When someone searches "plumber near me" or "physio in Sheffield", Google shows a map with three businesses underneath it. Those three businesses get a huge share of the calls. Getting into that map pack is what local SEO is all about.
In this guide I'll explain what local SEO services are, how local SEO differs from regular SEO, what affects your local rankings, and how to tell whether your business needs it. You can see how we do it on our local SEO services page.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of improving your business's visibility in location-based searches. That includes searches with a place name, like "electrician Leeds", and "near me" searches where Google uses the searcher's location.
Local SEO targets two places on Google:
- The local map pack: the map and three business listings that appear at the top of many local searches
- The local organic results: the standard listings below the map
Why it matters: local searches often come from people ready to act. Someone searching "emergency locksmith near me" isn't browsing. They need someone now.
What Is the Difference Between SEO and Local SEO?
Both aim to get you found on Google, but they focus on different things.
| General SEO | Local SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | National or broad searches | Searches in a specific area |
| Key assets | Website content and links | Google Business Profile, reviews, local pages |
| Ranking factors | Relevance and authority | Relevance, proximity and prominence |
| Best for | Ecommerce, national services | Trades, clinics, shops, local services |
Most local businesses need both: a strong website with good general SEO, plus local signals that show Google where you operate.
What Are Local SEO Services?
Local SEO services are the specific tasks an agency carries out to improve your local rankings. A good local SEO service typically includes:
Google Business Profile optimisation
Your Google Business Profile is the single most important local ranking asset. Optimising it covers choosing the right categories, writing a strong description, adding services and products, uploading quality photos, setting accurate hours and posting regular updates.
Review generation and management
Reviews influence both rankings and whether people choose you. Local SEO services help you get more genuine reviews and respond to them professionally.
Local citations
Citations are mentions of your business name, address and phone number (NAP) on directories and websites. Consistent, accurate citations help Google trust your location details.
Location pages
If you serve several towns or cities, dedicated location pages with genuinely useful local content help you rank in each one. See our locations page for an example.
On-page local optimisation
This means including your location naturally in page titles, headings and content, adding local business schema, and embedding a map.
Local link building
Links from local newspapers, community groups, sponsorships and local business partners send strong local signals. Learn more in our link building guide.
What Affects Local SEO?
Google says local rankings are based on three main factors.
Relevance: how well your profile and website match what someone's searching for. Accurate categories and detailed service information help here.
Distance: how close your business is to the searcher or the location in their search. You can't change your address, but you can make sure Google knows exactly where you are and which areas you serve.
Prominence: how well-known and trusted your business is. This comes from reviews, links, citations, your website's overall SEO and how often you're mentioned online.
Other factors that make a real difference include the number and recency of your reviews, keywords in reviews, photos, and how active your profile is.
How to Improve Your Local SEO Rankings
If you want to start improving your local SEO yourself, begin with these steps:
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Fill in every section.
- Choose the most accurate primary category. This is one of the strongest ranking signals.
- Ask every happy customer for a review. Make it easy with a direct link.
- Respond to all reviews, positive and negative.
- Keep your NAP consistent across your website, profile and directories.
- Create a page for each core service, and for each location you genuinely serve.
- Post updates and photos regularly to keep your profile active.
These basics alone can make a noticeable difference, especially in less competitive areas.
How Do You Know If You Need Local SEO?
You need local SEO if:
- You serve customers in a specific town, city or region
- You have a physical premises customers visit, or you travel to customers
- Your competitors appear in the map pack and you don't
- You get most of your work from people in your area
- Customers often say they "searched online" before calling
If you're a tradesperson, clinic, salon, restaurant, care provider or any local service business, local SEO is likely your highest-value marketing activity.
How Long Does Local SEO Take?
Local SEO often works faster than national SEO. In less competitive areas, improvements can appear within a few weeks. In competitive cities, expect three to six months for strong, stable map pack rankings.
How long it takes depends on your competition, your number of reviews, your website's strength and how consistent your business information is online.
Local SEO Results: Real Examples
At SERPentity, we're based in Sheffield and work with local businesses across Yorkshire and the UK.
Twelve Trees Care, which provides care services in Sheffield and Leeds, is now much more visible on Google and receives enquiries through its website regularly. Simon Brooks Acupuncturist in Sheffield saw his rankings jump and became busier with enquiries after we rebuilt his site and optimised his local SEO.
Common Local SEO Mistakes to Avoid
These mistakes regularly hold local businesses back:
- Using the wrong primary category on Google Business Profile
- Inconsistent business details, such as an old address or phone number on directories
- Ignoring reviews, or only asking for them occasionally
- Keyword stuffing your business name, which breaks Google's guidelines and risks suspension
- Creating near-identical location pages that just swap the town name
- Listing areas you don't really serve, which weakens relevance
- Letting your profile go stale with no new photos or updates
Fixing these is often the quickest way to climb the local rankings, and it costs very little.
Local SEO for Businesses Without a Shopfront
Many tradespeople and mobile service businesses work from home and travel to customers. You can still rank locally. On your Google Business Profile, set your business as a service-area business, hide your home address and list the towns and areas you cover.
Your website then does much of the heavy lifting. Create helpful pages for the main areas you serve, showcase local projects with photos, and include genuine reviews from customers in those areas. Local links, such as from suppliers, trade bodies and community groups, strengthen your relevance further.
Service-area businesses often face less competition than they expect, so a well-planned local SEO campaign can deliver results quickly. If you'd like help, our local SEO services are built for exactly this.
Final Thoughts
Local SEO is how local customers find you at the exact moment they need you. For most local businesses, it's the single best-value marketing investment available, and even the basics can make a real difference.
Want to know why you're not showing in the map pack? Get a free local SEO audit and we'll show you exactly what to fix.
