How Local SEO Works: Everything You Need to Know

Table of content

How Does Local SEO Work?
The Three Pillars of Google’s Local Algorithm
Why Does Local SEO Matter So Much?
Local SEO Vs.Traditional SEO: What’s the Difference?
Core Tasks in Local SEO
5. Get More Reviews and Manage Them
6. Optimize Your Website for Local Search
Use Geo-Targeted Keywords
Create Strong Location Pages
Publish Localized Content
Beyond the Basics: Other Local SEO Tasks
Tracking Your Local SEO Performance
How RankyFy Makes Local SEO Easier
What’s Next?

Local search engine optimization (local SEO) is one of the most important parts of increasing visibility in local areas. The result is finding in “near me” searches or queries that include a city, neighborhood, or area. When someone types “best pizza place in Manhattan” into Google, they don’t want a blog post about pizza. They want an actual pizza place they can visit or call. Google responds with a special set of results called the Local Pack, powered by a local search algorithm that looks at real businesses and their Google Business Profiles (GBP). Local SEO is the work you do to convince the local algorithm that your business should appear in those results, ahead of nearby competitors. It’s not luck. It’s a deliberate optimization process.

A common misconception about local SEO is that it is all about creating a GMB (Google My Business) account
Adding your city name to a few pages on your site.

However, it's not so simple; it's much deeper. Let's explore it

How Does Local SEO Work?

From a single-location coffee shop to managing SEO for a multi‑location brand, local SEO comes down to one core question: “How do I show up when nearby customers search for my product/service?” To answer that, you need to understand how Google’s local algorithm works—and then optimize for it.

The Three Pillars of Google’s Local Algorithm

Google’s local system evaluates three main pillars to decide which businesses to show: Relevance How closely does your business match what the user is searching for? Google looks at:

Your primary and secondary categories in Google Business Profile
Your GBP description and attributes
Local business listings (citations)
Your website’s content and on-page optimization

Proximity How close is the searcher to your business (or the specified location) at the time of the search?

This is what makes local SEO truly “local.” Two otherwise identical businesses can rank very differently depending on where the user is standing.

Prominence How well-known and trusted is your business? Google evaluates:

Number and quality of reviews
Overall rating and sentiment
Links from reputable and relevant websites
Citations, local PR, and brand references on the internet

Local SEO works by systematically improving your performance across these three pillars so that Google will consider you as the most relevant, nearest, and trustworthy option for specific local inquiries. Certain tasks, like claiming your GBP, are one-time, but others, like creating material, creating links, and reading and responding to reviews, are ongoing.

Why Does Local SEO Matter So Much?

You are essentially invisible when people conduct local searches if you don't use local SEO. Without local SEO, you’re effectively invisible when people perform local searches. Imagine a user in Chicago searching “nail salon in Lincoln Park.” If your competitors have:

Hundreds of reviews
Fully optimized and active Google Business Profiles
Well‑structured, location‑focused landing pages

…and if you don’t, you’re unlikely to appear in the Local Pack or even in the top organic local results. If you don’t show up, you don’t get clicks, calls, or foot traffic. The benefits of strong local SEO include:

Better online visibility in local search results
Increased foot traffic to your physical location
Highly targeted website visits from nearby customers
More calls and inquiries from your Google Business Profile
Higher trust and credibility through reviews and consistent data
More local sales and leads
Improved conversion rates from both organic and GBP traffic

Google has stated that around 46% of all searches have local intent. Ignoring local SEO means ignoring almost half of your potential search audience.

Local SEO Vs.Traditional SEO: What’s the Difference?

The goal of traditional SEO is to rank web pages in non-localized results, such as an e-commerce site ranking for "running shoes."

Ranking actual companies in local search results (such as "running shoe store in Brooklyn") is the main goal of local SEO.
A crucial detail: if a company has a well-optimized Google Business Profile, it can theoretically rank locally without a website.

A key nuance: a business can technically rank locally without a website, as long as it has a well‑optimized Google Business Profile. That’s not ideal, but it shows how central GBP is to local search. Compare these two searches:

“car tires” → Mostly shopping results, ads, and national websites
“car tires lincoln park chicago” → A Local Pack with a map and local GBPs, followed by localized organic results

Those are different result types, so the optimization strategy can’t be identical. Traditional SEO tasks like:

Link building and digital PR
Technical SEO and site performance
Content creation and on‑page optimization

still matter in local SEO—but they’re localized. You weave them into a broader local strategy focused on proximity, relevance, and prominence in a specific area.

Core Tasks in Local SEO

Start with the fundamentals if you're new to local SEO. Nearly all local businesses require these foundations:

Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile
Perform local keyword research
Analyze local competitors
Build and maintain local listings (citations)
Obtain and handle more client reviews
Make your website more search engine-friendly.
Make content that is location-specific and localized.

Let's examine each of these individually.

1. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is the backbone of local SEO. It’s how Google understands:

What you do
Where you’re located
Who you serve
How customers feel about you

It’s also the primary data source for the Local Pack and Google Maps results. Key optimization steps include:

Select the most accurate primary category, plus relevant secondary categories
Add and maintain correct NAP (Name, Address, Phone) and opening hours
Upload high‑quality photos and videos
Publish regular Google Posts for offers, events, and updates
Use Q&A to answer common questions
Actively request and respond to Google reviews

A well‑maintained GBP directly impacts relevance, prominence, and click‑through rates.

2. Do Local Keyword Research

Local SEO still starts with keywords—but with a geographic layer. Think about how real customers would search for you. Begin with a small, transactional set such as: For a nail salon in Lincoln Park, Chicago:

“nail salon near me”
“nail salon in Lincoln Park”
“Lincoln Park manicure”
“best pedicure Lincoln Park”

Broader, informational, or long‑tail keywords can come later. Your goal at the start is to target terms that show clear buying intent and local relevance. These keywords will guide:

Your GBP business description and Posts
Your website content and location pages
Your internal linking strategy

3. Analyze Your Local Competitors

Once you know your target keywords, search them and see who appears:

In the Local Pack
In the top local organic results

You’ll usually see a mix of known and new competitors. Online competitors can differ from the businesses you think of as competitors offline. Look at what top performers are doing well:

Do they have more—and better—reviews?
Is their GBP fully filled out and visually appealing?
Are they using local landing pages?
Do they have local press mentions or local backlinks?

Your early wins often come from doing the basics better than they do: cleaner GBP, more and better reviews, stronger local content, and more consistent listings.

4. Build and Maintain Local Listings (Citations)

Local citations are mentions of your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) on third‑party sites like directories, maps, and local platforms. They matter because:

Google uses citations to verify your business information
Consistent data across the web builds trust with both search engines and users

Focus on:

Getting listed on authoritative, relevant, and often‑used directories in your country and niche
Ensuring your NAP is 100% consistent across all citations
Keeping listings updated if your business moves, rebrands, or changes phone numbers

Inconsistent data confuses algorithms and frustrates customers. Many users will avoid a business if they find incorrect information about it online.

5. Get More Reviews and Manage Them

Reviews sit at the intersection of SEO, reputation management, and customer service. They’re a strong ranking and conversion signal. For local SEO, you should:

Regularly ask happy customers to leave reviews on Google (and other platforms that matter in your industry)
Respond to all reviews—positive and negative—professionally and promptly
Watch for patterns in feedback that reveal service or product issues
Follow each platform’s review guidelines to avoid removals or penalties

Google includes reviews in GBP because they’re a powerful indicator of prominence and user satisfaction.

6. Optimize Your Website for Local Search

You don’t strictly need a website to appear in local search, but relying only on GBP limits your visibility and authority. A well‑optimized site gives you a major advantage. Start with general on‑page SEO best practices:

Unique, descriptive title tags and meta descriptions
Clear site structure and internal linking
Fast, mobile‑friendly pages (use tools like Chrome Lighthouse)
Local business schema markup where appropriate
Good overall user experience

Then add local‑specific optimization:

Use Geo-Targeted Keywords

Integrate phrases like:

“replacement car tires in Lincoln Park”
“manicure in Lincoln Park”

If you have a single location, your homepage can do much of the local heavy lifting. Multi‑location or service‑area businesses should use:

A more general homepage (city/region/state level)
Dedicated location pages for each branch or area served

Create Strong Location Pages

If you have multiple branches or service areas, each should have its own optimized page targeting “[service] in [location].” Make these pages genuinely useful, not just keyword‑stuffed:

Clear NAP details for that location
Embedded map
Local reviews or testimonials
Location‑specific FAQs
Mention nearby landmarks, neighborhoods, or hubs

Publish Localized Content

In competitive markets, localized content helps establish topical and geographic authority. Examples:

Law firms: Guides about state‑ or city‑specific laws (“Divorce law in Texas: What’s different and what to expect”).
Real estate: Neighborhood guides, school overviews, lists of the best local amenities (“Moving to [Area]: A Complete Guide to Schools, Dining, and Transport”).

The goal is to become the go‑to local expert in your niche—both for users and for Google.

Beyond the Basics: Other Local SEO Tasks

Once the foundations are in place, you can expand your efforts to include:

Local link building and digital PR from relevant organizations, blogs, chambers of commerce, and local media
Monitoring Google’s algorithm updates and local SERP changes
Reporting spam or rule‑breaking competitors that violate Google’s guidelines
Engaging with your local community (events, sponsorships, collaborations)
Maintaining active social media profiles that reflect your brand and location

Tracking Your Local SEO Performance

Optimization without measurement is guesswork. Track your efforts so you can double down on what works. Key tools to monitor performance:

Google Business Profile Performance – Views, searches, calls, direction requests, and more
Google Search Console – Queries, impressions, and clicks for your pages in organic search
Google Analytics 4 – On‑site behavior, conversions, and traffic from different channels

For more serious local SEO, use a local rank tracking tool, preferably with a geo‑grid view. Geo‑grid rank trackers show how your rankings change based on the exact search location on a map, rather than just one average position.

How RankyFy Makes Local SEO Easier

All of this is powerful—but also complex and time‑consuming. That’s where RankyFy, our AI‑powered SEO platform, changes the game for local businesses and agencies. 1. AI-Driven Local Keyword Discovery 2. Smart Google Business Profile Optimization 3. Automated Local Content Generation 4. Competitor and Local SERP Intelligence 5. Citation and NAP Consistency Audits 6. Review Monitoring and Insights 7. Local Rank Tracking and Reporting

What’s Next?

For location-based enterprises, local SEO is now mandatory rather than discretionary. Every facet of local SEO is manually manageable, but the process is slow, which might delay results. AI-driven research, optimization, content, competitive intelligence, and tracking—all customized for local search—are all combined in RankyFy. If you’re ready to:

Appear more often in the Local Pack
Attract nearby customers at the exact moment they’re ready to buy
Scale local SEO efficiently across locations or clients

Then it’s time to put an AI tool like RankyFy to develop a local SEO strategy for your brand.

Recent Blogs

What to read next

How to Migrate a Website Without Harming SEO