Local SEO: practical guide

When someone types "bakery near me" or "plumber in Strasbourg", do you appear in the results?
Local SEO is essential for any business that serves customers in a specific area. Here is how to optimise your local visibility.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO brings together all the tactics that help you appear in geo‑localised search results:

• The Local Pack (the 3 results shown next to the map)
• Local organic results
• Google Maps

For shops, artisans and local service providers, this is often more important than traditional SEO.

Why local SEO is crucial

Key figures

• 46% of Google searches have a local intent
• 76% of local mobile searches lead to a visit within 24 hours
• 28% of those searches result in a purchase

Local competition

Your competitors are your neighbours, not national sites.
With a solid local strategy, even a small business can dominate its area.

For a broader introduction to SEO, you can read my article Understanding SEO.

Google Business Profile: the foundation

Create and claim your listing

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the backbone of local SEO:

1. Create your listing on business.google.com
2. Claim your business (verification by mail/phone)
3. Fill in 100% of the information

Essential information (NAP)

Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) must be:

• Accurate: correct spelling
• Consistent: identical everywhere on the web
• Complete: full address with postcode

Optimising your listing

Categories:

• Choose the most specific main category
• Add relevant secondary categories

Description:

• Up to 750 characters
• Local keywords used naturally
• Your unique value proposition

Opening hours:

• Exact, up‑to‑date hours
• Special hours for holidays and exceptional days

Photos:

• Logo and cover photo
• Photos of your premises (inside/outside)
• Photos of your products/services
• At least 10–15 high‑quality photos

Google Posts

Publish regular updates:

• Promotions
• Events
• New products or services
• Tips and advice

Posts expire after 7 days, except for events.

Customer reviews

Why reviews matter

Google reviews are the second most important local ranking factor after your Business Profile:

• Number of reviews
• Average rating
• Frequency of new reviews
• Responses from the business

Getting more reviews

Ask systematically:

• After a successful job or visit
• Via follow‑up email
• With a QR code in your shop
• On invoices/quotes

Make it easy:

• Direct link to your review page
• QR code displayed on site
• Simple, clear instructions

Responding to reviews

Reply to every review:

Positive reviews:

• Thank people personally
• Mention details of their visit if relevant
• Invite them to come back

Negative reviews:

• Stay professional
• Acknowledge the issue
• Propose a concrete solution
• Invite them to continue the conversation privately

Thoughtful responses show that you are engaged and professional.

A locally optimised website

Local pages

If you have several locations, create one page per location:

• URL like /city or /district
• Unique content on each page
• Full NAP on each page
• Embedded Google Maps

Local content

Add local elements to your site:

• Mentions of your city/district
• References to local events
• Testimonials from local clients
• Photos of your premises

Local meta tags

Title example:
Artisanal bakery in Strasbourg | Your bakery name

Description example:
Artisanal breads and pastries in the heart of Strasbourg. Organic flour, natural sourdough. Open 7 days a week. 15 Rue de la Gare.

Schema.org LocalBusiness

Structured data helps Google understand your business:

• Type of business
• Full address
• Opening hours
• Geographic coordinates

Local citations

What is a citation?

A local citation is a mention of your business on another site with all or part of your NAP:

• Business directories
• Review sites
• Social networks
• Local press

Key directories

General:

• Pages Jaunes
• Yelp
• TripAdvisor (if relevant)
• Foursquare

Professional:

• Directories of your trade association
• Chamber of commerce / craft chambers
• Specialist sites for your sector

NAP consistency

Your NAP must be identical everywhere:

• Same business name
• Same address (same formatting)
• Same phone number

Inconsistencies hurt your rankings.

Advanced optimisations

Local backlinks

Get links from local sites:

• Local partners
• Event sponsors
• Local associations
• Local press
• City hall, tourist office

Local monitoring

Monitor your local online reputation:

• New reviews
• Mentions of your business
• Reviews of competitors
• Local opportunities or partnerships

Advanced Google Maps tips

Optimise your presence on Maps:

• Geolocated photos
• Products/services listed
• Active Questions & Answers
• Online booking if relevant

Measuring results

Key metrics

In Google Business Profile Insights:

• Views of your listing
• Types of searches (direct vs discovery)
• Actions (calls, directions, website clicks)
• Photo views compared with similar businesses

In Search Console

• Positions on local queries
• Clicks from local searches
• Impressions in the Local Pack

Common mistakes to avoid

Unclaimed listing

An unclaimed listing may contain wrong information and prevents you from managing it.

Inconsistent information

Different NAP details across sites confuse Google and hurt your ranking.

Ignoring negative reviews

Reviews with no response send the signal that you are not listening to your clients.

Duplicate content

Copy‑pasting the same description on every directory is ineffective. Personalise your text.

Conclusion

Local SEO is accessible to any proximity business.
The basics (Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent NAP) are free and highly effective.

If you want a website optimised for local search, I build sites designed with local visibility in mind.
You can explore my portfolio, including the Détective Sanegon site, which targets its specific service area.