When someone searches for a plumber, a dentist, or a coffee shop, they usually want results for a specific neighborhood.
Google hands those results to them through the local pack, Google Maps, and AI Overviews. AI search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity now give location-specific answers, too.
Businesses that don't show up accurately and consistently online risk losing that visibility and the customers that come with it.
Below, we'll cover what local SEO is, why it matters, how it works, and the steps to start earning higher visibility for the searches happening in your area.
Key takeaways
Local SEO shapes how both Google and AI tools decide which businesses to show nearby searchers. Here are the key points:
- Local SEO optimizes visibility in location-based search results (the local pack, Google Maps, and organic search results) for searches with specific geographic intent
- Google ranks local results on relevance, distance, and prominence, and AI search platforms look for accurate, complete, and credible information
- Google Business Profile (GBP) and consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) citations are foundational. They're the clearest, most verifiable signals of your business's legitimacy to both Google and AI systems.
- Reviews double as a ranking signal and a trust signal — for searchers deciding where to go and for AI systems deciding who to recommend
- Local SEO results need ongoing monitoring, not a one-time setup
- Track rankings at the ZIP code or city level, not just nationally
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing a business's visibility in unpaid, location-based search results on Google Search, Google Maps, and AI search platforms.
For instance, local SEO improves your GBP's chances of appearing in the local pack for relevant searches.
Local SEO also raises your website's rankings in organic search results (the blue links).
And helps you appear in answers from AI search platforms like ChatGPT.
Most search results are personalized based on the user's country. Local SEO goes beyond the country and focuses on reaching people in more specific locations, such as cities and districts.
Targeted SEO like this benefits businesses with physical stores (like restaurants, dentists, and mechanics) and local service providers (such as plumbers, tutors, and dog walkers).
Why is local SEO important?
Local SEO is important because it increases a business's visibility in local search results, helping attract nearby customers and boosting sales.
Google shows local results when it believes users are searching for nearby products, services, or amenities — or in a specified location.
Examples of local keywords might include:
- “mexican restaurants near me”
- “best plumbers new york”
- “wedding planners in washington”
- “vegan deli inglewood”
And local keywords don’t need “near me” or a specific locale. Google and other search systems use searchers’ locations to provide relevant results for local queries. The query “hair salon” will display hair stylists near the searcher even if no location is specified.
Businesses with strong local SEO tend to rank highest for local queries, making users more likely to discover and engage with them.
That visibility increasingly extends beyond Google's own results pages.
AI-powered discovery surfaces — like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity — now answer many "near me" searches directly, naming and describing specific businesses instead of returning a list of links for the searcher to click through.
The same local SEO work that helps you rank in Google's local results also makes it easier for these platforms to find and recommend your business. So regardless of your business type or location, you can likely reach potential customers through their local searches.
How local SEO works
Local SEO works by helping search systems understand where your business is and what it offers. That makes it easier to rank for relevant searches. It also signals to Google and AI search platforms that your business is popular and trustworthy.
When ranking businesses in Google Maps and the local pack, Google considers:
- Relevance: How well the business matches what the user is looking for
- Distance: How far the user's likely location is from the business
- Prominence: How well-known and well-reviewed the business is
When ranking webpages in organic search results, Google considers factors like:
- Relevance: How well your webpage matches what the user is looking for
- Quality: How helpful and trustworthy your content is
- Usability: How well your webpage performs (based on factors like speed and mobile-friendliness)
SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index, which analyzed about 350,000 locations across 2,751 multi-location brands, found that the businesses AI platforms recommend tend to share a few traits:
- Accurate business information: Complete, consistent details across Google Maps, Yelp, Facebook, and their own websites
- Strong reviews: High ratings, steady review volume, and active responses
- Differentiated local content: Specific descriptions of services, amenities, and specialties, not generic copy
- Cross-platform presence: Consistent signals across platforms, not strength in one channel
In practice, the same work that improves local pack rankings — accurate business information, credible reviews, and clear service descriptions — also makes it more likely that AI-powered discovery surfaces retrieve and correctly represent your business when responding to a local query.
Further reading: Local SEO Ranking Factors
How to do local SEO
To do local SEO, follow these steps to increase your local rankings and boost traffic:
- Do local keyword research
- Optimize your Google Business Profile
- Keep your Business Profile active
- Get and monitor local citations
- Encourage and respond to online reviews
- Refine your on-page SEO
- Get backlinks and mentions
Let’s dive into each step.
Do local keyword research
To do local keyword research, find the search terms people use when looking for local products and services, then create (or update) relevant pages that target them.
Ranking for these keywords drives highly targeted local traffic to your site and can potentially bring more customers.
Start by compiling a short list of keywords people might use to find your local business. Then, use one or more of the methods below.
Research your competitors
Research your competitors to identify the keywords they rank for using Semrush's Keyword Gap tool.
Enter your domain and up to four competitors' domains. The tool provides suggestions to assist you.
Choose your target country and click "Compare."
Scroll to the keyword table and select "Untapped” to reveal keywords that at least one competitor ranks for but you don't, highlighting potential opportunities.
Select "Advanced filters" to exclude irrelevant keywords (e.g., those containing competitors' business names).
You can also filter based on:
- Volume: The keyword search volume — average monthly searches for the keyword
- KD%: The keyword difficulty score, indicating how hard it is to rank highly for the keyword
- Intent: The search's general purpose (transactional, commercial, navigational, and/or informational)
Filtering with the above metrics and analyzing the results helps you identify the best keywords for your local SEO strategy.
Pay close attention to intent. Local searches often signal it through modifiers. "Emergency plumber" or "plumber near me" suggests someone ready to call now. "Toilet repair [city]" points to a specific job in a specific area. Prioritize these service-specific and near-me terms, even when their search volume is lower. They tend to attract people closer to hiring.
Use Google Autocomplete
Google Autocomplete predicts search queries as you type, and it allows you to discover valuable long-tail keywords for local SEO since predictions partly depend on your location.
For example, typing "best [product or service] in" within a specific city might yield suggestions like the ones below:
These locations are near the searcher’s location.
To find valuable local keywords, start typing terms related to your business to uncover local keyword suggestions:
Adding local modifiers like the name of a specific city reveals more useful keywords:
Experiment with different local keywords to build your list for local SEO. Try service and urgency modifiers too, like "emergency," "same-day," or "open now," to find terms from people ready to act.
Leverage Google Keyword Planner
Google's Keyword Planner is designed for researching keywords for paid search campaigns but is also useful for discovering new business-related keywords for local SEO.
Go to the "Discover new keywords" section.
Click the "Start with a website" tab and enter a competitor's domain.
Click "Get results" to see keyword suggestions based on that website.
Repeat with other competitors and add relevant keywords to your list.
Keyword Planner also shows monthly search volume for specific locations. Use it to decide which keywords to target first, since national volumes can overstate or understate how often people search in your service area.
Optimize your Google Business Profile
Optimizing your GBP (a free listing that can appear in Google results) increases the likelihood of ranking highly when potential customers search for relevant terms, making them more likely to contact or visit you.
Add and/or verify your GBP to begin — and thoroughly complete the profile.
Provide details such as:
- Contact information
- Opening hours
- Photos and videos
- Business attributes (e.g., Wi-Fi availability, outdoor seating, etc.)
For a deeper read on your profile's performance than Google's native dashboard shows, Semrush's GBP Optimization tool gives you up to 24 months of views and interactions, four times the history Google's own performance report provides.
Keep your Business Profile active
An active GBP shows Google and users that you're an engaged business owner, which can improve rankings and attract more customers.
Keeping your business details updated (e.g., holiday hours or new addresses) is one of the best ways to stay active and ensure users have accurate and comprehensive information.
Also consider posting GBP updates about news, events, and offers.
Semrush's Content Repurposing tool automatically generates content for your GBP (and other platforms) from an entered URL. This way, you can keep your profile active with minimal effort.
Start by inputting the URL you want to turn into a post for your GBP. Consider using blogs and articles that feature your business, or any content you publish to your website.
Select “Google Business Profile” in the “Target Platforms” dropdown. Then, click “Repurpose article.”
The tool will create content optimized for your GBP. Edit the content directly in the editor, copy it to your clipboard, or select “Share” to schedule it in Social Poster.
Semrush's GBP AI Agent handles much of this routine work automatically. It creates and publishes posts, uploads the photos you provide, and replies to new Google reviews as they come in. That keeps your profile active without adding to your task list.
Asking customers for Google reviews is another important part of maintaining an active profile.
More reviews and higher ratings can help your rankings and stand out to users.
Respond to Google reviews as well to show that you value customer feedback and provide you with opportunities to address negative comments when necessary.
Semrush’s Review Management tool allows you to set up automatic, AI-generated replies.
Get and monitor local citations
Getting and monitoring local citations — online mentions of your business's NAP — matters because search systems use them to verify that your business information is accurate and trustworthy.
Consistent NAP data is an entity-clarity signal: it's how both Google's local algorithm and AI systems like ChatGPT and Perplexity confirm they're describing the right business when a searcher asks about it. The more consistently your NAP appears across the web, the more confidently both surfaces can identify, describe, and recommend you.
For example, Pho Goodness lists the same name, address, and phone number on both Trip.com and Tripadvisor:
SEO consultant Charles Floate recommends getting structured and unstructured citations.
Structured citations are formal business listings that appear in online directories such as GBP or Yelp. They display your NAP details in a standardized format.
Unstructured citations also include your NAP details, but they appear on websites that aren’t dedicated business directories — such as blogs, news or magazine articles, or other third-party sites.
For example, here’s a restaurant mentioned in an online magazine alongside its address and contact info. This is an unstructured citation.
Aim to secure consistent citations on as many trusted websites as possible.
Semrush's Listing Management tool automates this: it distributes your business information to 70+ directories, flags existing listings with errors or duplicates, and keeps your NAP consistent as your business details change.
Some NAP citation tips include:
- Keeping all your citations 100% consistent (exact same name, address, and phone number)
- Submitting your information to popular directories in your local area and industry
- Submitting to major platforms like Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing Places, and Facebook
Encourage and respond to online reviews
You want to encourage and respond to online reviews because reviews provide social proof, validate your expertise, and instill confidence in potential buyers.
Aim to get reviews on Google, as they're visible in search results and influence rankings.
Gathering reviews on other platforms (e.g., Tripadvisor) can also be helpful.
Quick tips for succeeding with online reviews include:
- Asking satisfied customers to leave reviews on your preferred platforms
- Using posters or business cards to encourage online reviews — include QR codes for easy access
- Embedding widgets on your website that make it easy to view and leave reviews
- Not offering or accepting money for reviews (it violates terms for Google and other platforms)
- Responding to all reviews so users and search systems can see that you take customer feedback seriously
Use Semrush’s Review Management tool to track reviews across platforms.
Using Review Management also provides you with weekly email alerts about negative reviews, which enables you to respond promptly.
Refine your on-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing webpages to rank higher in organic search results and is essential for local SEO because good organic rankings improve your chances of appearing in the local pack.
Run a full crawl with Semrush's Site Audit to measure your on-page and technical SEO health.
Enter your domain to set up a project. When the crawl finishes, open the "Issues" tab to see everything Site Audit found, sorted into errors, warnings, and notices. Start with errors, since they have the biggest impact. For local pages, watch for missing or duplicate title tags and meta descriptions, and broken internal links.
Some quick on-page SEO tips include:
- Including local keywords in title tags and meta descriptions
- Adding specific location pages to emphasize local services
- Using internal linking where relevant
Get backlinks and mentions
Getting backlinks (links from other sites) and mentions (unlinked mentions from other sites) helps you build trust with Google and AI search systems. Both linked and unlinked mentions give your business credibility and give search systems confidence to include you in their output.
Generally, getting links and mentions from domains that are more relevant to you increases your chances of ranking higher for your keywords.
The good news is that many link-building strategies (such as reclaiming lost links, broken link building, and finding unlinked brand mentions) also apply to local SEO.
Some local link-building tips include:
- Reaching out to local (non-competitor) businesses for links
- Contacting local newspapers and websites to share stories
- Supporting or sponsoring local events that may result in backlinks
- Pitching local "best of" roundups and city guides in your category
- Joining your chamber of commerce or local business associations
- Getting listed on niche directories and review sites for your industry
- Appearing on local podcasts, newsletters, and community event listings
- Entering local business awards, which often publish winner lists
Local SEO tools
Local SEO tools like the Local Toolkit, Position Tracking, and Google Search Console keep your business consistently in front of your target audience.
Semrush’s Local Toolkit
Semrush’s Local Toolkit includes tools that let you keep citations consistent, track keyword positions, manage reviews, and optimize your GBP.
Listing Management distributes your business information to key directories and keeps it in sync. Consistent details help search engines and AI systems trust your business data. The tool also flags listings with errors, so you can fix inconsistencies before they affect your visibility.
Review Management lets you reply to customer reviews with custom or AI-generated responses. Reviews and active replies are signals both search engines and AI search platforms use to judge your business.
And Map Rank Tracker tracks your rankings within Google Maps for relevant keywords and monitors your brand’s share of voice.
Finally, GBP Optimization lets you manage your GBP from one dashboard and review edits others suggest to your profile.
Semrush’s Position Tracking
The Position Tracking tool monitors keywords and rankings at the city, state, and ZIP code level and in local packs, which is crucial for local SEO.
And the tool enables you to stay updated on position changes and keep an eye on your competitors.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that helps you monitor your site's presence in search results. GSC is excellent for understanding how Google views your pages, ensuring your site is crawlable, and seeing which keywords you rank for.
You can also use GSC to check your presence in Google’s AI features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus generative AI features in Discover.
If you're new to GSC, check out our Google Search Console guide.
How to monitor your local SEO results
Monitor your local SEO results by tracking your rankings in Google Maps and tracking local rankings in organic results.
Track your rankings in Google Maps
Use the Map Rank Tracker to see your GBP's ranking in Google Maps.
Select your business to begin.
Choose the local keywords you want to track.
AI suggestions are available if you need help.
Set your target location next.
Each circle represents a search location where the tool tracks your rankings.
If you have many nearby competitors, consider using a more granular approach. If your competitors are more widespread, consider covering a larger area.
After setup, select a keyword from the drop-down menu at the top.
The heatmap will display your business's ranking in each location.
Click any numbered circle to view the search results and assess your top competitors.
Track your local rankings in Google Search
Semrush’s Position Tracking tool lets you monitor your rankings in Google Search across countries, states, regions, cities, and ZIP codes.
During setup, specify your target location and enter your business name as it appears in your GBP.
Next, import all local keywords you wish to rank for.
Once your project is ready, go to the "Overview" report and select your desired time range.
The graphs illustrate your overall performance.
Scroll down to view your current and previous ranking positions for each keyword you’re tracking.
To identify keywords triggering a local pack, go to "SERP Features," select the circle next to "Feature on SERP," and choose "Local pack."
Alternatively, use the "[domain] doesn't rank" option to find local packs that don’t feature your business.
You can then adjust your local SEO strategy accordingly.
For a full audit checklist to work through these steps in order, see our Ultimate Local SEO Checklist.
Start building your local visibility
Get started on building your local visibility by managing it yourself or hiring an agency or freelancer to help.
If you choose to outsource, local SEO could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month depending on the scope of the work. Handling it yourself costs your time plus whatever tools you use — free options like GBP and GSC cover the basics, while a dedicated platform adds automation and reporting.
With Semrush Local, plans start at $30 per month per location, and the Pro plan ($60 per location) adds Listing Management, Review Management, and GBP Optimization.
