Local SEO is the work that helps a business appear when people nearby search for what it does, such as "electrician Joondalup" or "plumber near me". It covers your Google Business Profile, your website and your reputation online.
Where local results appear
- The map pack: the three businesses shown with a map near the top of the results.
- Google Maps: when people search directly in the Maps app.
- Normal results: the website links below the map pack.
Local SEO vs normal SEO
Normal SEO aims to rank a website for a topic anywhere. Local SEO adds a place. It leans on your Business Profile, reviews, distance and suburb pages, as well as your website. A plumber doesn't need to rank across Australia; they need to rank in the suburbs they drive to.
Local SEO vs Google Ads
Ads put you at the top immediately but you pay for every click, and it stops when the budget does. Local SEO takes months to build but brings calls without paying per click. See is SEO worth it.
What local SEO work includes
- Setting up and maintaining your Google Business Profile.
- Building pages for each service and priority suburb.
- Listing your business consistently on directories (citations).
- Getting reviews and replying to them.
- Earning links from local websites.
- Tracking rankings, calls and enquiries.
For the full list, see our local SEO checklist, or see what's included in our local SEO plans.