Local SEO
Local SEO Checklist: 20 Steps to Rank in Your Area
Local SEO has four parts: your Business Profile, your website, your citations and your reputation. This 20-step checklist covers all four in the order I work through them.
Read articleGoogle Business Profile Optimization: A Step-by-Step Guide
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing local customers see. Here is how Google ranks local results and the 14 steps I use to optimise a profile.
This guide covers Google Business Profile optimization from setup to reviews. It is part of my local SEO service.
Quick answer
Google ranks local results by relevance, distance and prominence. To optimise your Business Profile, choose the most accurate primary category, complete every field, list your services, add real photos regularly, keep hours and contact details correct, earn and reply to reviews, and keep your name, address and phone the same everywhere online.
How Google ranks local results
| Factor | What Google means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well the profile matches the search | Right categories, services, description |
| Distance | How far the business is from the searcher or location in the search | Accurate address or service area; you cannot change distance |
| Prominence | How well known the business is | Reviews, links, mentions, a strong website |
Google also states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
14 steps to optimise your profile
- Claim and verify the profile with an email or account you control.
- Use your real business name. Adding keywords to the name breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Pick the most specific primary category (for example “Emergency plumber” rather than “Contractor”). Add a few relevant secondary categories.
- Set the address or service area correctly. Service-area businesses that do not serve customers at their address should hide it.
- Add accurate hours, including holiday hours.
- Add the phone number and website that match your site exactly. Link to the most relevant page, often a location page.
- Write a helpful description of what you do and where, without links or promotions.
- List every service or product with a short description and price where possible.
- Upload real photos: outside, inside, team, work. Add new ones every month.
- Ask every happy customer for a review with a short link. Never buy or gate reviews.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, calmly and helpfully.
- Publish updates (offers, news, events) to keep the profile active.
- Add answers to common questions on your website and in the profile where the feature is available.
- Keep NAP consistent: the same name, address and phone on your site, directories and social profiles.
Connect your profile to your website
- Add LocalBusiness schema with the same name, address, phone and hours. Use the free local business schema generator.
- Create a strong page for each main service and, if relevant, each location you truly serve.
- Embed a map and show your reviews or testimonials on the contact page.
Mistakes that hurt local rankings
- Keywords stuffed into the business name.
- Fake addresses or virtual offices.
- Duplicate profiles for the same location.
- Different phone numbers on the profile, website and directories.
- Ignoring negative reviews.
Example
A dental clinic with “Dentist” as primary category, a full list of treatments, 40 recent real photos, steady new reviews with replies and a website page for each treatment sends Google clear relevance and prominence signals. A clinic with only a name, a phone number and five old reviews gives Google very little to rank. See my SEO for dentists page for the full approach.
Done for you
I optimise your Google Business Profile, build local citations and create location pages that bring calls, not just rankings.
Frequently asked questions
How does Google rank local businesses?
Google uses relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence includes reviews, links and how well known the business is.
Can I add keywords to my business name?
No. Use your real business name. Adding keywords breaks Google’s guidelines and can lead to suspension.
How many categories should I choose?
One accurate primary category and a few relevant secondary ones. Too many unrelated categories can confuse relevance.
Do Google reviews affect ranking?
Yes. Review count, rating and recent activity are part of prominence, and they strongly affect whether people call you.
Can I pay Google for a better Maps ranking?
No. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Ads appear separately, marked as sponsored.
Sources
Facts checked against these official pages on 10 October 2026. Read my editorial policy.
Keep reading
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How to Get More Google Reviews (Without Breaking the Rules)
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Local Citations: What They Are and How to Build Them
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Read articleWant help with your SEO?
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