Fun fact.
46% of all Google searches have local intent.
"Plumber near me." "Best pizza in [city]." "Dentist open Saturday."
Almost half of all searches.
And most local businesses are doing approximately... nothing... to capture them.
rolls eyes
Why local SEO is the biggest missed opportunity
Here's what kills me.
Local SEO is not hard. Compared to national or global SEO, it's downright easy. The competition is lower, the intent is higher, and the impact is immediate.
But most local businesses either:
The local SEO checklist
Google Business Profile
This is your single most important asset. If you do nothing else, do this:
NAP consistency
Your Name, Address, and Phone number need to be identical everywhere. Your website. Google. Yelp. Facebook. Industry directories. We wrote an entire guide on NAP consistency because it matters that much.
One wrong digit, one abbreviated street name, and you're confusing Google about who you are and where you are.
Local content
Create pages for every service area you cover. "Plumbing services in [City]." "Emergency plumber in [Neighborhood]."
Not doorway pages with the city name swapped out. Genuinely useful, locally relevant content.
Reviews
More reviews = more trust = higher rankings.
Ask every happy customer. Make it easy with a direct link to your Google review page. Respond to every review -- good and bad. Here's our full guide on how to get more Google reviews.
Local link building
Sponsor a local event. Join the chamber of commerce. Partner with complementary local businesses.
Local links from local organizations signal to Google that you're a real, established part of the community.
Get the full framework
Everything above (and much more) is built into SEO Checkup as trackable, prioritized tasks.
113 tasks. 4 checklists. Step-by-step tutorials for each.
Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.
Your competitors are sleeping on local SEO. Don't join them. Google's own Search Console is free and shows you exactly how you're performing.