Key takeaways
- Local SEO helps you get found by nearby customers.
- Set up a Google business profile and keep name and address information consistent.
- Collect reviews and use local keywords.
- Combine your store and webshop for maximum local reach.
If you have a physical store, studio or collection point, customers look for you differently than you might think. Not “buy a leather bag”, but “bag shop nearby”, “jeweler Utrecht” or simply “open now”. Local SEO ensures that you are at the top when someone searches in your area — and that they find their way to your door. The best part: the most important part is free and will take you an hour to set up. This guide shows how to become easily found locally, with examples.
How a customer finds you (and why it works differently)
Suppose someone is standing in the center and searches on their phone “gift shop nearby”. Google does not immediately show a list of websites, but a map with a few shops: name, stars, opening hours, distance and a route button. That block at the top is where you want to be, because nine out of ten people choose that. Local search is less about your website and more about your listing on that card. And now you're going to take care of that.
Start with your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is your free listing in Google and Google Maps — exactly that card with your name, address, opening hours and reviews. This is by far the most important for local discoverability. Claim it (free), confirm it's your business, and fill it out completely. For many local entrepreneurs, this generates more visits than their entire website.
Complete your profile completely
A complete profile scores better and inspires more confidence. Everyone skips a half-completed profile without photos. In any case, make sure:
- your correct name, address and telephone number;
- your opening hours — and keep them up to date, even around public holidays (nothing is more annoying than standing in front of a closed door);
- the correct category (for example “clothing store” or “jeweler”), because Google matches with that;
- good photos of your storefront, your interior and your products, so that people recognize you when they walk by;
- a short, clear description of what you sell and for whom;
- special information such as parking, debit card payments, or collection if relevant to customers.
Tip: regularly add a new photo or a message (a promotion, a new collection). An active profile performs better than one that has been stagnant since its creation.
Collect reviews — and respond to them
Reviews are doubly important for local findability: they help you get higher and they convince people to come by. Between two stores with the same products, the one with more and better reviews wins. So actively ask satisfied customers for a review on your Google profile — a friendly request at the checkout, on the receipt or in an email works best.
Always respond to reviews, even the less pleasant ones. A calm, helpful response to a critical review shows all readers how you deal with customers — that is part of good customer service and inspires trust. “Thank you for your feedback, we are happy to solve it for you — just send us a message” gets more than ten stars.
Make sure your website helps
Your own site also counts for local search:
- put your address and opening hours clearly on your site (in the footer and on a contact page);
- of course use the place name in your texts — “our store in Haarlem” or “we deliver throughout Kennemerland”. Don't cram “Haarlem” ten times, just where it logically fits;
- create a separate page if you serve multiple places;
- make sure your site is fast and mobile-friendly — local searching is almost always done on the phone, on the go.
The broader basis of findability is in SEO for your webshop; local SEO is the neighborhood-oriented addition to this.
Keep your data exactly the same everywhere
State your name, address and telephone number exactly the same everywhere: on your site, your Google profile, your social media and any business directories. Differences — one “Dorpsstraat 1”, the other “Dorpsstr. 1” — confuse both Google and customers, and weaken your findability. Choose one spelling and use it everywhere. If you appear in local guides or on an industry overview, check whether the information is correct.
Common mistakes
- Do not claim a Google Business Profile, or only half fill it in without photos.
- Outdated opening hours, resulting in people standing in front of a closed door.
- Don't ask for reviews or respond to reviews.
- Write your address details slightly differently everywhere.
- A slow, non-mobile friendly site while local searching is done on the phone.
Frequently asked questions
What is most important for local discoverability?
Your Google Business Profile: the free listing with your name, address, opening hours and reviews in Google and Maps. Claim and fill it out completely — that's more important for local search than your website.
Does a Google Business Profile cost money?
No, it's free. You claim your case, confirm it's yours and fill it out. An hour of work that can yield a lot.
How do I get more reviews?
Actively ask satisfied customers for this — at the checkout, on the receipt or in an email — and respond politely to the reviews you receive. Make it easy for them with a direct link or QR code.
Does my website also help with local search?
Yes. Make your address and opening hours clear on your site, use the city name where it makes sense, and make sure the site is fast and mobile-friendly.
Does local SEO also work if I mainly sell online?
Especially if you have a physical location or collection point. If you sell purely online without a location, regular SEO is more important than local SEO.
How long does it take for local SEO to work?
Your profile may appear quickly, but moving up and building reviews takes weeks to months. It is steady work that continues to pay off.
Get started
Claim your Google Business Profile today and fill it out completely: correct details, opening hours, category and good photos. Ask your next satisfied customers for a review and respond to what comes in. Then place your address and opening hours clearly on your site and keep your details the same everywhere. If you sell both in store and online, read how to combine the two.
