The local SEO playbook that worked in 2022 needs updates. Google has shifted weight toward reviews, mobile experience, and behavioral signals. Businesses that ranked comfortably two years ago are watching newer competitors overtake them.
The data reinforces the urgency: complete Google Business Profiles receive seven times more clicks than incomplete ones.
Local link building does not require cold outreach to bloggers. Sponsoring a local event, joining the chamber of commerce, contributing to a local news article, or partnering with a complementary business all generate backlinks that strengthen local authority.
Google evaluates local business relevance, distance, and prominence when ranking local results. Relevance comes from optimized profiles and content. Distance is geographic. Prominence comes from reviews, citations, and backlinks. Businesses that invest in all three rank higher.
LocalSurge, based in Sioux Falls, SD, works with local businesses to implement these strategies through website design, local SEO, and AI automation.
Citation building is the process of listing a business in online directories with consistent information. Google cross-references these listings to verify business legitimacy. Inconsistencies, such as a different phone number on Yelp than on the website, erode trust signals.
Local SEO starts with three foundational elements: a claimed and optimized Google Business Profile, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across all online directories, and a website with location-specific content. Without all three, ranking in local results is unlikely.
LocalSurge offers free consultations for local businesses looking to evaluate their website, SEO, and online reputation.
