What Is Local SEO Tips 2020 and Why Does It Matter

Local SEO encompasses the strategies and techniques you use to help businesses rank in search results for location-based queries. When someone searches "plumber near me" or "best restaurants in Denver," local SEO determines which businesses appear in the map pack, local listings, and organic results. For agencies, this matters because a massive percentage of searches have local intent—Google data consistently shows that roughly 46% of all searches include a local modifier or location-based element. Your clients, whether they're dental practices, service contractors, or retail shops, depend on local visibility to drive foot traffic and calls. Unlike national SEO, which can take months to show results, local SEO often produces faster wins because there's less competition in most local markets and Google prioritizes relevance to the searcher's location.

The core components of local SEO that you need to understand and implement for clients involve Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, reviews, and location-specific on-page content. Google Business Profile is the foundational piece—it's the information box that appears when someone searches a local term, and optimizing it involves ensuring accurate business information, high-quality photos, regular posts, and response to reviews. Beyond that, local citations (mentions of the business name, address, and phone number across web directories) signal credibility to Google. Review generation and management matter because they're both ranking factors and trust signals that influence conversion rates. Your clients see the direct connection between good reviews and customer calls, which makes review strategies easier to sell than abstract SEO improvements.

For your agency, local SEO creates recurring revenue opportunities because it requires ongoing management. Unlike a website redesign that's a one-time project, local SEO involves monthly citation cleanup, review response, content updates, and performance monitoring. You can build service packages around Google Business Profile management, local content creation, review generation campaigns, and local link building. It's also easier to demonstrate ROI—you can show clients their ranking improvements in local search results, review increases, and call tracking data that connects local SEO efforts to actual phone inquiries and visits. This transparency builds client confidence and justifies retainers.

Practically speaking, you should start by auditing your clients' current local SEO foundation. Check if their Google Business Profile is claimed and complete, verify the consistency of their business information across directories like Yelp and Apple Maps, and analyze their review volume and sentiment compared to competitors. From there, build a prioritized action plan focusing first on the highest-impact items: profile optimization, citation cleanup, and a review generation system. As you scale local SEO across your client roster, you'll develop repeatable processes and templates that let you manage multiple locations efficiently.