Local SEO is about showing up when someone nearby searches for what you sell, like “plumber Västerås” or “café near me”. For most small businesses it comes down to three things: a complete, verified Google Business Profile, genuine reviews, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere your business is listed. Your website ties it all together. None of it costs money, but all of it needs someone to actually look after it.
What is local search and the “local pack”?
When a search has local intent, Google often shows a map with a handful of businesses at the top, above the regular results. That box is usually called the “local pack”. The same listings appear in Google Maps. Click on a business and its profile opens, with opening hours, photos, reviews, a phone number and directions.
For a café, a hairdresser, a dental clinic or an electrician, this is often where the customer decides. Plenty of people call or drive over straight from the map without ever visiting the website.
Three factors Google names itself
Google is unusually open about how local results are ranked. Its help article on local ranking names three factors:
- Relevance: how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for.
- Distance: how far the business is from the person searching.
- Prominence: how well known the business is, online and off. Review count and rating feed into this.
You can’t change distance. Relevance and prominence you can build. Google also states plainly that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. Ads exist, but they are ads.
Setting up your Google Business Profile
The profile is free. What matters most is getting it verified, because only then do you own it and can reply to reviews. Google picks the verification method based on your business type and region: phone, text, email, video call or postcard.
After that it’s about filling everything in, and filling it in correctly:
- Name. Use your real business name, the one on your sign and your invoices. Google’s guidelines forbid adding keywords or taglines to it.
- Category. Pick the most specific category for what your business is, not what it has. “Plumber” beats “Contractor”. Only add more categories if they genuinely fit.
- Address or service area. If you don’t serve customers at your address, for example you drive out to jobs from home, the guidelines say to hide the address and set a service area instead.
- Opening hours. Keep them current, including public holidays and summer closures. Wrong hours lead to angry reviews.
- Photos. Real photos of the premises, the team and the work. No stock images.
- Posts and services. Publish news, offers and events now and then, and describe your services in the words customers actually use.
Reviews: ask for them, reply to them
Reviews are the factor you can influence most. Google says that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
The simplest way to get more is to ask. Google suggests sharing a direct link or a QR code to the review form. Put the link in your receipt email, on the invoice or on a card by the till.
There are firm limits, though. Google’s content policy prohibits offering discounts, free goods or payment in exchange for reviews. You also can’t ask only happy customers and skip the rest. Break these rules and the reviews can be removed.
Reply to reviews, including the negative ones. Say thanks, be specific and stay factual. If an issue is complicated, ask the person to get in touch by phone or email. The person reading your reply is often your next customer, not the one who wrote the review.
NAP: the same details everywhere
NAP stands for name, address, phone. These should be identical everywhere your business appears. Different spellings, old addresses and dead numbers make it harder for search engines and customers alike to trust the information.
Go through these places:
| Where | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your website | Name, address and phone in the footer and on the contact page |
| Google Business Profile | Verify it and keep everything up to date |
| Eniro and Hitta.se (Sweden) | Check and correct existing listings |
| Apple Maps | Claim your place card through Apple Business Connect, which is free |
| Bing Places | Can import your details from your Google profile |
| Industry directories and social media | The same name, address and phone as above |
If you move or change numbers, update everything in the same week. It’s easy to forget one.
Your website does the rest
The profile goes a long way, but the website carries relevance. Three things make the biggest difference:
- One page per location or service. If you have two clinics or cover several towns, give each place its own page with real content: address, hours, which services are offered there. Not the same text with the town name swapped.
- Structured data. LocalBusiness markup tells Google your business name, where you are and when you’re open, in a format machines read directly.
- Local content. Write about the work you actually do in the area: common customer problems, jobs nearby, local conditions. A competitor in another city can’t copy that.
None of this is a one-off. Hours change, new reviews come in and services get added. That’s why local SEO fits continuous optimisation better than a project that ends.
AI assistants read the same sources
When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity for “a good dentist in Örebro”, the assistant builds its answer from what is already online: business profiles, directories, reviews and websites. The same work that lifts you on Google Maps makes you easier for AI to find and cite. We’ve written more about that in why your business isn’t showing up in AI chat answers.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google Business Profile cost anything?
No, the profile is free. Google also says explicitly that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking.
How long does local SEO take to work?
A complete, verified profile can start showing up fairly quickly, but reviews and prominence build over months. It’s ongoing work, not a one-time job.
Can I rank locally without a physical shop?
Yes. Service businesses like plumbers and cleaners can set a service area and hide their address. That’s what Google’s guidelines recommend when you don’t serve customers on site.
Can I give customers a discount for leaving a review?
No. Google’s policy prohibits any kind of reward for reviews, and such reviews can be removed.
How Almano helps
We build and run websites for companies in the Nordics and the rest of the EU, and local visibility is part of that: pages per location and service, structured data, consistent contact details and content that matches what customers search for. Every month we measure, learn and improve. See our services.
Curious how your business shows up locally today? book a free call or run your domain through our free audit on the homepage.
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