Local SEO checklist: how to show up in Google Maps

When someone searches for a plumber, a dentist or a cleaning company, Google often shows a map with a handful of local businesses above the normal results. For many local businesses, those few spots bring in more calls than anything else online.

Google says local rankings are based mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are) and prominence (how well known and well reviewed you are). You cannot move your office, but you can do a lot about the other two.

Your Google Business Profile

• Claim and verify your profile. If you have not done this yet, it is the first step. Use an email address your business controls, not a personal one that might leave with a staff member.
• Choose the right primary category. This is one of the most important settings. Pick the category that best describes your main service, then add a few relevant secondary categories.
• Use your real business name. Adding keywords to your name breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
• Set accurate hours, including holiday hours. Few things annoy a customer more than turning up to a closed door.
• Add your services and a clear description. Explain what you do, who you help and where, in plain language.
• Upload real photos of your team, premises, vehicles and work. Avoid stock images.
• Define your service area if you visit customers rather than having them visit you.

Consistency across the web

• Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere: your website, your profile, social media and business directories. Small differences can create confusion about which details are correct.
• List your business on the main directories for your country and industry, and fix any old or duplicate listings.

Your website

• Create a page for each main service, explaining what is included and who it is for, rather than one page that lists everything.
• Mention the areas you serve naturally in your content, and consider a page for each key area if you have something genuinely useful to say about it.
• Add your address and phone number to every page, usually in the footer, and make the phone number tappable on mobile.
• Make sure the site is fast and works well on phones, since most local searches happen on the move.

Reviews

• Ask every happy customer for a review, ideally soon after the job is done. A short link or QR code makes it easy.
• Reply to every review, positive or negative. A calm, helpful reply to a complaint can reassure future customers more than another five-star review.
• Never buy reviews or offer incentives for them. It breaks Google's rules and the trust of your customers.

Keep it active

Local SEO is not a one-off task. Post updates and offers, answer questions people ask on your profile, and add new photos regularly. A profile that looks cared for tells both Google and customers that you are open for business.

Work through this list once and you will already be ahead of many competitors. Then make it a monthly habit.