What is Local SEO?

When someone searches "dentist near me" or "best pizza in Brooklyn," Google shows a local results section — a map and a short list of three businesses (the "Local Pack") — above or alongside regular organic results. Local SEO is the discipline of getting your business into that pack and optimizing your full local search presence.

The three core signals Google uses for local rankings are: relevance (does your business match what was searched?), distance (how close are you to the searcher?), and prominence (how well-known and well-reviewed is your business online?). Of these, prominence is the one most within your control — it includes Google reviews, citation accuracy, website authority, and local backlinks.

Key tactics include: fully completing and actively managing your Google Business Profile, getting consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) citations across directories, earning genuine Google reviews and responding to them, creating location-specific content on your website, and building local backlinks from community organizations, news sites, and partner businesses.