Local SEO: how to show up on Google Maps and in local search

Google ranks local results on three factors: relevance, distance and prominence. You can’t change distance, but you can influence the other two with a complete, verified Google Business Profile, the right category, consistent details across the web, a steady flow of genuine reviews and a website that clearly says what you do and where. Google states that you can’t pay for a better local ranking, so local SEO is mostly about getting the basics right and keeping at it.

The three factors Google uses to rank local businesses

Google’s Business Profile help explains openly how it builds local results:

• Relevance – how well your profile matches what someone is searching for.
• Distance – how far you are from the searcher, or from the place they mention in the search.
• Prominence – how well known the business is. Google mentions links from other websites, plus the number of reviews and the average rating.

A salon in Maribor won’t appear for someone looking for a hairdresser in Koper. Among nearby businesses, though, relevance and prominence decide the order.

accountant for sole trader price

1. 1competitor-a.com
2. 2directory.com
3. 3competitor-b.com
4. your-company.com

AI answer

The price of accounting for a sole trader depends on the number of invoices and employees. Firms usually list monthly flat fees …

Source: your-company.com

Google Business Profile: the foundation

Start by claiming and verifying your profile: Google says verified businesses are more likely to show up in results. We covered what the profile is and why you need it alongside a website in Google Business Profile or a website.

Business name

Use the name your business actually trades under. Google’s guidelines explicitly forbid adding keywords, taglines, locations or phone numbers to the name. “Novak Panel Beaters” is fine; “Novak Panel Beaters – best cheap car body repair Ljubljana” is not. Google can restrict or suspend profiles that break the guidelines.

Categories

The category tells Google which searches you match:

• the primary category should describe as precisely as possible what the business is, not everything it offers;
• keep additional categories to a minimum, only those that describe your core business;
• pick the most specific option (“Italian restaurant” rather than “restaurant”, if that’s accurate).

Add services, products and features in the relevant sections of the profile, not as extra categories.

Address or service area

If customers come to you, enter your exact address. If you go to customers (plumbers, electricians, cleaning services) and have no premises where you receive them, hide the address and set a service area. PO boxes and virtual offices are not allowed.

Opening hours, attributes and photos

Enter regular and holiday hours, fill in relevant attributes (parking, wheelchair access, card payments) and add real photos of your premises and work.

NAP: the same name, address and phone everywhere

NAP stands for name, address, phone. These details should match on your profile, website, Facebook and in directories, so that Google and customers can see without doubt that it is the same business.

Common mistakes:

• an old phone number in one of the directories;
• an address updated only on Google after a move;
• the registered company name in one place, the trading name in another;
• two profiles for the same location.

Slovenian directories worth checking

Check at least these:

• Bizi.si – a business directory with data on Slovenian companies; it also lets you edit your own company’s details;
• Telefonski imenik Slovenije (itis.siol.net) – the Slovenian phone directory, now published in digital form only, with a form for new listings and changes;
• Najdi.si – a Slovenian search engine with its own map, which links to TIS for its directory.

Having correct details in a few reputable sources matters more than being listed in a hundred directories.

Apple Maps and Bing Places in brief

On Apple Maps, claim your location through Apple Business to manage your logo, hours, photos and key details. Bing Places for Business (now at bing.com/forbusiness) can import your data from Google Business Profile. If your Google profile is already verified, Bing verifies the imported listing automatically. Reviews are not carried over.

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Reviews: getting them and replying

Reviews affect both prominence and the customer’s decision. The most reliable way to get them is to ask: send the review link from your profile after the job, or add it to the invoice or email.

Google’s rules are clear:

• no payment or rewards – you may not offer discounts, free services or gifts in exchange for a review (or for changing a negative one);
• no cherry-picking – you may not ask only happy customers or discourage negative reviews;
• no on-site pressure – don’t push customers to write a review while they are on your premises;
• no conflict of interest – reviews from employees or relatives, or reviews of competitors, are not allowed;
• no fake reviews – Google removes reviews from multiple accounts and paid reviews.

Reply to every review, even short ones. With criticism, stay calm, acknowledge what is true and say what you have done about it. Every future visitor reads your reply.

Local pages on your website

Your website confirms to Google what you do and where:

• your name, address or service area and phone should be visible on every important page;
• each main service should have its own page that clearly says what the service includes;
• if you have several branches, give each its own page with the address, hours, map and photos;
• if you cover several towns, don’t create ten near-identical pages with only the town name swapped. Google may treat that as spam. A town page makes sense only with genuinely its own content, such as local projects.

The site must work well on a phone, with a visible call button. For the technical side, see our technical SEO audit article.

LocalBusiness structured data

Structured data (schema.org, JSON-LD) tells search engines who you are. For local businesses Google requires the name and address, and recommends the phone number, opening hours, coordinates, URL and price range. Use the most specific subtype, such as Restaurant, HairSalon or AutoRepair, rather than the generic LocalBusiness.

The data in the markup must match what is on the page and on your profile. Don’t mark up reviews you display about your own business for stars in search results; Google’s review guidelines don’t support this for local businesses.

How AI assistants pick a local business

Ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Mode for “a good car service in Celje” and the assistant builds the answer from maps, business profiles, reviews, directories and websites. The exact selection method isn’t public and differs from tool to tool.

Still, a business with consistent details, genuine reviews and a website that clearly describes its services and location is likely easier for AI to understand and cite. Local SEO is the foundation for visibility in AI answers too. More on this in GEO: how to show up in AI answers.

Local SEO checklist

• The Google Business Profile is claimed and verified.
• The name is the real business name, with no added keywords.
• The primary category is as specific as possible, with few additional ones.
• The address or service area is set correctly.
• Opening hours and holidays are up to date.
• The profile has real photos and completed attributes.
• Name, address and phone match everywhere.
• Details on Bizi.si, TIS and Apple Maps have been checked.
• You send customers a review link after each job.
• You reply to every review, including negative ones.
• Each main service and branch has its own page.
• The site has structured data using the most specific subtype.
• The site is fast on mobile with a visible phone number.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay for a better position on Google Maps?

No. Google states that you can’t request or pay for a better local ranking. Ads are labelled as ads; organic ranking depends on your profile, reviews and website.

How long before I see results?

Profile fixes show quickly; the ranking effect depends on local competition. Reviews and prominence take months.

Can I offer a customer a discount for writing a review?

No. Google’s rules prohibit payment, discounts, free services or gifts in exchange for a review. You can ask every customer, with no reward and no cherry-picking.

I work on site and have no premises. Can I appear on the map?

Yes. Hide the address on your profile and set the service area you cover. On your website, clearly list the towns or region you serve.

Do I need structured data if I have a Google Business Profile?

The profile matters more, but structured data confirms that the website and profile are the same business. It is a small job.

How we can help

Local SEO is part of our SEO optimisation service, from €249 per month with a one-off €290 setup. It covers the profile, consistent details, local pages and structured data. For visibility in AI answers, you can add GEO on top of SEO from €149 per month. For an assessment, use our contact form.

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy, Prohibited and restricted content, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Google Search Central, Local business (LocalBusiness) structured data, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Schema.org, LocalBusiness, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Bing Places for Business, Sync with Google Business Profile, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Apple, Apple Business, accessed 2 November 2026.
• Bizi.si, Moj Bizi: access levels, accessed 2 November 2026.
• TSmedia, Telefonski imenik Slovenije, accessed 2 November 2026.

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