Definition
Local SEO is the part of SEO that helps a business appear when people nearby search for what it sells, such as 'dentist near me' or 'cake shop in Kothrud'. It mainly involves your Google Business Profile, customer reviews, consistent business details across the web, and pages on your own site about your area and services.
How it works
For local searches, Google often shows a map with a short list of businesses, usually called the local pack, along with the normal results. Google says local ranking depends mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher or the place named) and prominence (how well known you are, judged from reviews, links and mentions). You cannot change distance, so local SEO works on the other two: a complete and accurate profile with the right category, a steady flow of genuine reviews, the same name, address and phone number everywhere, and a website that clearly mentions your locality and services.
Example
Imagine a physiotherapy clinic in Indiranagar that relies on doctor referrals. The owner completes its Google Business Profile with 'Physiotherapist' as the primary category, adds hours, photos and services, and asks every satisfied patient for an honest review using the profile's review link. She also lists the clinic on Justdial and Practo with exactly the same address and phone number. Over a few months it can start appearing in the map results for 'physiotherapist near me' in the area, bringing calls that cost nothing like the ₹20 or more per click a local ad might.
An illustration: the business and the rupee figures are made up to show how the idea works.
Common mistake
Stuffing the business name with keywords, for example 'Sharma Dental Clinic Best Dentist Pune'. Google's guidelines say the name must match your real-world name, and keyword-stuffed names can get a profile suspended. Another mistake is leaving different phone numbers or old addresses on different directories, which confuses both customers and Google.
Where you learn it
- Module 1: Digital Marketing Foundations
- Class: Channels Overview: SEO, Social, Ads, Email, Content & Influencers · read it free
- Module 3: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Class: Local SEO & Google Business Profile
Related terms
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