What local SEO actually is — and why it’s different
Standard SEO tries to rank your website in Google’s organic results. Local SEO does that too — but it also targets the map pack (those three local results that appear above organic results with a map), Google’s Business Profile features, and the signals Google uses to decide which local businesses are relevant for searches that include a location or “near me.”
The ranking factors are different. Your Google Business Profile matters enormously. So do local citations — your business name, address, and phone number listed consistently across directories and data aggregators. Review volume and recency are a direct ranking signal. The proximity of the searcher to your business location. Local links from community sites, local news, and regional directories.
It’s a different playbook. And it’s one we’ve been running for businesses across Australia, the UK, the US, and Canada since before the map pack even existed in its current form.
Google Business Profile optimisation — the foundation of local SEO
If your Google Business Profile isn’t fully optimised, you’re leaving map pack rankings on the table. Full stop. This is the single highest-leverage thing most local businesses can improve — and most of them haven’t done it properly.
We start by auditing your existing profile. Are all categories correct (primary and secondary)? Is your description written for the right keywords? Are your services and products listed? Are your photos updated, numerous, and geotagged? Are you using the Q&A section? Are you posting regular updates? Is your service area set correctly?
Then we fix everything that’s missing or wrong. We also look at your profile completeness score and Google’s documentation on what signals they use for Business Profile ranking — there’s a lot of publicly available information that most businesses never act on.
Local citation building — consistency across the web
A local citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on another website. Directories, review platforms, data aggregators, local chamber websites, industry associations. Google cross-references these citations to verify your business is legitimate and to understand your location and category.
Inconsistency is a silent rankings killer. If your address appears differently on different platforms — different formatting, old address, wrong phone number — it creates conflicting signals. Google resolves conflicting signals by ranking you lower. We audit all your existing citations, fix inconsistencies, and build new citations on the platforms that matter for your industry and location.
Citation building isn’t glamorous. But done properly, it’s one of the faster wins in local SEO — you can see ranking movement within 4 to 6 weeks of a thorough citation cleanup and build.
Review generation — more 5-stars, fewer headaches
Reviews are a direct ranking factor in local SEO. More reviews, recent reviews, and higher average ratings all contribute to where you appear in the map pack. But beyond ranking, reviews are social proof that converts searchers into customers — and 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before making a contact decision.
The businesses with 200+ reviews didn’t get there by accident. They have a process. We build that process for you — a follow-up system that automatically or semi-automatically asks your recent customers to leave a review at the moment they’re most likely to respond positively. Platform-compliant, not incentivised, not fake. Just a consistent process that captures the happy customers who otherwise would have said nothing.
We also help you respond to your existing reviews — positive and negative. Google explicitly says that responding to reviews can improve your local ranking. And a well-handled response to a 1-star review often does more for your reputation than the bad review damages it.
Local content and on-page optimisation
Your website needs to support your local ranking efforts. That means location-specific landing pages that are actually useful (not just your homepage with a city name appended). It means local schema markup — LocalBusiness structured data that helps Google understand what you do and where. It means content that speaks to local topics, local concerns, and local keywords.
Multi-location businesses need a more considered approach. Each location needs its own Google Business Profile, its own landing page, its own citation profile. We’ve managed local SEO for businesses with a handful of locations and for those with dozens. The strategy scales — it just requires a clear process.
Who local SEO is for
Almost any business that serves customers in a specific geographic area. The businesses that see the most dramatic results:
Trades & home services
Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, locksmiths, cleaners. Emergency searches convert at extremely high rates. Being first matters enormously.
Healthcare & dental
Clinics, GP practices, dentists, physios, specialists. Patients search locally. Reviews and map rankings drive bookings more than almost anything else.
Legal & financial
Law firms, accountants, financial advisers. Clients want someone local and trustworthy. Local SEO and reviews build both visibility and credibility.
Hospitality & retail
Restaurants, cafés, retail shops. “Near me” searches convert to visits. Being in the top three results is the difference between a full room and an empty one.
“We were getting maybe 10 calls a week from Google. Three months after REVD sorted out our Business Profile and citation issues, we were getting 35 to 40. Same area, same services, same prices. Just showing up properly in the map pack made that difference. Wish we’d done it years ago.”