Search engine optimisation

Local SEO guide: how to show up in Google locally

13.8.2026 2 min lukuaika

Local SEO is one of the most effective forms of marketing there is for small and local businesses. When somebody searches for “hairdresser Kallio” or “plumber Espoo”, you are either at the top of the list or out of the game.

In brief

Google Business Profile (GBP) is the foundation of everything.
Reviews are the most important ranking factor.
Local citations strengthen authority.
Realistic results appear in 4–8 weeks.

Google Business Profile optimisation

A complete profile (categories, services, products, photos)
Opening hours kept up to date
Posts weekly (Google indexes them)
The Q&A section filled in ahead of time
New photos once or twice a month

Getting reviews

Reviews are the single most important ranking factor in local SEO.

Reviews are the single most important factor in local SEO. A company with 4.7+ stars gets twice the clicks of one on 4.2.

Ask customers to leave a review (email, text message, QR code)
Respond to every review within 24 hours
Handling bad reviews professionally can turn the situation around

Local citations

A citation is a mention of your company online carrying the name, address and phone number (NAP). You should be listed on:

Google Business Profile
Bing Places
National business directories
Industry-specific directories (Yelp, TripAdvisor for restaurants, for instance)
A Facebook business page

The NAP details have to be identical everywhere. One small difference (“street” versus “street.”) confuses Google.

Local keywords on the site

Local SEO and local visibility — Local SEO is one of the most effective forms of marketing for a small business.

Your site has to mention the service plus the location. A service page for a car servicing business in Espoo should use that combination in the heading, the metadata and the text.