Local SEO

What is local SEO?

Local SEO (local search optimisation) is the branch of SEO dedicated to making a business visible for searches with a geographic intent. When someone types "italian restaurant Lyon", "plumber near me" or "dentist Bordeaux", Google shows localised results with the Google Map Pack (the three results displayed with a map) and location-based organic results.

The numbers speak for themselves: 46% of Google searches have a local intent, 76% of people who look for a local business visit it within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches end in a purchase. Local SEO is a critical acquisition channel for any business with a geographic catchment area.

Google Business Profile: the foundation of local SEO

Your Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business) is the centrepiece of local SEO. It is what appears in the Google Map Pack and on Google Maps. A complete, well optimised listing is essential.

What to optimise: business name (exactly as it is, with no keywords bolted on), primary category (as specific as possible), address and phone number (consistent with your website and directory listings), opening hours (always up to date), description (250 words with keywords used naturally), photos (add 10 or more good quality photos, listings with photos receive 42% more direction requests), and posts (publish news, offers and events regularly).

Google reviews: the number one ranking factor

Google reviews are the single most influential factor for ranking in the Map Pack. Businesses with an average rating of 4.0 or above and a meaningful volume of reviews (50 or more) dominate local results. Every new review sends a positive signal to Google.

Review strategy: ask every satisfied customer for a review using a direct link to your Google review page (the MerciAvis guide explains how to create a direct Google review link (opens in a new tab)). Reply to every review, positive and negative. Replies show that you are active and professional. An empathetic reply to a negative review can even build trust with prospects.

NAP consistency and local citations

Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) must be strictly identical on your website, your Google Business Profile listing and every online directory (Pages Jaunes, Yelp, TripAdvisor, chamber of commerce directories, trade directories). The smallest inconsistency, a different abbreviation or a different phone number, muddies the signal for Google.

Local citations (mentions of your business with its NAP on third party sites) strengthen your local authority. Register with quality directories: Pages Jaunes, Yelp, the CCI chamber of commerce directory, and the trade directories for your sector. Aim for 20 to 50 consistent local citations.

On-page optimisation for local SEO

Your site needs clear geographic signals. Create location-based service pages ("Emergency plumber Lyon 3", "Plumbing installation Villeurbanne"). Embed a Google Maps map on your contact page. Use Schema.org LocalBusiness markup to help Google understand your location, opening hours and services.

If you have several addresses, create a dedicated page for each location with its own address, phone number, opening hours and reviews. Internal linking between those pages and your service pages reinforces local SEO.

Local SEO on mobile

78% of local searches on mobile lead to an offline purchase. Your site has to be flawless on mobile: a one-tap "Call" button, a tappable address that opens Google Maps, and a simple contact form. Mobile loading time is critical: every extra second costs you potential customers.

The three pillars of local ranking explained

Google ranks local businesses on three official criteria that are worth telling apart. Relevance measures how closely your listing matches the search: this is where the right category and a rich description come in. Distance compares the searcher's position (or the town they typed) with your address: you cannot change it, but you can work the other levers to make up for an out of the way location. Prominence aggregates reviews, citations, local backlinks and the overall reputation of the business.

In practice, a tradesperson 4 km from the town centre can outrank a better placed competitor by combining 120 reviews at 4.8 stars with a complete listing, while that competitor sits at 12 reviews. Prominence often makes up for distance, which is excellent news for small businesses willing to build their reputation over time.

Common mistakes that sink your local visibility

A handful of mistakes come up again and again with sole traders and small firms. These are the most expensive:

- Stuffing the business name with keywords (for example "Cheap Plumber Lyon 24h Callout"): this breaks Google's rules and can get your listing suspended. - Creating several listings for the same address: duplicates split your reviews and trigger anti-spam filters. - Ignoring the questions asked on your listing (the "Questions and answers" section): wrong answers left by members of the public sometimes stay there for months. - Forgetting to update your opening hours around public holidays, which sends people on wasted journeys and earns you negative reviews. - Leaving a category too broad ("Business" instead of "Locksmith"): you lose relevance against better categorised competitors.

Fixing these points costs nothing and often shows results within a few weeks.

Local SEO checklist to work through this month

To get moving, here is a concrete list to tick off, all of it doable without advanced technical skills:

- Complete your Google Business Profile listing to 100% (category, description, services, service area). - Publish at least 10 recent, geotagged photos (shopfront, team, completed work). - Set up a short link to your review page and send it after every job. - Check NAP consistency across your site, your listing and 10 major directories. - Add Schema.org LocalBusiness markup and a map on your contact page. - Reply to 100% of the reviews you receive within 48 hours. - Publish one piece of news or one offer per week on your listing.

A worked example: a tradesperson who goes from 15 to 60 reviews (collecting 4 or 5 reviews a month) sees inbound calls double on average within 4 to 6 months, with no advertising budget at all.

Local SEO best practice in 2026

In 2026, local SEO is changing as answers generated by artificial intelligence appear in search results. Rich, well rated and regularly updated listings are cited more often in those answers. Three trends deserve your attention: freshness (an active listing, with recent posts and reviews, is favoured), depth of local content (detailed service pages per town rather than a single generic page), and proof of experience (real photos, local case studies, mentions in the regional press).

For a business with a catchment area, local SEO remains the channel with the best effort to result ratio. It needs no advertising budget, its effects compound, and it protects your position against competitors for the long term.

At ConvertiLab, we work on our clients' local SEO from the moment we build the site: Google Business Profile listing, Schema.org markup, location pages and a review strategy, to turn nearby searches into real customers.