Local SEO: get chosen by Google when a customer searches nearby

The three factors Google acknowledges

In France, “référencement local” (local SEO) is searched 590 times a month and “SEO local” 1,000 times. The official answer fits in three words: according to Google’s help pages, local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.

• Relevance: how well your profile matches the search. Google explains that complete, detailed information helps it show your profile for relevant searches.
• Distance: how far your business is from the person searching. You do not control it, but you can state your address or service area accurately.
• Prominence: how well known the business is. Google mentions the number of sites that link to you and the number of reviews, and writes that more reviews and positive ratings can improve your business’s local ranking.

Google also points out that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Be wary of any offer that promises a position.

Why the map comes before the website

Of the 25 trade-plus-city searches we recorded in Google, 24 showed a block of Google Maps listings. For a tradesperson, a practice or a shop, it is often the first thing the customer sees, before any website.

Yet 23% of the listings surveyed have no website and 8% link only to a platform (online booking, social network). These businesses depend entirely on their listing, and on the platform that hosts them.

The four workstreams of local SEO

On the website side, the job is rarely finished: in our study, 55% of sites do not describe the business in structured data and 39% have no tappable phone number on the home page.

1. 1
   The Google Business Profile: claimed and verified, exact primary category, address or service area, opening hours including special hours, real photos, link to your website. Google says verifying your profile increases its chances of appearing, and that inaccurate information can stop it from showing.
2. 2
   Reviews: requested from every satisfied customer, with a direct link, and followed by a reply. It is the only prominence lever you can pull every week.
3. 3
   The website: one page per service and per area you really cover, with the same name, address and phone number as the profile, and that information described in LocalBusiness structured data.
4. 4
   Citations: your business mentioned with a link on sites that matter in your sector (trade directories, chamber of commerce or trades, trade federation, suppliers, local press). These are the “sites that link to your business” Google refers to.

What our Google Maps data shows

We compared the listings ranked in the top 10 Google Maps results (521 listings) with those ranked lower (4,110 listings), on the same searches.

Of the 6 signals measured, the top 10 does better on 3: reviews (median), average rating, photos (median). On the others, it does no better than the rest. The table below gives each gap.

Read these figures for what they are: a correlation in one survey, not a cause. Distance from the point of search, which we cannot neutralise, weighs on every ranking. The practical conclusion is cautious: work on every signal you control rather than betting on one.

The 30-day action plan

1. 1
   Week 1: claim or verify the profile, correct the name, category, address or area, opening hours, phone number and website link.
2. 2
   Week 1: add real photos of the team, the premises and your work.
3. 3
   Week 2: create the review request link and send it to every customer from the past month, then to every new customer.
4. 4
   Week 3: align the website with the profile (same contact details, one page per service and per area, structured data).
5. 5
   Week 4: check your listings in your trade’s directories and correct old contact details.
6. 6
   Then, every week: reply to reviews, post a photo or an update, follow the profile’s statistics.