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Guide 1 of 8 · Local SEO

Local SEO, or how to show up on the map.

When a customer types your trade into Google, a map appears with a few businesses. Here is how Google picks them, and what you can do to be one of them.

In plain words

Local SEO (search engine optimisation) covers everything that helps Google show your business to people looking for your trade near them.

Why it matters

When someone searches for “plumber”, “roofer” or “electrician near me”, Google shows a map with a few businesses above the usual results. Specialists call it the “local pack”. Being in it means getting the calls; not being in it means leaving the job to a competitor.

Google itself explains that it ranks these local results mainly on three criteria: relevance (does your profile match the search?), distance (are you close to the person or the town searched?) and prominence (how well known are you: reviews, mentions on other websites, the quality of your website?).

The words to know

Local pack
The block with the map and a few businesses, at the top of the results for a local search.
Relevance
How well your profile and website match what the person typed.
Prominence
What the web says about you: number and quality of reviews, mentions on other websites, links to your website.

What you can do yourself

  • Create or recover your Google Business Profile, and fill it in completely
  • Choose the right primary category: your exact trade
  • Set your service area (towns or départements)
  • Write your name, address and phone number exactly the same way everywhere
  • Ask satisfied customers for reviews, and reply to all of them
  • Have a website that talks about your trade and the towns you cover
What to avoid
  • Believing promises of a “guaranteed first place”: nobody can guarantee it, Google decides, and distance matters
  • Adding your town or keywords to your business name: Google forbids it
What we do for you

We create your Google profile, or repair it, then set it up so that it shows up for “your trade + your town”.

from €290 excl. VATSee the step “Your Google profile” →

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to show up on the map?

It depends on your trade, your town and the competition. A well set-up profile can start appearing within a few weeks; for highly contested searches, it takes longer. Nobody can guarantee a timeframe.

Do I have to pay Google to be on the map?

No. The Business Profile is free and the map ranking cannot be bought. Paid ads also exist, but they are labelled “sponsored”: that is a different topic.

I work at my customers’ homes, with no premises: does it still work?

Yes. Google provides for businesses that travel to their customers: you can hide your address and set a service area.

All the guidesSearch optimisation, without the jargonThe 8 practical guides Next guideGoogle Business ProfileYour free shop window on Google and Google Maps: what really matters, and the pitfalls.