Local SEO: How to Be Found in “Near Me” Searches

Local SEO makes sure your business appears on Google when people in your area search for what you offer – for example “hairdresser near me” or “electrician Freiburg”. The key ingredients are a well-maintained Google Business Profile, consistent contact details across the internet, good reviews and a website with a clear local focus. For small businesses, this is perhaps the biggest opportunity on the internet.

What is local SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation – that is, everything that makes your website easier to find on Google. We explain the basics in our article SEO explained simply.

Local SEO is the part of it that is about place. After all, a hairdresser in Hamburg doesn't need customers from Munich. They need people who live, work or happen to be nearby.

For searches like these, Google usually shows a map with three businesses right at the top. Specialists call this area the “Local Pack”. Whoever appears there gets a large share of the calls, route requests and clicks – often before anyone even looks at the regular search results below.

The 3 factors Google uses to decide

In its help page on local ranking, Google itself names three factors. “Ranking” simply means the order of the results.

• Relevance: Does your offer match the search? Google needs to understand exactly what you offer.

• Distance: How far is your business from the searcher or from the place searched for? There is little you can do about this.

• Prominence: How well known and popular is your business? This includes reviews, mentions on the internet and links to your website.

Distance is therefore fixed – but relevance and prominence are in your own hands. This is exactly where the following steps come in.

7 steps to greater local visibility

1. Fill in your Google Business Profile completely

The free Google Business Profile is the most important foundation for the map. Choose the right main category and enter your opening hours (including public holidays), services and genuine photos. The more complete the profile, the better Google understands your business.

2. Use the same contact details everywhere

Name, address and phone number – NAP for short (Name, Address, Phone) – should be exactly the same everywhere: on your website, on Google, on Facebook and in industry directories. Contradictions, such as an old phone number on a portal, confuse Google and customers alike.

3. List your business with Apple and Bing too

People with an iPhone often search via Apple Maps or Siri. With Apple Business Connect and Bing Places, you can list your business there for free. Many AI assistants also draw on these map services.

4. Establish a local connection on your website

Mention your town and your service area wherever it fits naturally: in headings, in the page title, on the contact page. A roofer, for example, can write: “Roof renovation in Erfurt and within a 30-kilometre radius”. Also embed a map showing your location.

5. Collect and respond to reviews

Many recent, good reviews strengthen your prominence on Google – and convince customers. Actively ask satisfied customers and reply to every review, including critical ones.

6. Get connected locally

Mentions and links from your region act like recommendations: the sports club you support, the local newspaper, the chamber of crafts, the tourist board or partner businesses. Links like these from other websites are called backlinks.

7. Add structured data

Structured data are invisible “labels” in your website's code. They tell search engines: “This is a hair salon, here is the address, these are the opening hours.” The standard for this is called Schema.org/LocalBusiness. Your web agency can usually implement this quickly.

What matters most in your industry

Mistakes you should avoid

Local SEO and AI assistants

When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude for “a good Italian restaurant nearby”, these systems often draw on the same sources: business profiles, map services and reviews. Good local SEO is therefore also the foundation for being recommended by AI. You can read more about this in our article What is GEO?.

Conclusion: your home advantage on the internet

With local searches, you don't have to compete against the whole internet, only against the businesses in your area. If you maintain your business profile, show consistent data everywhere, collect reviews and say clearly on your website where you work, you already have a big head start – often over much larger competitors.