Local SEO Is Simpler Than You Think
I wrote in Local SEO Is Yelp With Extra Steps that the local SEO industry has overcomplicated something relatively straightforward. The fundamentals haven't changed in years: get reviews, keep your information accurate, be geographically relevant to the searcher.
But simple doesn't mean it happens automatically. Most local businesses get these basics wrong. They have incomplete Google Business Profiles. Inconsistent information across directories. No review strategy. Generic websites with no local signals.
If your competitors are getting the basics wrong (and they probably are), getting them right puts you ahead.
What Actually Matters
Google Business Profile
This is where most local searches end. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, has wrong information, or lacks photos and updates, you're losing to competitors who care more. I optimize every element: categories, attributes, services, products, posts, Q&A, and review responses.
Reviews
Reviews are both a ranking factor and a conversion factor. More reviews, higher ratings, and frequent recent reviews all help. I help you build a review acquisition system that generates consistent reviews without violating Google's guidelines. No fake reviews, no incentivized reviews. Just making it easy for happy customers to leave feedback.
NAP Consistency
Name, Address, Phone. If these are different across your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and industry directories, Google loses confidence in your information. I audit and fix inconsistencies across the citation landscape.
Local Content
Your website needs to clearly signal that you serve specific geographic areas. Location pages (done right, not thin doorway pages), locally relevant content, and proper schema markup. If you serve multiple locations, there's a specific architecture that works.
Local Links
Links from local newspapers, chambers of commerce, industry associations, and local business partners. Not bulk directory submissions, which are largely worthless now. Real local signals from real local sources.
Who Local SEO Is For
Local SEO matters if your business serves a specific geographic area and people search for what you do with local intent. This includes:
- Service businesses (plumbers, lawyers, dentists, contractors)
- Retail with physical locations
- Restaurants and hospitality
- Healthcare providers
- Multi-location businesses
- Franchises
It doesn't matter as much if you're purely online, if you serve customers nationally without geographic preference, or if nobody searches for your category with location intent.
Multi-Location Challenges
If you have 5 locations, you have 5x the complexity. Each location needs its own Google Business Profile, its own local signals, potentially its own landing page. The architecture matters. Get it wrong and your locations compete against each other.
I've worked with businesses with hundreds of locations. There are patterns that work and patterns that don't. Scalable systems for managing profiles, generating location-specific content, and building local authority across the portfolio.
What I Deliver
- Complete Google Business Profile optimization
- Citation audit and cleanup
- Review acquisition strategy and systems
- Location page strategy and content briefs
- Local link opportunities
- Competitive local analysis
- Local schema implementation
Honest Assessment
Local SEO has real limits. If you're in an extremely competitive market (think: personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles), organic local rankings are hard to move and expensive to pursue. Google Ads might be a better use of budget.
If you're in a moderately competitive market with active but beatable competitors, local SEO is usually high ROI. A few hours of work per month can maintain strong local visibility.
I'll tell you which situation you're in.
Pricing
Local SEO is typically part of a broader monthly management engagement, or a one-time optimization project for businesses that can maintain it themselves afterward.
One-time local SEO setup and optimization: $1,500 to $3,000 depending on number of locations and current state.
Ongoing local SEO management: starts at $1,000/month per market, often bundled with broader SEO services.