Local SEO helps your business appear in search results for people nearby — like “plumber near me” or “best café in Manchester.”
This glossary explains the most common local SEO terms in simple, no-nonsense language so you can understand how to get found by local customers.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Address consistency
Ensuring your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) appear exactly the same across your website, Google profile, and directory listings. Consistency builds trust with Google.
Aggregator
A service that distributes your business information to multiple directories at once — for example, Yext or BrightLocal.
Anchor text
The clickable part of a link. When linking internally or externally, descriptive anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about.
Area served
The locations or postcodes your business covers. Listing these clearly on your website and Google Business Profile helps you show up in relevant searches.
B
Backlink
A link from another website pointing to yours. Local backlinks from community pages, local directories, and partner businesses are especially valuable.
Business category
The main type of service or industry your business belongs to on Google Business Profile. Choosing the right category is vital for ranking in the right searches.
Business description
A short paragraph on your Google Business Profile that explains what you do and who you serve. It should include your main keywords naturally.
C
Call to action (CTA)
A prompt encouraging potential customers to do something — for example, “Call now”, “Book online”, or “Get a free quote.”
Category
The primary and secondary classifications that describe your business on Google Business Profile or directories (for example, “Electrician” or “Emergency Electrician”).
Citation
A mention of your business name, address, and phone number on another website, such as directories or review sites. Accurate citations help search engines verify your business details.
Click-to-call
A phone link that lets mobile users call your business directly by tapping the number on their screen.
Conversion
When a website visitor takes an action like calling, booking, or filling out a form. Tracking conversions shows how well your local SEO is working.
Customer journey
The process a local customer goes through before choosing a business — from searching online to reading reviews and making contact.
D
Dashboard
The control panel for managing your Google Business Profile, reviews, posts, and insights.
Directory
Websites that list businesses by category or area, such as Yelp, Yell, and Thomson Local. Being listed on trusted directories improves your visibility.
Duplicate listing
When the same business appears more than once on Google or a directory. Duplicates can confuse customers and dilute your ranking strength.
E
E-E-A-T
Stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Local businesses demonstrate E-E-A-T through genuine reviews, local content, and an established online presence.
Embedding a map
Adding a Google Map showing your location to your contact or homepage. It helps users find you and sends local relevance signals to Google.
Engagement
How people interact with your local business online — such as clicking directions, calling from Google Maps, or commenting on posts.
F
Featured snippet
A highlighted result at the top of Google’s search results. Optimising FAQs and local content increases your chances of earning one.
Footer NAP
Displaying your Name, Address, and Phone number in the website footer to reinforce consistency and help with local rankings.
GBP
Short for Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). It’s your business listing on Google Search and Maps.
G
Geo-tagging
Adding location data (latitude and longitude) to images or videos. This can slightly help Google understand your business location.
Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your free Google listing that shows your business name, address, phone number, reviews, and opening hours. It’s essential for local SEO visibility.
Google Maps
The platform that shows local businesses based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Ranking high here brings local leads.
Google Posts
Short updates you can publish on your Google Business Profile to share offers, events, or news directly in search results.
H
Header tags
The HTML headings (H1, H2, etc.) used to structure your content. Including local keywords in headings helps Google understand your location relevance.
High-intent keywords
Phrases that show a searcher is ready to take action, such as “book emergency plumber” or “same-day boiler repair near me.”
I
Image optimisation
Compressing and naming your images with local keywords — like “manchester-wedding-catering.jpg” — helps with visibility in image search and site speed.
Insights
The analytics section inside Google Business Profile that shows how customers found your business and what actions they took.
Internal linking
Adding links between pages on your website — for example, linking a blog post about “garden design tips” to your “landscaping services” page.
J
JSON-LD
A format used for structured data markup (like LocalBusiness schema) that helps search engines understand your business information.
K
Keyword
A word or phrase people type into search engines. Local SEO focuses on keywords that include places, such as “SEO agency Manchester.”
Knowledge panel
The box that appears on the right side of Google results showing details about a business — often pulled from the Google Business Profile.
L
Landing page
A web page designed to attract visitors from local searches and encourage an action such as calling or requesting a quote.
Local pack (Map Pack)
The group of three business listings that appear at the top of Google’s local search results. Ranking here can bring most of the local traffic.
Local citation
A mention of your business name, address, and phone number on another site. Citations from trusted sources improve Google’s confidence in your business data.
Local keywords
Search terms that combine services and locations — for example, “electrician Oldham” or “wedding catering Liverpool.”
Local link building
Getting backlinks from local sources — such as councils, charities, schools, or partner businesses — to build authority in your area.
Local landing page
A page focused on a specific location or service area, like “Roof Repairs in Stockport.” These help target customers in different towns.
M
Map embed
Adding an interactive Google Map to your site so customers can find your location easily.
Map Pack
The set of three local results that appear at the top of Google’s results page. Also known as the “3-Pack.”
Mobile optimisation
Ensuring your site loads quickly and looks good on mobile devices — important for both users and Google’s local ranking factors.
My Business
The old name for Google Business Profile (GMB). It was rebranded as GBP in 2022.
N
NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
The key business details that must remain consistent across your website, Google listing, and all directories.
Negative review
Feedback from an unhappy customer. Responding professionally and quickly helps protect your reputation and signals trustworthiness to Google.
O
Organic traffic
Visitors who find your business through unpaid search results rather than adverts.
Owner verification
The process of proving that you’re the legitimate owner of a Google Business Profile. This is required before you can manage or edit your listing.
P
Photo uploads
Images you add to your Google Business Profile showing your work, team, or premises. Regular uploads improve engagement and visibility.
Primary category
The main classification on your Google Business Profile that defines what your business does. Choose carefully, as it strongly affects rankings.
Proximity
How close your business is to the person searching. Google uses proximity as one of the top three local ranking factors.
Q
Q&A section
A feature on Google Business Profiles where customers can ask questions and owners can reply. Answering promptly improves engagement.
R
Ranking factors
The elements that influence how high your business appears in Google’s local search results — such as relevance, distance, and prominence.
Relevance
How closely your business matches what someone is searching for. Using accurate categories, services, and keywords helps.
Review management
The process of monitoring and responding to customer reviews on Google, Facebook, and other sites.
Review velocity
How often you receive new reviews. A steady flow of recent reviews looks more trustworthy to both users and search engines.
S
Schema markup
Code added to your website that helps Google understand your business information — such as location, reviews, and opening hours.
Secondary category
Extra categories on your Google Business Profile that describe additional services. For example, a café might also choose “Bakery.”
Service area
The locations where you operate if you don’t serve customers at a fixed address — for example, a mobile mechanic or cleaner.
Social proof
Evidence that people trust your business — such as reviews, testimonials, and star ratings — which influence new customers’ decisions.
T
Title tag
The clickable page title shown in search results. Including your service and location (e.g. “SEO Services in Manchester”) improves relevance.
Traffic
The number of visitors coming to your site. Tracking local traffic helps measure your SEO results.
Trust signal
Anything that shows your business is reliable — such as verified contact details, positive reviews, or clear policies.
U
URL structure
The format of your website addresses. Using clean, keyword-friendly URLs with location terms helps with SEO (e.g. /roofing-manchester/).
User experience (UX)
How easy and pleasant your website is to use. Clear contact info, fast load times, and good navigation improve both UX and rankings.
UTM parameters
Tracking tags added to URLs to measure how visitors found you, especially useful for monitoring clicks from Google Business Profile links.
V
Verification postcard
The postcard Google sends to confirm your business address before activating your Business Profile.
Voice search
When people use voice assistants like Siri or Alexa to find local businesses. Optimising for conversational phrases helps you appear in these results.
W
Website link
The link from your Google Business Profile to your main website. It drives traffic and improves trust signals when kept accurate.
Whitespark
A popular tool used for local SEO audits, citation building, and rank tracking.
Working hours
Your opening and closing times shown on your Google Business Profile. Keeping these up to date prevents negative experiences and lost leads.
X
XML sitemap
A file listing all the important pages on your site. Submitting it in Google Search Console helps ensure everything is indexed properly.
Y
Yelp
A major online directory where customers can review local businesses. Listings here can appear in Google’s results and boost visibility.
Yext
A paid service that distributes your business information to multiple directories automatically, helping maintain consistency.
Z
Zero-click searches
When Google provides enough information directly in the search results that users don’t need to visit a website. Keeping your Google Business Profile detailed helps capture these opportunities.