Local SEO: Simple Guide for Beginners
Do you know you can get customers from Google without paying for ads? That’s what Local SEO optimization does. When someone searches “barber shop near me” or “pizza place open now”, Google shows a list of nearby businesses on Google Search and Google Maps. This result is called the local SEO and any business can appear here if their local SEO is done correctly.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your business appear in Google when people nearby search for services like restaurants, salons, schools, or any local shop. It’s a great way for small businesses to reach the right people at the right time, people who are close by and ready to visit. The best part is, you can start for free.
You don’t need a local SEO company or agency to start. By creating and updating your Google Business Profile, and using the right keywords, you can begin improving your online visibility. This helps your business show up in Google Search and Google Maps more often. Once your profile is set up, the next step is to optimize it make sure everything is correct, complete, and attractive to customers. Local SEO works for small businesses, local service providers, freelancers, and even big companies with physical locations.
How Local SEO Works?
When people search for local services, Google shows results in two places:
- Google Search (normal results)
- Google Maps (map with nearby businesses) For example, when you search “coffee shop near me”, Google shows a map and three businesses with names, addresses, phone numbers, opening hours, reviews, and ratings. This is called the Local Map Pack. Each business has details like name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, and customer reviews.
Factors That Decide Local Ranking
Google uses three main things to decide which business to show first:
1. Relevance
How well your business matches the search. If someone looks for “pizza restaurant,” your listing must clearly show that you serve pizza, not just snacks.
2. Distance
How close your business is to the person searching. Google often shows the nearest businesses first.
3. Prominence
How popular and trusted your business is. This includes reviews, ratings, photos, website quality, backlinks, and local SEO citations (business listings on other websites. So, the more positive reviews and stars you have, the higher your business can appear.
Where to Set Up Your Profile?
To appear in Google Maps and local SEO results, you first need a Google Business Profile. This is free and managed directly on Google.
When setting it up, make sure you add:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website (if you have one)
- Opening and closing hours
- Real photos of your shop, team, or services
- Customer reviews and responses
This information helps Google understand your business better and improves your local SEO ranking.📍 You can visit Google Business Profile to set up yours business profile.
To get better local SEO results, make sure your Google Business Profile has all the right details like your business name, phone number, address, opening hours, real photos, and customer reviews. Try to keep your business name, address, and phone number the same everywhere online so customers don’t get confused. It also helps to upload real photos of your shop or services and kindly ask happy customers to leave reviews. These small steps make your business look more trustworthy and can help it show up higher in local search results.
Finding the Right Keywords
Choosing the right keywords helps Google understand what your business offers.
You can start by using free tools like:
- Google Search (type “Best pizza in Andong” or “Kindergarten near me” and see suggestions)
- Ubersuggest
- Google Keyword Planner
These give you ideas of what people are actually searching for. If you want more detailed data, you can try paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.