Your Google Business Profile
It's free. It's the first thing many users see. And the number of businesses that have it incomplete, outdated, or even unclaimed is surprising.
Your Google Business Profile
It's free. It's the first thing many users see. And the number of businesses that have it incomplete, outdated, or even unclaimed is surprising.
Name, address, phone number, hours, categories, photos, description. Everything complete, everything correct, everything up to date.
If you want to see how this fits into a broader strategy, this guide to SEO for SMEs in 2026 explains how to prioritize local SEO, content, and technical foundations without spreading your efforts too thin.
If you need help setting up your profile, our local SEO team can review it and provide specific recommendations for your area.
Consistent NAP
Name, Address, Phone. The exact same information everywhere. Your website, your Google profile, local directories, social media.
Not "15 Main Street" on one site and "Main St., 15" on another. Not "951 234 567" here and "+34 951234567" there. It may seem minor, but consistency signals legitimacy.
Directories Still Matter
Not for the links, which are generally nofollow. But as entity signals. Being listed on Yellow Pages, Yelp, and industry directories confirms you exist where you say you do.
You don't need to be in hundreds of directories. The main ones in your country and those specific to your industry are enough.
Reviews
Google displays stars and review counts directly in the results. A business with 4.8 stars and 200 reviews has an obvious advantage over one with 3.5 stars and 12 reviews.
Ask satisfied customers for reviews. Don't buy them or fake them. Google detects suspicious patterns, and the penalty isn't worth the risk.
Respond to all reviews, especially negative ones. It shows there's someone on the other end who cares.
Local Content on Your Website
Your website should clearly state where you operate. Not just in the footer, but in the content itself.
Dedicated pages for each location if you serve multiple areas. Natural mentions of the region in your content. Schema markup with address and service area.
If your business operates in multiple cities, consider creating specific pages such as SEO in Valencia, SEO in Zaragoza, or SEO in Málaga to attract qualified local traffic.
The same logic applies to more consultative services. If a company works with data, CRM, and reporting across multiple markets, a page like commercial intelligence in Valencia only makes sense if it addresses real challenges in that city or market type. Simply swapping the city name without adding context doesn't build local SEO—it creates weak pages.
The Sitemap
Google needs to understand that you serve a specific geographic area. A plumbing business in Málaga doesn't compete for searches in Barcelona.
This is established through your Google Business Profile, but also through signals on your website: content mentioning the area, a contact page with a clear address, and possibly service pages for each neighborhood or nearby municipality.
Common Mistakes
Multiple profiles for the same business. This confuses Google and dilutes reviews.
Outdated information. Hours from when you opened five years ago, a phone number you no longer use.
Ignoring mobile. Most local searches happen on mobile. If your website doesn't work well on mobile, you lose the decision moment.
What You Don't Need
Sophisticated tricks. Local SEO is more about consistently doing the basics well than about advanced techniques.
Agencies that promise the number-one position. Google's local pack shows three results. Not everyone can be first. Anyone who guarantees specific rankings is lying.
Consistency wins. Accurate information everywhere, reviews that come in regularly, and content that clearly shows where you operate. That's 90% of local SEO.
2026 Update: Local Pages Without Falling into Empty Content
The growth of local pages has created a problem: many websites publish dozens of nearly identical URLs. Google can crawl them, but that doesn't mean they deserve to compete.
A strong local page should include at least some of these signals:
- Real context about the market or city.
- Local or industry-specific use cases.
- Links to related services.
- Location-specific FAQs.
- Structured data consistent with the area served.
If you can't write anything useful about a location, you may not need that page yet. It's better to have six strong local pages than thirty variations with no original content.
Need help with your local SEO? Request a free audit and we'll tell you exactly what to improve in your digital presence.