Local SEO Terms

Local SEO is the part of search engine optimisation that helps businesses appear in search results for a specific location.

If someone searches for “accountant near me,” “dentist in Manchester,” “SEO consultant in London,” or “best café nearby,” Google tries to show relevant local businesses. Local SEO helps your business become more visible in those location-based searches.

For businesses that serve customers in a specific city, town, region, or service area, local SEO can be extremely valuable. It can help increase website visits, phone calls, direction requests, enquiries, bookings, and foot traffic.

This glossary explains the most important local SEO terms in plain English so business owners, marketing teams, and clients can better understand local search reports, audits, and recommendations.

Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of improving your online visibility for location-based searches.

It helps your business appear when people search for products or services in a specific area.

For example, if someone searches “plumber in Birmingham” or “law firm near me,” local SEO helps Google understand which businesses are relevant to that location.

Local SEO is especially important for service businesses, professional firms, clinics, restaurants, shops, agencies, and any business that depends on local customers.

Local Search

Local search means any search where Google shows results based on the user’s location or a specific place mentioned in the query.

For example:

“SEO consultant near me”
“accountant in Leeds”
“best dentist in London”

Google uses local signals such as location, relevance, distance, reviews, and business information to decide which results to show.

Near Me Search

A “near me” search is when someone searches for a business, product, or service close to their current location.

Examples include “coffee shop near me,” “SEO agency near me,” or “emergency plumber near me.”

These searches often have strong intent because the user is actively looking for a nearby solution.

For local businesses, appearing in near me searches can lead to more calls, visits, and enquiries.

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business, is a free Google tool that allows businesses to manage how they appear in Google Search and Google Maps.

Your profile can show your business name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, photos, reviews, services, products, and updates.

For local SEO, Google Business Profile is one of the most important assets because it directly affects local visibility and map rankings.

Google Maps

Google Maps is Google’s mapping platform where users can find businesses, get directions, read reviews, view photos, and contact local companies.

For many local searches, Google Maps results appear before traditional organic results.

If your business depends on local customers, visibility in Google Maps can be just as important as ranking on the first page of Google.

Local Pack

The local pack, also called the map pack, is the boxed section in Google search results that shows local businesses with a map.

It usually displays three business listings, along with ratings, location, opening hours, and other details.

Appearing in the local pack can be very valuable because it is highly visible and often appears above standard organic results.

Map Pack

Map pack is another name for the local pack.

It refers to the group of local business results shown with a map in Google search results.

For example, if someone searches “solicitor in Manchester,” Google may show a map with three nearby solicitor firms.

Local SEO often focuses heavily on improving visibility in the map pack.

NAP

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number.

These are the core business details used across your website, Google Business Profile, directories, and citations.

Consistent NAP information helps Google and users trust that your business information is accurate.

If your business name, address, or phone number appears differently across different platforms, it can create confusion and weaken local SEO signals.

NAP Consistency

NAP consistency means keeping your business name, address, and phone number the same across the internet.

For example, your Google Business Profile, website footer, directory listings, and social profiles should all use the same business details.

Inconsistent information can confuse users and search engines.

For local SEO, accuracy and consistency are important trust signals.

Local Citation

A local citation is any online mention of your business name, address, phone number, or website.

Citations often appear on directories, review sites, local business listings, industry platforms, and social profiles.

Examples include Yelp, Yell, Thomson Local, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and industry-specific directories.

Citations help confirm that your business exists and operates in a specific location.

Local Directory

A local directory is a website that lists businesses by category, location, or industry.

For example, a directory may list accountants in London, restaurants in Birmingham, or marketing agencies in Manchester.

Local directories can support visibility, citations, and referral traffic when they are relevant and trustworthy.

However, businesses should avoid spammy directories created only for backlinks.

Business Category

A business category tells Google what type of business you are.

For example, categories may include “SEO consultant,” “accountant,” “law firm,” “dentist,” or “restaurant.”

Choosing the right primary and secondary categories in Google Business Profile is important because it helps Google understand which searches your business should appear for.

The primary category is especially important for local rankings.

Primary Category

The primary category is the main category selected in your Google Business Profile.

It should describe your core business as accurately as possible.

For example, if your main service is SEO consulting, your primary category should reflect that rather than choosing a broad or unrelated category.

A wrong primary category can reduce your chances of appearing for relevant local searches.

Secondary Categories

Secondary categories are additional categories added to your Google Business Profile.

They help describe other services or business areas you offer.

For example, a marketing consultant may also add categories related to digital marketing, advertising, or web services if they are relevant.

Secondary categories should be accurate. Adding unrelated categories can confuse Google and users.

Service Area

A service area is the geographic area where a business provides services.

This is especially useful for businesses that visit customers or serve clients remotely rather than operating from a public storefront.

For example, a plumber may serve Manchester, Salford, and Stockport. An SEO consultant may serve clients across the UK.

Service areas help Google understand where your business is relevant.

Service Area Business

A service area business is a business that serves customers at their location rather than requiring customers to visit a physical shop or office.

Examples include plumbers, electricians, cleaners, consultants, and mobile repair services.

These businesses can hide their physical address in Google Business Profile and list service areas instead.

Proximity

Proximity refers to how close a business is to the person searching or to the location mentioned in the search query.

For example, if someone searches “coffee shop near me,” Google is likely to prioritise nearby coffee shops.

Proximity is a major local ranking factor, but businesses cannot fully control it. What they can control is relevance, reviews, profile quality, and local signals.

Relevance

Relevance means how closely your business matches what the user is searching for.

For example, if someone searches “technical SEO consultant,” Google will try to show businesses that clearly offer technical SEO consulting.

Your website content, Google Business Profile categories, services, reviews, and business description all help Google understand relevance.

Prominence

Prominence refers to how well-known, trusted, or authoritative a business appears online.

Google may assess prominence through reviews, links, citations, brand mentions, website authority, and overall online reputation.

A business with strong reviews, quality backlinks, and consistent local mentions may have stronger prominence than a business with very little online presence.

Reviews

Reviews are customer ratings and feedback left on platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, Facebook, Yelp, or industry-specific review sites.

Reviews are important for local SEO because they influence trust, click-through rates, and local visibility.

A business with strong, genuine reviews is more likely to attract customers than a business with no reviews or poor ratings.

Review Rating

Review rating is the average score customers give your business, usually shown as stars.

For example, a business may have a 4.8-star rating on Google.

High ratings can improve trust and make users more likely to click, call, or visit.

However, review quality and review quantity also matter.

Review Quantity

Review quantity refers to the number of reviews a business has.

A business with many genuine reviews may appear more trustworthy than a business with only one or two reviews.

That said, quality matters too. A smaller number of detailed, positive reviews can still be valuable.

Businesses should focus on earning honest reviews consistently.

Review Response

A review response is the reply a business gives to customer reviews.

Responding to reviews shows that the business is active, professional, and cares about customer experience.

It is good practice to respond to both positive and negative reviews politely.

For local SEO, review responses can support trust and engagement.

Google Posts

Google Posts are updates businesses can publish through Google Business Profile.

These posts may include announcements, offers, events, services, or updates.

Google Posts can help keep your profile active and give users more information about your business.

They may not be the strongest ranking factor, but they can improve engagement and visibility.

Business Description

The business description is the short description shown on your Google Business Profile.

It should clearly explain what your business does, who it serves, and what makes it relevant.

A good description should be natural, helpful, and accurate.

It should not be stuffed with keywords or misleading claims.

Local Landing Page

A local landing page is a page on your website targeting a specific location.

For example:

“SEO Consultant in London”
“Accountant in Manchester”
“Dental Clinic in Birmingham”

Local landing pages are useful when a business serves multiple areas.

Each page should be genuinely useful and unique. Creating many thin location pages with copied content can hurt quality.

Location Page

A location page is a page dedicated to a specific business location.

For example, a law firm with offices in London, Manchester, and Leeds may have separate pages for each office.

A good location page should include address details, opening hours, contact information, services, local content, directions, reviews, and relevant internal links.

Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting means optimising content, ads, or search visibility for a specific geographic area.

In local SEO, geo-targeting helps businesses appear for searches connected to certain cities, towns, regions, or service areas.

For example, a business may target “SEO consultant UK,” “SEO consultant London,” or “SEO consultant Manchester” depending on its audience.

Local Keyword

A local keyword is a keyword that includes location intent.

Examples include:

“law firm in Bristol”
“SEO consultant Manchester”
“best café near me”

Local keywords help businesses target people searching in specific areas.

They are often used in local landing pages, service pages, Google Business Profile optimisation, and content planning.

City Page

A city page is a local landing page targeting a specific city.

For example, a business may create a page for “SEO consultant in Birmingham” if it genuinely serves that area.

City pages should be useful and location-specific.

Avoid creating duplicate pages where only the city name changes. Google may see those as low-quality doorway pages.

Doorway Page

A doorway page is a low-quality page created mainly to rank for a specific keyword or location without offering unique value.

For example, creating 50 almost identical pages for different cities with only the city name changed can be considered doorway page behaviour.

Doorway pages can harm SEO because they create a poor user experience and may violate Google’s guidelines.

Local Organic Results

Local organic results are the normal website results shown below or around the local pack for location-based searches.

For example, after the map pack, Google may show websites of local businesses, directories, or articles.

Local SEO should not focus only on Google Maps. Your website pages also need to rank in local organic results.

Local Ranking

Local ranking refers to your position in local search results, including Google Maps, the local pack, and local organic results.

Local rankings can vary depending on the searcher’s location, device, search query, and competition.

A business may rank well in one part of a city but not another because proximity plays a role.

Local Ranking Factors

Local ranking factors are the signals Google uses to decide which businesses appear in local search results.

Common factors include relevance, distance, prominence, reviews, business categories, website quality, citations, and local content.

No single factor works alone. Strong local SEO usually combines multiple signals.

Directions Request

A directions request happens when a user asks Google Maps for directions to your business.

This is an important engagement signal for businesses with physical locations.

If many users request directions, it can indicate that your profile is attracting real local interest.

Click-to-Call

Click-to-call is a feature that allows users to call your business directly from search results or your Google Business Profile.

This is especially important on mobile devices.

For service businesses, click-to-call actions can be one of the most valuable local SEO outcomes.

Website Clicks

Website clicks refer to users clicking from your Google Business Profile or local search result to your website.

Tracking website clicks helps businesses understand whether local visibility is turning into actual traffic.

A strong profile should encourage users to visit your website for more information.

Photo Optimisation

Photo optimisation means adding high-quality, relevant images to your Google Business Profile or website.

Photos can show your office, team, products, services, work examples, or location.

Good photos help build trust and make your business listing more attractive.

For local businesses, real images usually perform better than generic stock photos.

Opening Hours

Opening hours show when your business is open.

Accurate opening hours are important because users rely on them before calling, visiting, or booking.

Incorrect hours can create frustration and lost business.

Businesses should also update special hours during holidays or temporary closures.

Final Thoughts

Local SEO is about helping nearby or location-specific customers find your business when they are actively searching.

It is not just about adding a city name to a page. Strong local SEO combines accurate business information, Google Business Profile optimisation, reviews, local content, citations, website quality, and trust signals.

For businesses that depend on local enquiries, phone calls, bookings, or visits, understanding these local SEO terms can make SEO reports and recommendations much easier to understand.

The goal is simple: make it easier for the right people in the right location to find, trust, and contact your business.