Why local SEO is an underused opportunity
Google explains that local results are primarily based on relevance, distance and prominence. There is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
The difference is simple but crucial:
- Traditional SEO: you work on topical visibility beyond a specific area. For example: “web agency”, “plumber”, “dental practice”.
- Local SEO: you target searchers in your immediate geographical area. “Web agency in Brussels”, “plumber Schaerbeek”, “dentist Uccle”.
A local search can express an immediate, exploratory or comparative need. The only way to know its value to your business is to connect queries, profile actions and website conversions.
Before acting, check access, public information and the data already available. Our method for carrying out a successful SEO audit helps document this starting point.
Google Business Profile: your most powerful free showcase
Before discussing content, third-party profiles or reviews, the Google profile must accurately represent the business. It can appear in Search and Maps when the query, distance and other signals make it relevant.
Here is how to optimise it:
- Complete every field: business name, exact address, phone number. Consistency is key (we will return to this with NAP citations).
- Choose the most relevant category or categories. Do not select “restaurant + hairdresser” if you only do one activity. Be specific.
- Write a clear description presenting the real business without artificial keyword repetition.
- Add representative photos: frontage, interior, team or completed work, with the necessary permissions.
- Enter precise opening hours, including closure periods and public holidays.
- Add attributes: wheelchair accessible, free parking, services by quotation, etc.
- Publish when you have useful information: accurate news, an offer or an event. No publishing frequency guarantees a ranking gain.
An accurate profile can help people understand the business and provide measurable actions such as calls, clicks or direction requests available in its performance report.
Make sure the name, address, phone number and URL are accurate and consistent across the profile, website and profiles you control. This is not a ranking formula, but a basic data-quality rule.
NAP citations: consistency that makes a difference
- Your website Footer, Contact and About.
- Local profiles Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect.
- Directories Pages d’Or and directories relevant to your business.
- Social media Your page’s public information.
NAP = Name, Address, Phone. This is your business’s basic information. It should be identical across the web.
Why? Accurate information prevents users from calling an old number or going to the wrong address. Google also requires businesses to maintain an accurate representation of their activity.
Directories and places where your NAP should appear consistently:
- Google Business Profile (of course)
- Pages d’Or (Belgium)
- Yelp.be (Belgium)
- Facebook (complete your page fully)
- Apple Maps & Apple Business Connect
- Sector directories (if you are a plumber: “Plombiers.be”; a restaurant: “TheFork”, etc.)
- Your own website (footer, Contact page, About page)
How do you audit your citations?
- Use SEMrush or Ahrefs to scan your NAP across the web.
- Create a simple spreadsheet: business | name | address | phone | inconsistency?
- If you find an inconsistency, correct it at the source (the directory or website).
Local content: speaking your area’s language
The profile and website play complementary roles. Their importance cannot be reduced to a fixed split.
You need to create content that explicitly speaks to your local clients. Here is how:
- Service pages by neighbourhood or municipality: create them only if the area is actually served and each page provides distinct information, such as access, service arrangements or useful local sources.
- Include location terms naturally: no “dentist dentist Uccle Uccle” spam. But yes to “Our dental practice has welcomed patients from Uccle, Péruwelz and Ixelles for 10 years”.
- Legitimate local content: publish an event or partnership only if the business actually participates and can provide first-hand information.
- Apply relevant structured data: it must match visible content and guarantees no rich-result display.
Client reviews: visible information when people choose
Google states that positive reviews and ratings can contribute to local prominence. They remain one signal among others, and no public formula isolates their effect.
More specifically:
- Reviews must reflect a real experience.
- Requests must not filter clients by satisfaction.
- No payment, gift or discount may be offered in exchange for a review.
Buying reviews, posting on a client’s behalf or offering an incentive constitutes fake engagement prohibited by Google Maps. The platform may remove the content and restrict the profile.
How do you obtain authentic reviews?
- After a sale or service, send a simple text or email: “We hope you’re happy! Could you share your review here?” + a direct link to the Google review form.
- Do not ask only your best clients. Ask everyone.
- Set up regular requests proportionate to actual client volume, without promising a number of reviews.
How should you respond to reviews?
- Positive review: reply promptly and personally. “Thank you, Laëtitia! It was a pleasure to serve you. See you soon!”
- Negative review: stay calm, honest and focused on a solution. “We’re really sorry about this experience. Could you contact us by direct message so we can put it right?” It is a chance to show your integrity.
To explore review management and reputation crises further, see our full guide: Managing reviews and responding to unhappy clients.
Measuring your local SEO results
Launching a strategy is easy. Managing it and knowing whether it works is harder.
Here is what you need to track:
- Google Business Profile Insights: how many people search for your profile? How many click “Directions”? How many call? You will find it all in the GBP console.
- Local queries: track a documented set of searches and remember that position varies with location, device and context.
- Calls and direction requests: real conversions, the ones that count. Use call-tracking codes if possible.
- KPIs to monitor monthly: number of reviews, average rating, website traffic from GBP, “Call” clicks, “Directions” clicks.
- Local ranking is based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.
- Optimise your Google Business Profile first: photos, description, hours and attributes.
- Accurate contact details on the profile, website and profiles that are actually useful.
- Ask real clients for authentic reviews, without filtering or incentives.
- Create local pages only when they provide distinct information.
- Track monthly: local positions, GBP traffic, calls and direction clicks.
Conclusion
Local SEO can be relevant to a locally established SME when its clients actually search for its service by area. Its cost and profitability should be compared with other channels using the business’s own data.
Your future clients are searching for you on Google. They type your sector + “near me” or “+ Brussels”. Are they finding you? Or your competitor instead?
There is no guaranteed timeline or client volume. Document every change, then compare impressions, local actions and conversions against the baseline over an appropriate period.
In 2026, your clients no longer search only on Google Maps: they also ask ChatGPT and Perplexity to find a local provider. To extend your visibility to these AI engines, read our 2026 generative AI search optimisation guide.
Ready to clarify your local visibility? Let’s talk local SEO. We will analyse the current situation, available data and priorities suited to your area and sector.