Local SEO · 14 August 2026 · 6 min

Local SEO that survives a sceptical Google profile

The map pack is won by consistency and proof, not by stuffing the city into every heading.

For any firm people visit, in Birmingham, Dubai, Toronto or Sydney, the Google Business Profile is a second homepage you do not fully control. Categories, reviews, photos and the questions block often decide the click before your website gets a chance.

One identity

The name, address and phone on the profile, the website footer and the major directories should match. Old suite numbers, a tracking number that was never registered, and a 'keyword | brand' title are how listings get suspended or ignored. We start by making the record boring and true.

Pages for places you actually serve

A location page needs something a swapped city name cannot fake: the people, the parking, the jobs you did there, the photos of that street. Service area businesses should say so, and resist the temptation of a virtual office in every borough. Google has become openly hostile to that pattern, and customers were never fooled for long.

Reviews as an operation

Ask after a finished job, from the person who did the work or the desk that booked it. Reply like a human, including to the awkward ones. Never buy them, never gate them so only happy customers are invited, and never put words in a customer's mouth. Velocity you can explain is an asset. Velocity you cannot is a liability.

Track a small set of terms on a grid around the real premises, not a laptop in the office. Staff searches are not the market, and a ranking check from the wrong country is not a strategy.