What is local SEO, and how do businesses rank in Google's local results?
Local SEO: how Google ranks nearby businesses and what you can change
Local SEO is the work of getting a business to appear in the local results people see on Google Maps and Search when they look for something near them. Google says those results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. The parts a business controls are its Google Business Profile, its reviews and how well known it is.
Nothing Heddle does can buy a better local ranking, because Google says no one can request or pay for one. The factors Google names, relevance, distance and prominence, are set mostly through your Google Business Profile, your reviews and the sites that link to you, so that is where this page points you first. How an engagement works.
What local results are
When someone searches for a kind of business near them, such as an Italian restaurant on their phone, Google shows local results on Maps and Search. Google says it tries to show the kind of nearby business the person would like to visit. Local SEO is the work of making your business one of the ones it shows.
The main tool for this is the Google Business Profile. Google's own help page on local ranking is written around it, and most of its advice is about filling in, verifying and maintaining that profile.
The three ranking factors
Google says local results are mainly based on three things. Relevance is how well a Business Profile matches what someone searched for, and Google says complete, detailed business info helps it make that match. Distance is how far the business is from the searcher. If the searcher has not shared a location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
Prominence is how well known a business is. Google says this is partly based on how many websites link to the business and how many reviews it has, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help. Google's page calls this factor popularity in one place and prominence in another; both describe the same idea.
What you can change
Distance is mostly fixed, so the work goes into relevance and prominence. Google's list starts with verifying the business, which tells Google you are authorized to represent it and makes the profile more likely to appear. Then keep the information complete and accurate: the full address if customers can visit, opening hours including special hours, the business category, and attributes such as parking or Wi-Fi.
After that, respond to reviews, add photos and videos, and, for retail stores in eligible countries or regions, add in-store products so they can show in local results with stock information. Links from other websites to the business also count toward prominence.
What you can't do
Google is direct that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. It also keeps the details of the algorithm confidential. Anyone promising a top local position, or a paid shortcut through Google, is promising something Google says does not exist. The honest version of local SEO is accurate information, real reviews and a business people talk about and link to.
Sources
Each was read on October 11, 2026.
Questions
Can I pay Google for a better local ranking?
No. Google's help page says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.
Do reviews affect local rankings?
Yes, according to Google. Review count feeds into prominence, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking. It also recommends replying to reviews.
What can keep a business out of local results?
Google names inaccurate business information as one reason a Business Profile might not show for relevant searches in the area. Check that the profile is verified and that the address, hours and category are complete and correct.
Does distance matter if the searcher hasn't shared their location?
Yes. Google says that when a customer doesn't share where they are, it uses what it knows about their location to judge distance.
Work with us
Let the agents bring you the leads.
Tell us about your business and who buys from you. On a short call we'll show you the searches your buyers make where you don't show up yet, and what the agents would do about them in their first month.
On the call, for your site
- The searches your buyers makeMeasured, with how many people make each one
- Where you show up, and where you don'tOn Google and in ChatGPT's answers
- The agents' first monthThe pages, fixes and links they would start with