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Guide · Local SEO

Local SEO: how to show up on Google Maps in your city.

When someone searches for “dentist near me” or “restaurant nearby,” Google first shows a map with three businesses. Here's how to work toward being on that map, without tricks that can cost you your profile.

Updated .

Definition

Local SEO is what you do so Google shows your business to people searching for what you sell near where they are. It rests on three things: your Google Business Profile, your reviews and a website that confirms what you do and where.

A young man checks his phone in front of a café on a street in Medellín
Illustrative image generated with AI.

01 How Google decides

The three criteria behind the map.

Google explains that local results depend mainly on three things. You can work on the first and the last; distance, you can’t.

  • Relevance

    How well your business matches what the person searched for. You work on it with the right category, well-described services and a clear website.

  • Distance

    How close you are to the searcher or the area they mentioned. You don't control it, which is why it pays to work your neighborhood and city well.

  • Prominence

    How well known your business is: reviews, mentions on other sites, links and the authority of your website.

02 Step by step

Six steps to showing up on Maps.

The first three take an afternoon. The last three are monthly work.

  • 01

    Create and verify your profile

    In Google Business Profile, with your business's real name and no added keywords. Verification can take a few days.

  • 02

    Choose the right category

    The primary category is one of the strongest factors. Pick the most specific one, like “Dental clinic” rather than “Health,” and add secondary categories only if they apply.

  • 03

    Fill everything in

    Hours, phone, WhatsApp, services, service area, real photos of the place and the team, and the link to your website.

  • 04

    Ask for real reviews

    Ask happy customers, with a direct link, and reply to all of them, bad ones included. Never buy reviews.

  • 05

    Keep your information identical

    Name, address and phone written the same way on your profile, website, social media and directories. Differences confuse Google.

  • 06

    Back it up with your website

    A page per service mentioning your city or neighborhood, business structured data and the map. That way Google confirms what your profile says.

    Websites

03 What not to do

What can get your profile suspended by Google.

Local SEO shortcuts tend to work for a few weeks and then cost you the whole profile.

Avoid

  • Adding keywords to your business name.
  • Using a fake address or a virtual office that doesn't serve customers.
  • Buying reviews or asking for them in exchange for discounts.
  • Creating several profiles for the same business.

Do this instead

  • Use your real name, the same as on your storefront and invoices.
  • Hide your address if you serve customers at their location and show your service area.
  • Ask all your customers for reviews, without filtering.
  • One profile for each real location, with its own address.

04 By type of business

Local SEO for your kind of business.

Searches change depending on what you sell. See how we work on it in each industry.

And by city: Bogotá Medellín Cali Barranquilla Sincelejo

05 Questions

Frequently asked questions about local SEO.

Have another question? Message us and we'll reply the same business day.

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How long does it take for my business to show up on Google Maps?

The profile appears once Google verifies it, which can take a few days. Climbing above competitors takes longer: weeks or months, depending on how many similar businesses are in your area and how many reviews they have.

Can I show up on Maps if I don't have a physical location?

Yes. If you serve customers at their location or remotely, Business Profile lets you hide your address and show the areas you serve. What you shouldn't do is make up an address: Google can suspend the profile.

Does buying reviews work?

No. It goes against Google’s policies, which can remove them or suspend the profile, and customers tend to spot fake reviews. What works is asking real customers for a review when they’re happy and replying to all of them.

Do I need a website if I already have a Business Profile?

The profile is your storefront on Maps; the website is where you explain your services and turn the visit into an inquiry. Google also uses your website to understand what you do and where, so the two reinforce each other.

Does Blinq do local SEO?

Our websites ship with the technical side of local SEO ready: business structured data, your city and services on every page and a clear link to your Business Profile. In the free assessment we review how you show up today and what’s missing.

Sources

The rules, in Google’s own words.

Google changes its policies and how it ranks results. Before you touch your profile, check the current version in its help center.

Google, Google Maps and Google Business Profile are trademarks of Google LLC. Blinq is not affiliated with Google.

Do you show up when people search nearby?

We review your Google profile and your website, and tell you what to fix to show up in your area. Free, with no commitment.

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