Local SEO isn’t just about having a website — it’s about making sure the right customers near you can actually find and choose your business online. These techniques target core signals that search engines use to rank local results and help businesses compete in their community. Learn the steps that support custom local SEO strategies for small businesses.

1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Claim and verify your business on Google.

Fill out every section: hours, services, photos, business description, and attributes.

Choose accurate categories and add local keywords (e.g., “plumber in [City]”).

Post updates and offers regularly.

Why it matters: GBP is the most visible local asset — it directly influences visibility in Maps and the Local Pack that appears for searches with local intent.

2. Maintain Consistent NAP Across the Web

List your Name, Address, Phone number (NAP) consistently on your website and all directory listings (Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, industry-specific sites).

Even small discrepancies (e.g., “St.” vs “Street”) can confuse search engines and hurt rankings.

Impact: Consistent NAP builds trust with search engines and improves the likelihood your business will appear for local searches.

3. Target Local Keywords in Your Content

Include geo‑modified terms like:

“best service in City”

“service near me”

“City service reviews”

Use these keywords naturally in:

Blog posts

Service and location pages

Meta titles and descriptions

Why it works: Search engines match your content to what local customers are actually searching for.

4. Build Local Citations and References

Get listed in:

Local business directories

Local Chamber of Commerce sites

Industry‑specific listings

Ensure your business info is identical everywhere.

Benefit: These local citations act as signals of authority and relevance, boosting local rankings.

5. Encourage and Manage Customer Reviews

Ask customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile and other platforms.

Reply to all reviews — positive and negative — to show engagement and reliability.

Result: Reviews are a major trust and ranking signal for local SEO. More recent, authentic reviews help build credibility and increase visibility in local search.

Conclusion

These five local SEO techniques form the foundation for helping nearby customers find your small business online. When combined with a custom local SEO strategy that considers your unique service area and audience, you’ll be set up to attract more local traffic, calls, and foot traffic with sustainable, long‑term results.

As a small business owner in Australia, you know how important it is to draw in local customers. With 46% of all Google searches looking for nearby info, local SEO is key to staying ahead and beating your rivals1. To boost your online visibility and get more people walking through your door, you need to master local SEO strategies. This guide will show you why local search engine optimization…

How to choose the right local keywords?

Choosing the right local keywords is essential for any business that wants to improve its local SEO. When you choose the right keywords, you're making it easier for potential customers to find your business when they search for products or services like yours in their area.

Here are some tips on how to choose the right local keywords for your business:

● Start with a brainstorming session. Make a list of all the words and phrases that you think potential customers might use to search for your business. This could include your products or services, your location and any other relevant information.

●Use keyword research tools. There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify relevant keywords and their search volume. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and SEMrush.

●Consider your target audience. When choosing keywords, it's important to consider your target audience. What words and phrases are they likely to use when searching for a business like yours?

●Be specific. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to attract qualified traffic to your website. For example instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA."

●Think long-tail. Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. For example, instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA who can fix a leaky faucet."

Once you have a list of potential keywords, you need to narrow it down to a select few that you'll use for your local SEO campaign.

Here are some factors to consider when narrowing down your keyword list:

●Search volume. How many people are searching for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a decent search volume but not so much that the competition is too high.

●Relevancy. How relevant are the keywords to your business? You want to choose keywords that are relevant to your products or services and that your target audience is likely to use.

●Competition. How much competition is there for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition.

Once you've narrowed down your keyword list, you can start using those keywords in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts.

Some additional tips for choosing the right local keywords:

●Use local modifiers. When choosing keywords, be sure to include local modifiers such as your city, state, ZIP code or target specific neighborhoods or areas in your city.

For example you could target the keywords "restaurant in Cupertino, CA near Google." This will help your business show up in search results for people who are searching for businesses in your area.

●Think about what people are searching for. When choosing keywords, think about what people are actually searching for. What words and phrases are they using to find businesses like yours?

You can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for in your area.

●Use a mix of keyword types. When choosing keywords, be sure to use a mix of keyword types including short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords and branded keywords.

Branded keywords are keywords that include your brand name. Short-tail keywords —also known as head terms—are search queries that typically contains 1-3 words and covers a very broad topics and have high search volumes which means that they attract more website visitors. Long-tail keywords are phrases that is generally made from 3-5 words. They are highly specific search queries that tend to have relatively low search volumes and competition levels.

●Track your results. Once you've started using keywords, be sure to track your results. This will help you see which keywords are working well for your business and which ones need to be adjusted.

By choosing the right local keywords and using them in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers in your area.

How to choose the right local keywords?

Choosing the right local keywords is essential for any business that wants to improve its local SEO.

When you choose the right keywords, you're making it easier for potential customers to find your business when they search for products or services like yours in their area.

Here are some tips on how to choose the right local keywords for your business:

● Start with a brainstorming session. Make a list of all the words and phrases that you think potential customers might use to search for your business.

This could include your products or services, your location and any other relevant information.

● Use keyword research tools. There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify relevant keywords and their search volume.

Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and SEMrush.

● Consider your target audience. When choosing keywords, it's important to consider your target audience. What words and phrases are they likely to use when searching for a business like yours?

● Be specific. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to attract qualified traffic to your website.

For example instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA."

● Think long-tail. Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords.

For example, instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA who can fix a leaky faucet."

Once you have a list of potential keywords, you need to narrow it down to a select few that you'll use for your local SEO campaign.

Here are some factors to consider when narrowing down your keyword list:

● Search volume. How many people are searching for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a decent search volume but not so much that the competition is too high.

● Relevancy. How relevant are the keywords to your business? You want to choose keywords that are relevant to your products or services and that your target audience is likely to use.

● Competition. How much competition is there for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition.

Once you've narrowed down your keyword list, you can start using those keywords in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts.

Some additional tips for choosing the right local keywords:

●Use local modifiers. When choosing keywords, be sure to include local modifiers such as your city, state, ZIP code or target specific neighborhoods or areas in your city.

For example you could target the keywords "restaurant in Cupertino, CA near Google." This will help your business show up in search results for people who are searching for businesses in your area.

●Think about what people are searching for. When choosing keywords, think about what people are actually searching for. What words and phrases are they using to find businesses like yours?

You can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for in your area.

●Use a mix of keyword types. When choosing keywords, be sure to use a mix of keyword types including short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords and branded keywords.

Branded keywords are keywords that include your brand name.

Short-tail keywords —also known as head terms—are search queries that typically contains 1-3 words and covers a very broad topics and have high search volumes which means that they attract more website visitors.

Long-tail keywords are phrases that is generally made from 3-5 words. They are highly specific search queries that tend to have relatively low search volumes and competition levels.

●Track your results. Once you've started using keywords, be sure to track your results. This will help you see which keywords are working well for your business and which ones need to be adjusted.

By choosing the right local keywords and using them in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers in your area.

Choosing the right local keywords is essential for any business that wants to improve its local SEO. When you choose the right keywords, you're making it easier for potential customers to find your business when they search for products or services like yours in their area.

Here are some tips on how to choose the right local keywords for your business:

● Start with a brainstorming session. Make a list of all the words and phrases that you think potential customers might use to search for your business. This could include your products or services, your location and any other relevant information.

●Use keyword research tools. There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify relevant keywords and their search volume. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and SEMrush.

●Consider your target audience. When choosing keywords, it's important to consider your target audience. What words and phrases are they likely to use when searching for a business like yours?

●Be specific. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to attract qualified traffic to your website.

For example instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA."

●Think long-tail. Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords.

For example, instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA who can fix a leaky faucet."

Once you have a list of potential keywords, you need to narrow it down to a select few that you'll use for your local SEO campaign.

Here are some factors to consider when narrowing down your keyword list:

●Search volume. How many people are searching for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a decent search volume but not so much that the competition is too high.

●Relevancy. How relevant are the keywords to your business? You want to choose keywords that are relevant to your products or services and that your target audience is likely to use.

●Competition. How much competition is there for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition.

Once you've narrowed down your keyword list, you can start using those keywords in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts.

Some additional tips for choosing the right local keywords:

●Use local modifiers. When choosing keywords, be sure to include local modifiers such as your city, state, ZIP code or target specific neighborhoods or areas in your city.

For example you could target the keywords "restaurant in Cupertino, CA near Google." This will help your business show up in search results for people who are searching for businesses in your area.

●Think about what people are searching for. When choosing keywords, think about what people are actually searching for. What words and phrases are they using to find businesses like yours?

You can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for in your area.

●Use a mix of keyword types. When choosing keywords, be sure to use a mix of keyword types including short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords and branded keywords.

Branded keywords are keywords that include your brand name. Short-tail keywords —also known as head terms—are search queries that typically contains 1-3 words and covers a very broad topics and have high search volumes which means that they attract more website visitors. Long-tail keywords are phrases that is generally made from 3-5 words. They are highly specific search queries that tend to have relatively low search volumes and competition levels.

●Track your results. Once you've started using keywords, be sure to track your results. This will help you see which keywords are working well for your business and which ones need to be adjusted.

By choosing the right local keywords and using them in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers in your area.

Choosing the right local keywords is essential for any business that wants to improve its local SEO. When you choose the right keywords, you're making it easier for potential customers to find your business when they search for products or services like yours in their area.

Here are some tips on how to choose the right local keywords for your business:

● Start with a brainstorming session. Make a list of all the words and phrases that you think potential customers might use to search for your business. This could include your products or services, your location and any other relevant information.

●Use keyword research tools. There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify relevant keywords and their search volume. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and SEMrush.

●Consider your target audience. When choosing keywords, it's important to consider your target audience. What words and phrases are they likely to use when searching for a business like yours?

●Be specific. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to attract qualified traffic to your website. For example instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA."

●Think long-tail. Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. For example, instead of targeting the keyword "plumber," you could target the keyword "emergency plumber in San Jose, CA who can fix a leaky faucet."

Once you have a list of potential keywords, you need to narrow it down to a select few that you'll use for your local SEO campaign.

Here are some factors to consider when narrowing down your keyword list:

●Search volume. How many people are searching for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a decent search volume but not so much that the competition is too high.

●Relevancy. How relevant are the keywords to your business? You want to choose keywords that are relevant to your products or services and that your target audience is likely to use.

●Competition. How much competition is there for each keyword? You want to choose keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition.

Once you've narrowed down your keyword list, you can start using those keywords in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts.

Some additional tips for choosing the right local keywords:

●Use local modifiers. When choosing keywords, be sure to include local modifiers such as your city, state, ZIP code or target specific neighborhoods or areas in your city.

For example you could target the keywords "restaurant in Cupertino, CA near Google." This will help your business show up in search results for people who are searching for businesses in your area.

●Think about what people are searching for. When choosing keywords, think about what people are actually searching for. What words and phrases are they using to find businesses like yours?

You can use Google Trends to see what people are searching for in your area.

●Use a mix of keyword types. When choosing keywords, be sure to use a mix of keyword types including short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords and branded keywords.

Branded keywords are keywords that include your brand name. Short-tail keywords —also known as head terms—are search queries that typically contains 1-3 words and covers a very broad topics and have high search volumes which means that they attract more website visitors. Long-tail keywords are phrases that is generally made from 3-5 words. They are highly specific search queries that tend to have relatively low search volumes and competition levels.

●Track your results. Once you've started using keywords, be sure to track your results. This will help you see which keywords are working well for your business and which ones need to be adjusted.

By choosing the right local keywords and using them in your website content, Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers in your area.

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component of a successful digital marketing strategy for businesses that rely on local customers. With local SEO, businesses can improve their online visibility, reach their target audience, and drive traffic to their website. However, optimizing your website for local SEO can be challenging, especially for businesses with limited resources. In…