You don't need an agency to rank in Google Maps. This step-by-step DIY local SEO guide covers exactly what small business owners need to do to get into the top 3 Map Pack results for their most important keywords.
Local SEO doesn't require an agency retainer or a six-figure marketing budget. Thousands of small business owners across the US manage their own local search presence effectively, ranking in the top 3 of Google Maps for their most important keywords without paying anyone to do it for them.
This guide assumes no prior SEO knowledge. By the time you finish reading, you'll have a complete action plan you can start executing today.
Other local businesses face this exact challenge, such as local SEO for nonprofits.
Local SEO is the process of making your business visible in Google searches where location matters. When someone in your city searches for the type of service you offer, local SEO determines whether your business appears in the top results, or gets buried on page 5 where nobody looks.
There are two places your business can appear in local Google searches:
The Local Pack (Maps Pack): The cluster of 3 businesses shown on a map that appears near the top of local search results. Example: search "coffee shop Denver" and you'll see a map with 3 businesses pinned. This is the local pack, and getting into those top 3 positions is the primary goal of local SEO.
Organic search results: The traditional blue link results below the map. These matter for longer-form searches like "how to find a good tax preparer" but transactional local searches are dominated by the Maps Pack.
The three factors Google uses to rank local businesses:
You can't change your distance. But you can dramatically improve your relevance and prominence, which is exactly what this guide covers.
💡 Pro Tip: Local SEO results are hyperlocal. A business with 50 reviews that's 0.5 miles from a searcher often outranks a business with 200 reviews that's 5 miles away. Focus on appearing prominently for searches near your location before worrying about ranking across your entire metro area.
Don't overlook E-E-A-T for local businesses as part of the same effort.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the most important local SEO asset you have. It's the listing that appears in Google Maps and the local search pack. A fully optimized GBP is the single highest-impact thing you can do for local search visibility.
Step 1: Claim your profile Go to business.google.com and search for your business. If it already exists (Google sometimes auto-generates listings), claim it by verifying ownership. If it doesn't exist, create it from scratch.
Step 2: Verify your business Google requires verification before your profile shows up fully in search. Most businesses verify by postcard (Google mails a code to your address). Some categories get phone or video verification. Don't skip this, unverified profiles don't rank.
Step 3: Fill out every section completely
Must-complete fields: business name using your exact legal name with no keyword stuffing, primary category (the most important ranking signal, pick the most specific one describing your main service), 2 to 4 secondary categories, address if you have a physical location customers visit, phone number, website URL, and business hours including holiday hours.
High-impact optional fields: the services section with every service listed individually by name and description, a products section if you sell physical products, a 750-character business description that naturally mentions your city and services, attributes like accessibility and payment methods, and Questions & Answers where you add your own frequently asked questions.
🔥 Quick Win: The services section is where most GBP profiles are incomplete. Instead of just listing "Plumbing," list every service: Emergency Plumbing, Water Heater Repair, Drain Cleaning, Pipe Repair, Sewer Line Service. Each service entry is a separate keyword match point.
You may also want our guide to digital pr local businesses.
A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Citations across directories are a core local ranking signal, they tell Google that your business exists, is legitimate, and is active at the address listed.
The most important citations to build first:
Tier 1, highest authority: Google Business Profile (already done in Step 2), Yelp (yelp.com/biz/add), Apple Maps (mapsconnect.apple.com), Bing Places (bingplaces.com), and Facebook Business Page.
Tier 2, industry-relevant: Angi or HomeAdvisor for home services, Healthgrades and Zocdoc for healthcare, Houzz for interior design and home improvement, TripAdvisor for restaurants and tourism, and Avvo or FindLaw for attorneys.
Tier 3, broad local directories: YellowPages, Foursquare, ChamberOfCommerce.com, and Better Business Bureau.
The critical rule: NAP consistency Your business name, address, and phone number must be spelled exactly the same across every citation. "Main Street" and "Main St" look minor, but inconsistency confuses Google and can hurt your local rankings. Pick one format and stick to it.
📊 Flento Data: Small businesses with citations on 40+ consistent directories rank an average of 3.1 positions higher in the Maps Pack than businesses with fewer than 10 citations.
Reviews are the most visible trust signal in local search. A business with 20 reviews and an average of 4.5 stars will consistently outperform a competitor with the same GBP optimization but only 5 reviews.
How to get reviews without being pushy:
The simplest approach: Ask right after a successful transaction. "We really appreciate your business. If you have 2 minutes, a Google review would mean a lot to us." Then send them a direct link to your Google review page.
How to get your direct review link: In your GBP dashboard, look for "Share review form" or "Get more reviews." This generates a short URL that takes customers directly to the review form. Save this link and use it in all review request messages.
Timing matters. Restaurants should ask as the customer is paying or send a follow-up text or email within 24 hours. Service businesses should ask immediately after the job is complete, while satisfaction is high. Healthcare providers should ask at checkout or send a follow-up within 48 hours.
Channels for review requests: an in-person verbal request followed by a text, an SMS with a direct link (the highest-converting channel), an email with a direct link, or a QR code on a receipt or business card.
⚠️ Common Mistake: Never offer incentives for reviews (discounts, free items, etc.). This violates Google's review policies and can result in review removal and GBP suspension. Ask genuinely, and let the reviews reflect real experiences.
Responding to reviews: Respond to every review, positive and negative. Responses show customers and Google that you're engaged. For negative reviews, respond professionally without getting defensive: acknowledge the issue, apologize briefly, and offer to resolve it offline.
Your website is the second most important signal after your GBP. Even a simple website can be optimized for local search without technical expertise.
Homepage optimization (do these first):
Title tag: "[Your Business Name] | [Service Type] in [City, State]" Example: "Austin Plumbing Co. | Plumbers in Austin, TX"
Meta description (150 characters): Describe your service and city. "Licensed plumbers serving Austin TX and surrounding areas. Emergency service available. Call today for a free estimate."
H1 heading: This is the main headline on your page. Include your service and location naturally: "Professional Plumbing Services in Austin, TX"
Body content: Mention your city and service area naturally in your homepage content. Don't repeat it 20 times, once or twice in natural context is sufficient.
NAP on your website: Your business name, address, and phone number should appear on every page (usually in the footer). Use exact same format as your GBP.
Service pages: Create one page for each major service. A plumber should have separate pages for emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, water heater service, etc. Each page targets specific search queries.
For mobile optimization: Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile devices. Google uses mobile page speed as a ranking factor. Check your mobile page speed at developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights and fix any major issues.
Backlinks (other websites linking to yours) are a traditional SEO signal. For local SEO, local links are more valuable than generic directory links.
Realistic local link sources for small businesses:
Local business associations: your local Chamber of Commerce member directory, industry association local chapters, and BNI or other networking group directories.
Local media and publications: submit press releases for genuine news (a grand opening, expansion, or award), volunteer to be quoted as an expert source for local reporters, and sponsor local events to get listed on the event website.
Business partnerships: cross-link with complementary local businesses (a plumber and a general contractor can both benefit from mutual links), and ask vendors or suppliers you work with whether they have a "local partners" or "certified contractors" page.
Community involvement: sponsor a local sports team, since the team website typically has a sponsor page, donate to local charities that have donor recognition pages with links, and participate in local charity events.
You don't need 100 backlinks. For most small local businesses, 10–15 quality local backlinks combined with strong GBP and review signals is enough to compete in the Maps Pack.
Content isn't required for local SEO to work, your GBP optimization and reviews will do the heavy lifting. But adding local content to your website creates additional ranking opportunities and positions you as the trusted local expert.
Content ideas that rank well locally:
Cost guides: "How Much Does [Service] Cost in [Your City] in 2026?" These pages rank for high-intent price research queries and convert visitors who are ready to hire.
Local service area pages: If you serve multiple cities, create individual pages for each. "[Service] in [City]" pages rank for searches specific to each city.
How-to guides specific to your local area: A landscaper in Phoenix can write about drought-tolerant landscaping specific to Phoenix's climate. A foundation repair company in Houston can write about what humidity does to home foundations in the Houston clay soil.
These location-specific details create genuine differentiation that generic "plumber in [city]" pages can't replicate.
Doing local SEO yourself doesn't mean managing everything manually across 20 different platforms. Flento consolidates the most important local SEO tasks into one dashboard:
Local Keyword Rank Tracker: See exactly where your business ranks in Google Maps for your target keywords, updated weekly so you know whether your optimization efforts are working.
Google Business Profile Optimizer: Get specific recommendations for what's missing or underoptimized in your GBP before competitors fix it first.
Google Review Management Software: Send review requests, respond to reviews, and track your reputation without logging into 5 different platforms.
Business Listing Management Software: Monitor your citations across directories and catch inconsistencies that could be dragging down your local rankings.
Local SEO isn't set it and forget it. Budget 2–3 hours per month for ongoing maintenance:
Monthly: respond to all new Google reviews, positive and negative, post 2 to 4 updates or photos to your GBP, check GBP Insights for new search queries driving impressions, and verify your business hours are accurate, updated for holidays.
Quarterly: check your local keyword rankings for primary search terms, request reviews from recent customers who haven't reviewed yet, audit your top 10 citations for accuracy, and add 5 to 10 new photos to your GBP.
Every 6 months: check for duplicate GBP listings and report or merge any that exist, audit competitor profiles for things they've added that you're missing, and review your website title tags and meta descriptions for accuracy.
How long does DIY local SEO take to show results? Most small business owners start seeing improvements in GBP profile views and website clicks within 4–6 weeks of optimization. Meaningful Maps Pack ranking improvements typically appear within 3–5 months. Highly competitive markets take longer.
Do I need to pay for any tools to do local SEO myself? For basic local SEO, no. Google Business Profile is free. Most top citation sites are free to list on. A basic review management process doesn't require paid tools. Paid tools (like Flento) become valuable when you want to track your rankings, spot issues automatically, and save time managing multiple platforms.
Is local SEO different from regular SEO? Yes. Local SEO is specifically focused on ranking in the Google Maps Pack and local search results. It relies heavily on GBP optimization, reviews, and citation building, signals that general (national) SEO doesn't prioritize. The two overlap in some areas (website optimization, backlinks) but are distinct strategies.
Can I do local SEO for multiple locations? Yes, but each location needs its own Google Business Profile, its own set of citations, and ideally its own page on your website. Managing multiple locations multiplies the work. Platforms like Flento are designed specifically to manage multiple location profiles from a single dashboard.
What if my competitor has way more reviews than me? Focus first on your GBP optimization, you can often outrank competitors with more reviews if your GBP is significantly more complete. Then build your review count steadily over time. Consistent, recent reviews matter more than total count, 5 reviews in the past month signals more activity than 50 reviews with none in the past year.
What's the most common DIY local SEO mistake? Neglecting the Google Business Profile services section. Most small business owners fill in their name, address, and phone but skip the services section. A fully built out services section with individual service names, descriptions, and prices is one of the highest-leverage optimizations available and takes 30 minutes to complete.
Local SEO is learnable, executable, and measurable, even without an agency or technical background. The business that wins the Maps Pack in your market isn't necessarily the biggest or most established. It's the one with the most complete GBP, the most genuine reviews, and the most consistent citations across the web.
Start today: claim your GBP, add all your services, and ask your next 5 customers for a Google review. Those three actions alone will move the needle before you've even read the rest of this guide.
