Google local SEO, street by street

Short lessons for business owners who have never heard the words “local SEO”. Each one explains one thing in plain words, shows a real example, and ends with something you can do today, free. Read them in order, or jump to the one you need.

Already know the basics? The guides go deeper.

What you are looking at

The box of three businesses, your listing and the names everyone uses for them.

What is the map pack Google shows above the results?The box of three businesses with a map at the top of a Google search: what it is and who gets in.
Local business listings and SEO: your Google Maps listing explainedThe eight fields on your listing that decide whether it ranks, and how to check them in two minutes.
Google My Business, GMB, GBP: one thing, three namesGMB, GBP, listing, local pack, NAP: the words you meet in local SEO, each in one sentence.

Checking yourself

How to find out where you really rank, and whether what you did is working.

How to find your Google ranking for a keywordThree ways to check your position for a keyword, what each gets wrong, and the three numbers to write down.
How do I know my SEO is working? A 10-minute local self-checkFive questions you can answer in ten minutes with free tools, and the five numbers that prove it either way.

Why rankings move

Distance, relevance and prominence, and what a grid of spots shows that one search cannot.

Why “near me” gives a different answer on every streetComing soon
Relevance, distance, prominence in plain wordsComing soon
What is a geo-grid scan?Coming soon

Fixing things

Reviews, your description and the mistakes we see most often in scans.

Get more Google reviews, with scriptsComing soon
Write a business description that worksComing soon
12 local SEO mistakes we see in scansComing soon

Check where you rank, street by street

Add your business, choose your search term and get a map of your Google Maps ranking in about five minutes. The Free plan costs nothing, with no card.

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