SEO

Local SEO: how to rank your business in your city

46% of Google searches have local intent. Learn how to rank for 'service + city' searches: Google Business, schema, local content and multilingual strategy.

serpixel · 9 March 2026

Local market with product stalls under colourful awnings

Key points

46% of Google searches are local: Nearly half of all Google searches look for something near the user. For local businesses, this is the primary source of new customers.

76% of local searches end in a visit within 24h: According to Google data, 3 out of 4 people who perform a local search visit a physical business the same day.

Catalan content reduces competition by 90%: For local searches in Catalan, SEO competition is virtually non-existent. A business that publishes in Catalan ranks much faster.

Google Business Profile is free and essential: The Google Business listing is the first result users see for local searches. Keeping it complete and updated multiplies visibility at zero cost.

If you have a local business and you do not appear in the top Google results when someone searches for your service in your city, you are losing customers every day. 46% of all Google searches have local intent, and 76% of those searches end in a physical visit within 24 hours.

This guide explains, step by step, everything you need to know to rank your business on Google for local searches.

What is local SEO (and why it is different)

Local SEO is the set of techniques to make your business appear in Google results when someone searches for a service near their location. Google treats these searches differently: it shows a local pack (map with 3 businesses), local organic results and general results.

Step 1: Google Business Profile (essential)

The Google Business listing is the foundation of local SEO. It is free and directly influences whether you appear on the Google map.

How to optimize your listing

Basic information (NAP): name exactly the same as on your website, full address, local phone number and your website URL.

Categories: choose the primary category precisely and add 2-3 secondary ones.

Hours: always keep them updated, including holidays.

Photos: at least 10 real photos of your business, updated monthly.

Description: 750 characters covering what you do, where and for whom.

Reviews: the decisive factor

You need more reviews than your competitors, a high rating (>4.2), recent reviews and responses to all of them within 48 hours.

Step 2: Your website, optimized for local searches

Geolocalized content

Every page should contain natural geographic signals: city name in the title, county in the text, full address in the footer and Google Maps on the contact page.

Service + location pages

If you serve more than one city, create dedicated pages with unique content for each area.

Schema.org LocalBusiness

Structured data tells Google exactly what your business is and where it is located. At serpixel, structured data is included automatically on every website we build.

Loading speed

Most local WordPress websites score between 30 and 60 on PageSpeed. A static architecture like Astro keeps the score in the top band without having to chase it with optimisation plugins, and most local searches happen on mobile.

Step 3: Local content that ranks

A blog with geolocalized content: local guides, sector FAQs, seasonal content and proximity stories. 4 articles per month as a minimum.

Step 4: The Catalan advantage

Catalan is gold for local SEO. Competition is 10 to 50 times lower than in Spanish. Publishing content in Catalan gives an immediate competitive advantage for the local searches made in that language.

Step 5: Citations and local directories

Register your business on Google Business, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Yellow Pages, Yelp, TripAdvisor and county directories. The golden rule: NAP consistency across all directories.

Step 6: Measure and improve

Key metrics: positions for local searches, impressions and clicks on Google Business, calls and route requests, local organic traffic and reviews.

Common mistakes that ruin local SEO

Inconsistent information across website, Google Business and directories
Not asking for reviews
Website without local content
Ignoring Catalan
Not responding to reviews
Old or stock photos
Slow website
Not measuring anything

How we approach it

At serpixel (Clever European Business, S.L.) we build websites designed for local SEO from day one: Schema.org structured data generated on every page, a static architecture that does not need rescuing with speed plugins, multilingual content with the SEO adapted per language rather than translated literally, and a Google Business listing configured to say exactly what the website says.

Content and rank tracking run on an agreed cadence. There is no closed package: every local business has a different competitive landscape and a different starting point, and scope is defined after looking at both.

If you want to know where you would start, let’s talk it through in 30 minutes. We look at your Google Business listing, the searches you should be appearing for, and what is currently ahead of you.

Frequently asked questions

Local SEO is optimization to appear in Google results when someone searches for a service near their location. It depends heavily on the physical location of the business, the Google Business listing and local reviews. For businesses serving a specific area, local SEO is far more cost-effective than trying to rank nationally.

It depends on competition. In Catalan, you can see results in 2-4 weeks. In Spanish, 1-3 months. The advantage of local SEO is that competition tends to be much lower than for national keywords.

You need both. Google Business positions you on the map, but without your own website you cannot create in-depth content, capture leads with forms or control your digital presence. Google gives preference to businesses with their own website.

There is no minimum, but the rule is: more reviews than your direct competitors. Quality (average rating) and freshness (recent reviews) also count heavily.