning at rankings and conversions.

Try to remember that the end goal of SEO isn’t just to improve rankings, the focus must also be to attract the right customers to a business for those all-important sales. When you start getting seen by the right customers—those who want to learn more about your business—these users will naturally help to enhance the behavioral signals towards your site.

6. Local Citation and Listing Signals

Local citations—mentions of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web—are important for establishing local prominence. While they don’t require a backlink, the more citations your business has in reputable local directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local chambers of commerce, the more authoritative it appears to Google.

Take a look at the example below of a recent Google search for ‘Cafe in Sacramento’. You can see that there are several results from business directories, including the top three spots!

When it comes to local SEO, consistency is key—especially when it comes to your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). Discrepancies in NAP data across directories and local listings can confuse Google, ultimately impacting your rankings. In fact, businesses with consistent NAP data across major citation sources are 40% more likely to appear in the local pack. That’s a significant boost to your visibility and credibility!

Building these citations can be incredibly time-consuming, so a service like BrightLocal’s Citation Builder can be a huge time and cost saver.

Therefore, it’s important to track your citations to ensure they are accurate and consistent. To get started, use tools like Brightlocal’s Citation Tracker to identify existing, incorrect, and potential citations. This will help you focus on the most valuable citations and ensure they’re correct and up-to-date.

7. Personalization Signals

Personalization signals shape search results based on a user’s preferences, behavior, and search history, influencing proximity, prominence, and relevance. For proximity, search engines consider the user’s current location or habitual searches to deliver results nearby. Prominence is affected by interactions with businesses—like clicks or calls—which boost visibility for listings users trust or engage with frequently. Relevance is enhanced as search engines tailor results to align with user preferences, such as prioritizing vegan restaurants for someone who often searches for vegan options. By focusing on these factors, personalization ensures users find businesses most aligned with their needs and habits.

Although personalization can have an impact on general search results, it is much less likely to impact local search results. This means there’s not much you can do from an SEO perspective to optimize a website for personalization considerations.

Businesses that serve customers in countries with different native languages can translate—and therefore personalize—their content to reach the relevant audiences. Multilingual SEO is a largely underutilized resource that local businesses can tap into where appropriate.

It’s worth noting that in the US, 60 million people—almost a quarter of the population—aren’t native English speakers. So, if you operate a business in a multicultural city, then it’s likely worth targeting your website at the languages besides English that are commonly spoken.

The Evolution of Local Search Ranking Factors Over Time

Local search ranking factors have evolved significantly over the years. Previously, businesses could rely more heavily on keyword usage, backlinks, and directory listings to rank. However, Google has increasingly relied on machine learning and AI to understand user intent and deliver the most relevant local results.

• Mobile Search Growth: The rapid growth of mobile search has shifted priorities over time, with Google focusing heavily on ensuring businesses are optimized for mobile devices.
• User-Generated Content: The importance of user reviews, questions, and Q&A sections has grown exponentially. In recent years, businesses with a higher volume of positive, consistent reviews have seen a marked improvement in rankings.
• The Role of AI: With Google incorporating more AI and natural language processing into its algorithm, search results are becoming even more context-aware. Businesses that align with searcher intent through relevant, high-quality content now stand a better chance at ranking higher.

30% of mobile searches are related to a location. – Google, 2016

Local Pack / Local Finder Ranking Factors Over Time

Local Organic Ranking Factors Over Time

Conclusion: Actionable Insights for Improving Local Rankings

In conclusion, ranking in local search is becoming increasingly challenging as competition intensifies and Google’s algorithm continues to evolve. Staying informed about algorithm updates and understanding how they impact search rankings is crucial to success in local SEO. As we’ve discussed, incorporating relevant keywords, generating positive reviews, obtaining authoritative backlinks, and maintaining consistency in business information are all essential steps. By continuously refining your approach, you can enhance your local search presence, stay ahead of competitors, and ensure that your business stands out in an increasingly crowded online landscape.

So what is local link building? 

Local link building is the practice of acquiring links from other local websites. For example; local news sites, other local businesses, local bloggers, or local directories. The key thing with a local link is that it should come from a site that is location-specific to your own area of operation.

This is where it differs from traditional SEO link building. Generally, with traditional link building, while relevance is key, you may be going after hundreds or thousands of links from huge websites, which can be a much more difficult task. The key to building local links is building relationships in your local area, which may feel like a much smaller task.

Does link building affect local SEO?

You might not be asking, “is link building still relevant to SEO”? But you may be questioning whether it’s really worth investing in building links that won’t have immediate SEO benefits.

Simply put, local link building is well worth investing time into. And that’s beyond the impact on search.

For starters, links from relevant local sources are regularly mentioned as a local ranking factor. That means that getting relevant links can improve your site’s ranking in local organic searches and your Google Business Profile in the Local Pack. As the above table shows, ‘link signals’ are one of the biggest ranking factors for the local organic results. It’s not quite so significant for the local pack, but the same study found links to still be the 4th biggest factor for the local pack.

There’s a reason tools like Local Search Grid show you how many links you have in comparison to your competitors.

Other Benefits of Local Link Building

Building awareness is an often-overlooked benefit of earning local links. When potential customers or clients begin the research and discovery phase of their journey, they are looking for answers, resources, education, data, opinions, and insights from sources they know, like, and/or trust. Earning links to your site/pages from these sources can be a remarkably effective way to get on their radar.

A link from a local chamber of commerce, for example, could replicate the impact of search visibility within that local chamber’s membership. If you’re a business looking to get in front of other businesses, having a link from a chamber of commerce page, blog post, or news article will deliver targeted, effective visibility, placing your business directly in the line of vision of other local business decision-makers. Is that not exactly what you ultimately hope to achieve by improving your local SEO?

Directories and review sites are also useful too. Here’s an example for someone looking for the best place to buy meat in Chicago:

How do I create a local backlink?

Being told to go out there and build local links can be daunting. But the truth is, there are lots of avenues to explore once you know where to look.  

Acquiring local links from business directories and review sites is really ticket-to-entry local link building for awareness. In terms of deciding which sites to prioritize, start with the directories that appear most prominently for relevant awareness search queries. These are likely to include a combination of the major citation sites (i.e. Yelp), as well as vertical-specific business listing sites (i.e. a legal directory like FindLaw).

In addition to directories, other ‘local links for awareness’ options include:

• Local blogs (contributing and commenting)
• Local news
• Local community forums

Even if the searcher isn’t ready to make a purchase now, having links from these sites reinforces brand awareness and builds confidence and trust.

It’s also worth mentioning that, while we’re focusing on actual local hypertext links here, you certainly shouldn’t ignore linkless citations.

In addition to building awareness, local link building is also an effective way to drive qualified leads. Identifying local partners who share a target audience similar to yours is a great way to generate both links and leads.

How many local links do you need?

There’s no definitive answer to this question—links are just one piece of a larger puzzle. You may regularly find sites with a handful of links outranking those with thousands. It often comes down to:

• The relevance of the website to the searcher’s needs.
• The quality of the content on that site.
• The relevance of the sites linking to them—for example, a dental practice having a few links from a dental news sites and local press could be doing better than one that only has links from lifestyle publications, for instance.
• The relevance of the link itself—why are they linking?

There’s a host of things that can make one link more impactful than another. However, in your local area, comparing how many links you have to your direct competitors can give you a good start on the number of linking domains you may need.

You can do this quickly with a Local Search Grid report.

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Nine Local Link-building Strategies

Building local links for business is also about “getting out there” in your local community. It’s been said that the best links tend to grow from building great relationships.

1. Find Local Sponsorship Opportunities

Local sponsorships are a good example. Use links from a sponsorship page to drive leads for a specific offer that is highly relevant to the audience of the sponsored group, organization, or team. Think local sports shops sponsoring local youth sports teams and offering team-specific discounts, for example. 

Not sure how to go about finding sponsorship opportunities? NiftyMarketing’s Mike Ramsey suggests performing custom searches to identify potential sponsorship requests in the target area:

You can also find local sponsorship opportunities by using custom searches like:

inurl:sponsors “City name”
intitle:sponsors “City name”
intext:sponsors “City name”

2. Get Involved with Local Events

Finding popular existing local events can provide all sorts of opportunities. Where does your local community congregate? Where are these events published online? In many cases, local government sites get involved in promoting these events, along with local Facebook Groups. These are fantastic opportunities to earn links that also generate leads. Look for event sites that have a track record of linking back to partners and contributors.

Greg Gifford suggests local meetups

Chief Operating Officer at SearchLab Digital

Local meetups are super easy too. Do some research to find local groups with regular monthly meetings, meetup.com is a great tool for this one. If you’ve got a conference room, or a lounge area, that you can let someone use, you can offer it to that group.

So for instance, let’s say that group meets on the first Monday of every month at 7pm and you offer to let them use your conference room. You get a killer local link from the group’s website.

Or, if you don’t have space to let someone use. Look for meetups that are looking for regular sponsors.”

Get more of Greg’s tips in his local link-building BrightLocal Academy course.

3. Consider Offering Scholarships

Scholarships also remain a really effective link building tactic. Consider offering local scholarships to students who might also be customers. Going back to the sports shop analogy, offer a scholarship to a local student-athlete who excels both on the field, as well as in the classroom. You might be surprised just how effective this can be for generating goodwill, building brand awareness, and building local links.  

4. Look at Local Community Sites

Community sites such as local jobs boards, local not-for-profit sites, community groups, community radio stations, TV channels and newspapers, food banks, churches, and similar are additional sources of local links. 

You could consider donating your expertise to a cause, providing a helpful resource, writing a news article to share with local media, holding a community open day, or even offering to host a fundraiser in your space. 

Many community organizations welcome local business participation and in turn, you’ll obtain a local link and raise your brand visibility amongst local community members. 

5. Support Your Local Charities

Local charities faced an uphill struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic with a drop in funding and donations and an increase in people needing to access their services. This isn’t a situation that looks likely to change anytime soon, making their role within our communities more vital than ever. 

As a local business owner, you may well have an area of expertise or a resource that could make a positive impact on a local charity close to your heart. Whether that’s donating time, goods, or expertise to make a positive difference within your community, there is a clear opportunity to give back while also local link building for SEO. 

Most charities will have social media pages and a website where they share updates about donors and drives, so it’s quite feasible you could generate a local link while also making a real-world contribution. 

6. Connect with local creatives

You can use your expertise to help more than just charities. Building a reputation as someone who knows their stuff in their field can also be leveraged for local link building. 

Think about the creative scene in your town or city. Are there any local podcast hosts? Local reporters who work freelance? Local theatre groups? Each of these people may find themselves in need of local guests and local experts at one time or another. 

If you can build your profile locally, you increase your chances of being asked to appear on a future podcast episode, be interviewed by a local radio station, partner on a webinar, or host a seminar or panel discussion. 

7. Create Local Case Studies

Consider local case studies which highlight your work with other local businesses, charities, and organizations. If you’ve gone out of your way to make a difference to someone in your community, perhaps by giving them a favorable rate, helping them with an urgent problem, or by donating goods or services, consider asking them to share a case study, include your link on their site with a logo or provide a testimonial. 

8. Create an Ongoing Column with your Local Paper or News Site

Put yourself forward as a local columnist with your area’s newspaper, prominent blog, or media outlet. Typically, local media outlets are welcoming of knowledgeable contributors and they will often include a short biography of the author, sometimes with an image and link. This can also be a great way to build your local visibility as a trusted expert, a local business leader, and a subject matter expert. 

9. Apply to speak at local events

Speaking can further boost your personal and business brand and you might find that you get a link back from the event website too. Finding out what business expos and seminars going on in your area can be as simple as scouring the what’s on listing of your local venue. 

Keep an eye out for any events that fit your area of business. Expos and seminars will often require guest speakers to give talks, deliver seminars, and present keynote speeches. And you’ll often find that each speaker receives a bio on the event website along with a link, in addition to being included in the event’s marketing materials such as pre-show blog posts and local and industry news releases. 

Local links generate customers and clients. In fact, if you’ve already acquired some of the links that we discussed here, they’ve likely been helping you to win more business already. 

You can mine referral data and configure Analytics goals to capture the business impact of your local links.

Four Traditional Link-building Tactics to Help Build Local Links

Now I want to run you through a handful of tactics that apply to any business looking to build links. Remember though, the key here is to use these to build relevant links. Some of these may appear quick and easy on the surface, but might end up taking considerable time and effort.

1. Look at Your Competitor’s Links

While having the same links won’t be enough to beat your competitors, it can at least help you close the gap or get in front of the same people as them.

A tool like BrightLocal’s Local Search Grid can show you how many links you have compared to your ranking competitors for your chosen keywords, as shown in the screenshot below.

This screenshot shows that numerous businesses outrank Direct Physical Therapy. While some of them have thousands of links because they’re part of a larger network, a few of the smaller competitors only have a few more. This is where you’ll want to look.

Once you’ve found out who your local competitors really are, you can use SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to perform a link intersect. These tools let you see who your competitors are getting links from and how.

A good place to start, though, is putting the competing website into one of these tools and looking at their referring domains. I’ve done this below using Ahrefs. This is simply using the referring domains tool for a website’s URL.

If you use the referring domains, it will group all the links by domain, and you’ll be able to see which ones they have. The above example highlights a link from the local publisher ‘nymag.com’.

Then, you can work out whether it’s a link you want to try and replicate. In some cases, it could be as simple as contacting the site to ask, especially if it’s a listicle or something like that. Sometimes, you may need to do more to earn those links, though.

Remember, just because a competitor has a link, it doesn’t mean you need it. Assess the quality and relevance before trying to replicate what they’ve done.

2. Link Reclamation

These are links that you used to have, but now they go to either a dead page or the wrong page because of a redirect.

Enter your site into an SEO tool and check for links from external sources that are pointing to a 404 page. Then, get in touch and let them know the best place for them to link instead. 

3. Track Brand Mentions

There’s always a chance that people are already talking about your business and simply not linking to it.

If you’re particularly active in your local community already, or you’ve been providing comments for news stories, this is a strategy worth your time. There are a number of tools available to help you track brand mentions.

If you find a mention that isn’t linking, simply get in touch and ask if they will. Remember, some sites may have a no-link policy, so don’t be surprised if you get a ‘no’ back.

4. Content Marketing and Digital PR

One of the more time-consuming and potentially expensive tactics for building links is through content marketing and digital PR, which can also be very niche-dependent.

These go beyond simply creating content and hoping for links. Instead, they involve more strategic tactics, such as:

• Creating truly incredible and unique content that you can promote to local outlets.
• Conducting unique research using your own data or third-party data, and promote it to press in your area or niche.
• Providing expert quotes to local news outlets or bloggers when something important happens.

There’s a lot more to digital PR than what’s mentioned above, but it does take a lot of time and effort. This approach is for those committed to both building links and getting their name out there. We have a comprehensive guide to get you started.

What is Digital PR and Why Is It Important for Local Businesses?

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Dos and Don’ts of Local Link Building

Almost all local SEO experts agree that link building is effective for boosting local search rankings. Google also confirms links help improve your local ranking. 

Keep the following in mind when link building for local SEO:

• Don’t prospect local links based on proxy domain metrics (i.e. Domain Authority, Trust Flow, Toolbar PageRank, I couldn’t resist). Most of the valuable, relevant, and local links won’t get high marks on these scales.
• Don’t ignore NoFollow link opportunities. Too many link builders dismiss sites entirely that have NoFollow policies. Since 2019, Google has treated NoFollow links as ‘hints’ to help with crawling and indexing content, so considering them a waste of time is an outdated approach. 
• Don’t ignore linkless citations and mentions. Ignoring local news sites that won’t link back to you doesn’t make much sense. Those linkless mentions are important for establishing prominence and can put your local business on the radar of your target audience.

• Don’t obsess over the anchor text. Earning some keyword-rich anchors can help point Google in the right direction. But most of the time, this gets abused and creates a pattern that is more of a liability than an asset. Further, if you’re prospecting for relevance, your link will likely be surrounded by relevant keywords.
• Do prospect local links for relevance. The best local link you can get is from your competitor down the street. Needless to say, that’s a tough link to acquire. But the point remains, competitor websites are likely the most topically and geographically relevant sites you can find. Let this mantra guide your prospecting efforts. So, if you can’t get a link from a direct competitor, look for local sites that serve your target audience in a different way, such as the local chamber of commerce. 

• Do go hyper-local. Begin your prospecting research with Google Maps. Start with your business location and radiate outward to uncover more local link building opportunities (i.e., neighborhoods, blocks, and other hyper-local language).
• Do use crawlers to identify link opportunities. Many local sites have a variety of issues that present great opportunities for local link building (i.e., broken links, linking to outdated content, etc). Crawlers can also make it much easier to identify the path of least resistance for earning a link (for example they already link to pages like yours). 
• Do use competition-informed prospecting. Look for sites linking to your competitors but not to you but don’t obsess over copying competitor link profiles. Most of the links you’ll find there probably aren’t helping much. You’ll waste a lot of time and money trying to build links that won’t move the dial. 

If you’re looking for ways to boost your local website’s local pack presence, or simply set up local rank tracking, a well-organized local keyword research process is the first step towards achieving that goal.

What are keywords?

Keywords are the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, such as Google, to find the answers or information that they’re looking for. 

Anything searched for on a search engine, whether a single word or a phrase, is considered a keyword. For example, if you were looking to buy a new pair of trainers, you might type something like ‘women’s black trainers’.

Keywords are important because they help your website to show up when people type them into search engines.

As a business owner or agency professional, you want the keywords on your or your client’s web pages to be relevant to what people are searching for so you have a better chance of ranking higher in SERP results.

Most people have some idea of the keywords they want to rank for. But it’s impossible to know everything people search for. That’s why it pays to do some research to find more relevant keywords.

What is local keyword research?

Local keyword research is a process conducted by local businesses to find the search terms that consumers in the local area use when searching for nearby local businesses, products, and services. It helps local businesses to correctly target their SEO efforts so they are more visible to local consumers in their moment of intent.

Learnings from local keyword research can heavily impact on-page SEO, as well as how pages are organized and shaped—or what we call the ‘information architecture’. It also affects how you present your business, products, and services in your offline and online marketing materials.

However, you must follow a good process when identifying keywords. Basing your keyword selection on guesswork exposes you to the risk of using incorrect terms, having to narrow a keyword base, and failing to account for all variations of relevant search phrases.

On the other hand, when done right, local keyword research allows you to:

• Understand search behavior better. 
• Deepen your understanding of your target audience. 
• Find related markets to expand into, and/or refocus your products or services to.
• Discover more ways to attract local consumers.

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Keywords in Context

Before we begin keyword research, it’s important to cover how search has changed and the context of keyword research today.

We need to keep in mind that searcher behavior isn’t fixed, and the queries people use, the length of those queries, and the context in which the searches are made are constantly changing. Because of this, keyword research is never a ‘one-and-done’ process.

Take, for example, the explosion of mobile search. Mobile devices now account for approximately half of web traffic worldwide, and Google asserts that a third of mobile searches are related to location.

Google coined the term ‘micro-moments’ to describe when people turn to their smartphones:

• I-want-to-know moments
• I-want-to-go moments
• I-want-to-do moments
• I-want-to-buy moments

Google tells us that searches for local businesses have grown by more than 80% year over year, including searches for “near me” and “support local businesses”. And searches for “who has” + “in stock” have grown by more than 8,000% year on year!

However, we also need to understand that how people find information online is fragmenting, with more using social channels like Instagram and YouTube than ever before, and searchers using conversational AI tools like ChatGPT are on the rise, too. It’s within this context that it’s important to remember that while the keywords we’ll be discovering and honing today are based on searcher activity in Google, that’s not where the story ends. The best keyword research is ongoing, and takes in a variety of platforms aside from Google.

It also means that hanging your hat on one, short exact-match keyword like ‘pest control’ may not be advised. The rise of AI may see much longer and more complex queries become more frequent.

With all the ‘what is’ and ‘why’ out of the way, let’s get to the best process for researching local keywords.

How do you use keyword research for local SEO?

Local keyword research revolves around identifying three parts of your target search queries: your core term, the keyword modifier, and your location.

You can use keyword research tools to automate the process of building long keyword lists and gathering helpful data such as search volumes and difficulty levels. 

Many tools will also offer additional features such as associated keywords, questions people ask, and changes in search volume over time. This can help you spot emerging trends and act quickly to target newly popular keywords. 

Popular local keyword research tools include Ahrefs, SEMrush, Serpstat, Kparser, and Moz.

Here are the key steps you need for local keyword research:

1. Identify your core term
2. “Extend” your core terms with keyword modifiers
3. Add your locations
4. Organize your relevant keywords by search intent

Step 1: Identify your core term

Your core term is the ‘what’ of your business. For example,

• If you are a local hair salon, your core terms are “hairdresser”, “haircut”, “hairstylist”
• If you are a law firm, your core terms are “lawyer”, “law firm”, “attorney”

You can use your own knowledge of your niche to begin generating a list of core terms. Once you have your own list, do a Google search using some of those terms and note down any keywords that your competitors are using that aren’t already on your list. 

Step 2: “Extend” your core terms with keyword modifiers

This modifier makes your core term more specific. It also makes the keyword less competitive. For example:

• “Best hairdressers near me” 
• “Find a personal injury lawyer” (keyword modifiers are in italics).

Keyword modifiers make your overall keyword strategy more diverse. They make it easier to pinpoint less competitive terms, which can be easier to rank for.

Keyword difficulty reflects the organic competitiveness of a search query. It is usually calculated based on the assumed “power” of top-ranking domains and pages.

If you’re using a keyword research tool like Ahrefs, filter the list by keyword difficulty to find less competitive terms:

Step 3: Add your locations

The location component is the name of the towns, states, counties, and communities your business is located in. For example:

• “Best hairdresser in Albany” and 
• “Find a personal injury lawyer in NY”

There are several ways to generate appropriate location-based keywords. 

If you have Google Analytics installed on your website (or other Analytics package), this can tell you which locations are generating the most clicks to act as a starting point. 

A Google search for a specific location will then show you additional destinations and a ‘people also search for’ snippet to expand your pool.

Step 4: Organize Your Relevant Keywords by Search Intent

Search intent reflects the user’s goal behind a search query.

There are three types of search intent:

• Commercial (also referred to as transactional and high intent): This is when a user is ready to take an action such as place an order or call for services).
• Informational: This is when a user wants to learn something, research their options, or find answers to their questions.
• Navigational: This is when a user wants to go to your site (these are search phrases that contain your brand or product name).

Assigning keywords to one of these three types of intent makes it much easier to know when a keyword should be used. An information keyword, for example, may be the focus of a piece of content that shows the reader how to solve a particular problem, or answers a question. 

With steps one to four completed, you now have a well-researched, relevant, and up-to-date keyword list to aid in your local SEO efforts. Keep in mind that this list should be checked and updated at regular intervals to ensure that you aren’t missing any opportunities to include new search terms within your local SEO campaign.