When someone picks up their phone and searches "electrician near me" or "best cafe in Bury", Google doesn't just show them any website. It shows them businesses it thinks are relevant, nearby, and trustworthy. The process that determines who shows up is called local SEO, and for small businesses it's one of the most important things to get right.
This isn't complicated once you understand what Google is actually looking at. Here's the plain English version.
what local SEO actually is
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the practice of making your website easier for search engines to understand and rank. Local SEO is the specific version of that focused on searches with a geographic intent: "near me" searches, searches that include a town name, and searches where Google decides the person probably wants something local even if they didn't say so.
When you search for a pizza place, Google doesn't show you pizzerias in Edinburgh. It shows you ones near you. That's local SEO at work. Google is trying to match local intent with local businesses. Your job is to make sure it knows your business is relevant and trustworthy for those searches.
google business profile
The most important single thing you can do for local SEO is claim and properly fill out your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is the listing that appears in the map results and in the panel on the right side of search results. It shows your address, phone number, opening hours, photos, reviews and more.
Google uses your GBP to verify that you're a real business at a real location. Without one, or with an incomplete one, you'll struggle to appear in local map results at all. Getting this set up and verified is step one. Choosing the right primary category matters too: "Plumber" and "Emergency Plumber" are different categories and they rank differently.
reviews
Reviews are a local ranking signal. Businesses with more recent positive reviews rank better in local results. Not just on Google, but on Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, and Trustpilot too. You don't need hundreds. You need enough recent, genuine reviews to show Google that real people are using your business and are satisfied.
The best way to get more reviews is simply to ask. After a job is done or a sale is made, ask the customer directly. Most people are happy to leave one if you make it easy. Send them a link to your Google review page. Don't offer incentives (that violates Google's policies) but a polite, direct ask works.
your website and local content
Your website is a local SEO signal too. Google looks at whether your site mentions the areas you serve, whether your name, address and phone number (NAP) are consistent with your GBP, and whether your content is relevant to local search terms.
This means a few practical things:
- Your address and phone number should appear on your website and match your GBP exactly
- Your page titles and headings should include location terms where relevant ("Web Design in Bury" rather than just "Web Design")
- If you serve multiple areas, individual pages for each area help Google understand your geographic relevance
- Schema markup (structured data in your code) tells Google directly that you're a local business with a specific address
citations and directories
A citation is any mention of your business name, address and phone number on the web. This includes business directories like Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, and Bing Places. The more consistent citations you have, the more confident Google is that your business is legitimate and located where you say it is.
Inconsistency is a problem. If your address appears differently across different directories (abbreviated street names, different phone number formats), that undermines the signal. Get them consistent and they become a positive signal instead.
Local SEO isn't magic. It's telling Google clearly, consistently and repeatedly: here's who I am, here's what I do, and here's where I do it. Do that well and the results follow.
how long does it take?
Local SEO is not instant. For a new website in a competitive area, you're looking at three to six months before meaningful improvements in ranking. For an established site with a good GBP and some existing reviews, changes can show in weeks. The important thing is that the results compound over time. Consistent work now builds authority that keeps delivering.