Local SEO consulting
Local SEO consulting sorts out how people searching nearby find a business on Google Maps, in the local results and in search: what its Google Business Profile shows, what the website says about each location, and what reviews and local sources say about it. As a local SEO consultant I work with single-location businesses, multi-location networks and service-area businesses without a storefront, from the audit to the fixes in the profile and on the website.
When you need local SEO consulting
Local SEO consulting is needed when a business lives on customers from its area, but doesn’t show on the map or in the local results, or has a problem with its Google Business Profile. These are the situations in which businesses most often look for a local SEO consultant:
People find you by name, but not in “near me” searches. When someone searches for your business name, you show up. When they search “dentist near me” or “plumber in Bristol”, competitors show up, including ones further away.
Your Business Profile was suspended, or reinstated but still not visible. After a change the profile disappeared from the map, the appeal is stuck, and support sends automated replies.
You’re moving, or the address needs correcting. The profile, the website and the directories show different addresses, and you don’t know what to put right before you touch the profile.
You’re opening a new location, or managing several profiles. Google marks the second profile as a duplicate, or it doesn’t pass verification.
You have no storefront and travel to your customers. The profile shows around your base, but not in the neighboring towns where you work.
Fake reviews appeared, or real ones disappeared. Ratings arrived with no customer behind them, or some of your existing reviews stopped showing overnight.
Calls are down, or you can’t see what you’re paying for. You haven’t touched the profile, yet rankings, calls and inquiries dropped. Or you pay a monthly fee for local SEO, and the report doesn’t tell you what was done.
Local SEO audit: what I check
A local SEO audit goes through what someone searching nearby sees of the business: the Business Profile, the local results, the location pages on the website, the listings and the reviews. These are the areas, and what I check in each:
Business Profile and profile structure. The Google Business Profile is the listing that shows on the map and in the local results. I check the categories, the business name, the services, the opening hours, the photos and the links, and whether all of it matches the business’s own data and how the business appears across the web. The profile structure depends on the type of business. A shop or a practice needs one profile with its real address. Several locations or a network need one per location. A service-area business without a storefront hides its address and sets a service area.
Local visibility and competitors. Google ranks local results on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. So I don’t measure rankings from one point but on a grid, from several points across the town, because a few streets away the order is different. I check who shows in the local pack and on the map, and how they differ from you. If a competitor’s profile breaks Google’s guidelines, for example with keywords in its name or an address where it has no location, I report it to Google with evidence. In the EU, since the Digital Markets Act the map shown in search no longer links to Google Maps, and the results page differs from the US one, so I measure in your country.
Local keywords and search intent. Most local searches are a service plus a place (“accountant Leeds”), a “near me” search or an urgent need (“emergency locksmith”). With keyword research I check what people search for in your area, and map which search the profile answers and which one a page on the website answers.
Location and service pages. A location page is the page on your website about one location: address, opening hours, how to get there, the services available there, local photos. With several locations, a store locator ties them together, and each page gets its own local content, not the same text with a different town name. I also check the LocalBusiness structured data, and what the CMS allows.
Data and listings. The name, address, phone number and website have to match everywhere: in the profile, on the website, in Apple Business Connect, in Bing Places, in the important directories and in the company register. I check where the data differs and where there are duplicate entries. Matching data is the baseline; on its own it doesn’t bring better rankings, so I start the fixes with the sources that matter, not with a hundred directories. With many locations a listing management tool is worth it; I’ll also tell you when it isn’t. Apple and Bing matter too, so that you don’t depend on Google alone.
Reviews. For reviews I check how many there are, how recent they are, how steadily they come in, what customers write in them, and whether the business replies.
Local links. A local link is when a local organization, an industry association, an event or a local paper links to you. I check who links to your competitors in the area, and who could link to you. The methods for earning them are part of off-page SEO.
Google Business Profile: before a change and after a suspension
A Google Business Profile suspension often follows a change: a new address, a new name, a new category or a new website address. So I plan the change in advance, in line with Google’s guidelines. This is how I work:
When you move, the type of business decides. Most businesses edit the address in their existing profile, so the reviews stay. For restaurants, lodging and entertainment venues, Google asks for a new profile at the new address, and the old one has to be marked permanently closed. Before the move, the new address should be on the website and in the important listings too, and you should be ready for re-verification.
The business name is the real name. It should appear as it does on your signage, your website and your business documents: without a town name, a service or a tagline.
One change at a time. We don’t change the name, category, address and website address on the same day. Google may also reject a significant change to the name or the category.
A separate profile only for a real location. Each profile has its own address and its own staff, and each location has one profile; otherwise Google treats it as a duplicate.
A business without a storefront hides its address. The profile shows the service area. P.O. boxes and virtual offices aren’t eligible for a profile, and a co-working space only is if you have your own signage and staff there.
The business owns the profile. I get access as a manager, and ownership stays with you.
If you’re already suspended, we don’t open a new profile. I look for the likely cause against the guidelines, put right what doesn’t comply, and put together the evidence: business registration, business license, tax certificate, a utility bill, with the name and address matching the profile. An appeal can be submitted once, from the Google account that manages the profile, so everything has to be in order first, and you submit it. Reinstatement is Google’s decision, and I don’t promise it.
Google reviews: earning, replying, reporting
Google reviews show people searching nearby what others experienced with you, and according to Google they count in local ranking too. This is what I help with:
Earning. Ask every customer for a review after the job, with a direct link or a QR code. Don’t offer anything in return, and don’t ask only the happy ones: Google prohibits both, and it can restrict the reviews of a profile that breaks the rules.
Replying. Reply to negative reviews too, factually and without personal data. The reply is also for the next reader.
Fake or policy-violating reviews. I report them to Google with evidence; if Google says a review doesn’t break the rules, you can appeal once. Removal is Google’s decision, and I don’t promise it. Anyone offering guaranteed removal for a fee isn’t worth paying.
Missing reviews. I check what changed beforehand: a suspension, a profile merge, or Google’s filter removing reviews. I can’t promise they come back.
Routine. Who asks for reviews, when and how, and who replies. If nobody owns it, the asking doesn’t happen.
Local businesses in AI search
Local businesses can show up in AI search too: someone asking ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Mode for a provider nearby gets names. These systems work from several sources (websites, map and directory data, reviews), so your business name, address and services have to appear the same way in your Business Profile, on your website, and in your Apple and Bing listings. Whether your business appears in these recommendations can be measured, but I don’t promise it will. Measuring it is part of generative engine optimization (GEO).
How I work: the local SEO process
Local SEO has seven steps for me. I look at the same metrics before and after the work, location by location, so you can see what each change delivered.
01
Discovery
The first step is the goal and the situation: where customers come from today, which locations and services matter most, and how large the service area is. I get access as a manager, and the accounts stay with the business. We also settle who makes the fixes: you, your web developer or me.
02
Baseline
The baseline records where we start. From the Business Profile performance data I take calls, direction requests and website clicks; from a grid measurement, visibility in the local pack and on the map; from Search Console, impressions and clicks on the location pages; and I record the number and recency of reviews.
03
Audit
The audit goes through seven areas: Business Profile and profile structure, local visibility and competitors, local keywords, location and service pages, data and listings, reviews, and local links. The result is a prioritized task list for each location.
04
Strategy and roadmap
The strategy says what comes first: the profile, the website or the data. In the roadmap every item says who does it, how much work it is, and which metric it will show up in.
05
Implementation
I make the fixes in the profile and the listings myself; on the website, either I do or your developer does from my write-up. The first fixes start once the audit is closed, and risky profile changes go one at a time. I tell you up front how much time it needs from your team: documents, photos, and building review requests into daily work.
06
Monitoring and reporting
Monitoring follows changes to the profile: edited data, new reviews, edits suggested by others. Every month or quarter you get a report by location: what changed, what it delivered, and what comes next.
07
Re-measurement by location
Re-measurement is in calls and inquiries, not in rankings. For each location I look at calls, direction requests, quote requests, organic traffic to the location pages and, where it can be measured, store visits and revenue. I also look at what share of the results for the important local searches you take compared with competitors. The links in the profile get UTM tags, so traffic from the profile shows separately in analytics; if you have a call tracking system, we connect that too. Measurement needs the visitor’s consent and follows GDPR, so analytics doesn’t see everyone. I compare the result with the same period a year earlier, and mark separately what can’t be separated out: the season, ads and Google’s changes. I don’t promise timelines. I tell you what we measure and what we compare it against.
Pricing
I charge €50 per hour. Every figure below is hours × €50, so you can see what each budget buys.
Hourly consulting€50 / hour
Example project
Business
One location
- 01
Local SEO audit
Business Profile, local visibility and competitors, location page, data and listings, reviews; a prioritized task list. With several locations, about 2 more hours per location.
€600
12 h · one-off
- 02
Pre-change check or appeal preparation
Before a move, a name change or a new location; after a suspension, finding the cause and putting together the evidence.
€250
5 h · one-off
- 03
Monthly maintenance
Monitoring the profile and reviews, updating data changes, reporting.
€200
4 h / month
These are indicative budgets, not fixed prices. The platform, the number of templates, how the site is built and what the audit finds all change the final quote.
No VAT is added to these figures — I’m VAT-exempt under Hungarian law.
When does local SEO pay off?
Local SEO pays off when your area brings more calls and inquiries than the consulting, building the location pages and your team’s time cost together. The audit costs €600. If you earn €100 on an average new customer, six new customers cover that. Delay has a price too: as long as the profile doesn’t show, or shows wrong data, people searching nearby call someone else.
What the monthly budget covers
Research, strategy, implementation or coordination with your developers, monitoring, meetings and reporting. Reporting time counts in the hours.
You get access to the project management tool, where you can see the priorities, who is responsible, progress and what comes next. Each month starts with agreed priorities and ends with a review of what changed and what the data shows.
Priced separately
Content writing and production, including an external writer if needed.
Outreach and digital PR. The audit includes the backlink analysis and recommendations.
Setting up or repairing measurement. The audit analyzes your existing data; new tracking and integrations are scoped separately.
Development beyond the agreed hours, including external developer fees.
AI search research or monitoring beyond the agreed topics, languages and AI systems.
Before you start
You receive a proposal with the scope, the estimated hours, the audit fee and the monthly budget. It also states whether the first phase includes implementation, when the ongoing work begins, and what your team needs to provide.
There is no lock-in. Any change to the scope or budget is agreed before the extra work starts.
Questions
Does a local SEO consultant need to be near us?
No. The work happens in the profile, on the website and in the data, and I can reach all of those remotely. The local knowledge comes from you: which towns you work in, who the competitors are, what customers ask. I work in English and Hungarian.
What do you do in a month with our Business Profile and website?
In monthly maintenance I monitor changes to the profile and new reviews, update data changes (opening hours, services, a new location), check the location pages, and send a report on calls and inquiries. The report lists what was done that month, item by item.
Can I do this myself, or is a listing management tool enough?
Many businesses fill in their profile and ask for reviews perfectly well themselves, and if someone in-house knows how, they can run it. A tool keeps the data matching in many places at once. A consultant is needed when the profile is in order and you still don’t show, when you’re about to make a change, or when several locations have to be managed consistently.
Whose name is the Business Profile in while we work together?
Yours. The business owns the profile, and I get access as a manager, which you can withdraw at any time. The same goes for the website, analytics and the listings.
Our Business Profile was suspended. Can you get it reinstated?
I can’t promise it, because Google decides. What I help with is making the appeal well founded: I look for the likely cause, put right what doesn’t follow the guidelines, and put together the evidence. You submit the appeal from your own account. Don’t open a new profile in the meantime.
Can a fake review be removed?
If it breaks Google’s rules, it can be reported, and if the first decision is a no, appealed once. Removal is Google’s decision. A bad review from a real customer doesn’t break the rules; the answer to that is a factual reply and more recent reviews.
What can we do when a competitor puts keywords in its business name?
Under Google’s guidelines, a profile should carry the real business name. If a profile’s name differs from that, it can be reported with evidence, and Google decides. Don’t add keywords to your own name, because that puts your own profile at risk.
We have no storefront. Can we show up in neighboring towns too?
The profile is strongest around your base, because distance is a ranking factor. You can set a service area (Google says it shouldn’t extend further than about two hours’ drive from your base), but that doesn’t put you on top everywhere. In towns further away the website does the work: a page per town with real jobs and local reviews. A virtual office isn’t a solution; that kind of address isn’t eligible for a profile.
Should we run ads for local searches instead?
Ads start fast and bring calls for as long as you pay for them. Local SEO builds more slowly, but you don’t pay per click. Many local businesses need both. What decides the order is how urgently you need new customers, and what a click costs in your trade.
When will we get more calls?
I don’t promise timelines, because it depends on the competition, the distance and what the problem was. Fixing wrong data shows sooner than the effect of a new location page. I tell you what we measure: calls, direction requests and inquiries by location.
Not showing on the map, or about to make a change?
Send me your business name and town, and I’ll tell you where to start.