Practical guide
Local SEO: how to show up on Google near you
When a customer searches for “plumber” or “Italian restaurant” on a phone, Google shows nearby businesses first. Here is how that ranking works, according to Google itself, and what you can do to be part of it.
Two kinds of results on the same page
For a local search, Google usually shows two things. First a map with a few business profiles: these are the local results, fed by Google Business Profiles. Then the usual list of websites. They are not earned the same way: the first depend mostly on your profile, the second on your website.
The three factors Google names
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person typed. Complete, precise information helps Google understand your business.
- Distance: how far you are from the person searching, or from the place they named.
- Prominence: how well known your business is. Google cites the number of websites linking to you and the number of reviews you have received.
Google also states that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
The actions, in order of impact
- Verify and complete your Google Business Profile. Without verification you do not appear. The steps are in the Google Business Profile guide.
- Get real reviews and reply to them. Ask satisfied customers, at the moment they are satisfied.
- Make your website easy to read: one page per service, your town and area written out, your contact details on every page.
- Keep the same details everywhere: same name, same address, same website on your profile, your site, your social accounts and directories.
- Get mentioned locally: reputable business directories, partners, associations, local press. Those links feed prominence.
- Add recent photos of your work, your premises or your team.
Asking for reviews without breaking the rules
Reviews weigh on ranking and on the customer’s decision. The right method is simple: ask real customers, with the direct link to your profile. Two things are off limits: buying or writing fake reviews, and offering something in exchange for a review. Reply to all of them, including critical ones, calmly and precisely.
How long before you see an effect
A verified, completed profile can change your visibility within weeks. Work on the website and on reputation is measured in months. Nobody can guarantee a position: be wary of promises of first place.
What you can do yourself, and what to delegate
The profile, reviews and photos are easy to manage yourself, as long as you come back to them regularly. Site structure, local pages and position tracking need more method: that is what the Local SEO offer covers, with no ranking guaranteed.
Sources
Pages consulted on 10 October 2026:
Offers related to this guide
All displayed prices are net prices in euros. VAT not applicable, art. 293 B of the French CGI (VAT-exemption / franchise en base scheme).
Frequently asked questions
Is local SEO free?
A Google Business Profile and most directory listings are free. What costs is the time you spend, or the service if you delegate.
Do you need a website to appear on Google Maps?
No, a verified profile is enough to appear. A website then helps Google understand your business and gives customers what they need to decide.
Can you pay to be first on Google?
Not in local or organic results: Google states that no ranking can be requested or paid for. Advertising sits in a separate space, labelled as such.
Other guides: Business website cost · Google Business Profile setup · Website legal requirements. All guides.
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