What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the work of helping a business appear in search results for people looking for its services in a particular area. If your customers search for what you do plus a place, such as "accountant in Knutsford" or "florist near me", local SEO affects whether they find you.

This article explains what local SEO is and how it works. For practical steps, see how a small business can get found on Google.

How local search results appear

For searches with local intent, Google often shows two kinds of result:

• —The map results, sometimes called the local pack, drawn from Google Business Profiles.
• —The standard results below, drawn from websites.

Local SEO covers both. A business can appear in one, both or neither.

How Google decides local rankings

Google explains that local results are based mainly on three factors, set out in its guidance on how local results are determined:

You cannot change distance, but relevance and prominence can be improved.

How local SEO differs from general SEO

General SEO helps a website be found for a topic wherever the searcher is. Local SEO adds location: your Business Profile, consistent contact details, and pages that genuinely explain the services and areas you cover. The technical foundations are shared; see technical SEO basics.

What local SEO involves

Your Google Business Profile

Often the most visible part of local search. Our Google Business Profile guide covers setup and maintenance.

Your website

• —Clear pages for your main services.
• —Location pages only where you genuinely serve an area and have something specific to say. Our guide to local SEO landing pages and search architecture explains when these are justified.
• —Your name, address and phone number shown consistently.
• —Structured data describing your business accurately.

Reputation

Genuine reviews, local links and mentions from relevant organisations all contribute to prominence.

Who local SEO matters for

Any business serving customers in a defined area: trades, hospitality, professional services, retail, health and beauty. It matters both for businesses customers visit and for those that travel to customers.

What local SEO is not

• —It is not duplicating one page with the town name changed. This is unconvincing to customers and unlikely to help in search.
• —It is not a guarantee. It improves your chances of being found; it cannot promise a position.

Next steps

Our Local SEO service covers profiles, structure and local content together. If you are unsure where you stand, a Website & SEO Audit gives an independent baseline.