Local SEO: how to show up when your neighbours search on Google
46% of all Google searches are local. If your business doesn't appear in the map pack when someone searches 'tradesperson near me' — you don't exist. Here's how to fix it.
If you run a business that serves customers from your local area — tradesperson, hairdresser, restaurant, clinic, dentist, cleaning company — there's one thing that matters more than anything else on Google: local visibility. 46% of all searches have local intent. If you don't show in the map pack when someone searches, the business goes to a competitor.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is about making sure Google understands where you are, what you do and which areas you serve — so you appear when someone searches locally. It's not just about having your address on the site. It requires three things at once: an optimised Google Business Profile, a site that tells Google the right things, and consistent contact information everywhere.
The three pillars
1. Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) — this is your card in Google Maps and the Local Pack (the three businesses shown at the top of local searches). A complete profile with photos, opening hours, service categories and reviews is the difference between showing up or not.
2. Location-specific landing pages — if you work in Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, you need a page per location (not just a single '/areas-we-serve' page). Each page should have unique content about that city — case studies, local conditions, contact options.
3. LocalBusiness schema — structured data that tells Google: 'this is a local business, open these hours, offering these services, in these locations'. Without schema, Google understands less.
What do most businesses miss?
In 9 out of 10 sites we review, something (or everything) is missing:
Consistent NAP — Name, Address, Phone must be identical on your site, Google profile, Facebook, company registry. Different formats = less trust from Google.
Location names in title tags and H1 — 'Tradesperson in Malmö' ranks better than just 'Tradesperson'. The location name has to be where Google can find it.
Reviews on Google Business Profile — fewer than 10 reviews = low credibility. Ask clients to leave a review after a completed job.
Embedded Google Maps — a map on your contact page showing your exact location signals authenticity.
Our packages include everything
When we build a website, local SEO isn't an add-on — it's included. We set up LocalBusiness schema on every page, create location-specific landing pages, optimise your Google Business Profile and make sure NAP is consistent everywhere.
Check your local visibility
Google your main service + location (e.g. 'painter Göteborg'). Do you show up in the top three cards (Local Pack)? If not — you need better local SEO.
Order a free SEO analysis and we'll send you a concrete report on exactly what's missing for you to show up locally.
