# What is Local SEO?

> Local SEO is the part of search optimisation that gets a business found by people searching nearby, such as ‘electrician near me’ or ‘dog groomer in Taunton’.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/local-seo
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: local search, local search optimisation.

Local SEO is SEO with a postcode attached. When someone searches for a service that is obviously local, Google tries to show businesses close to them, so the job is convincing Google exactly where you are and which areas you cover.

The main ingredients are a complete, active Google Business Profile, reviews from real customers, your business name, address and phone number written the same way everywhere, and website pages that clearly mention the towns and services you actually cover.

It is usually where a small business should start, because you are competing with a handful of firms in your area rather than every company in the country.

## Why it matters for a small business

For a local shop, salon, practice or contractor, almost every customer is local. Showing up in the map results and the top few listings for your town is often the difference between a phone that rings and one that does not, and it costs far less than paying for ads forever.

**Example:** A mobile dog groomer who covers Newton Abbot, Torquay and Paignton adds those towns to their Google Business Profile service area, asks happy customers for reviews and writes a page for each area. Over time they start appearing when people nearby search ‘dog groomer near me’.