What Is Local SEO? Getting Found by Nearby Customers

When someone searches “plumber near me” or “best coffee shop in Brooklyn,” Google shows results that are specific to that location. Local SEO is the work that helps a business appear in those results, including the map with three pinned businesses at the top, the organic listings below it, and increasingly, the AI-generated summary that Google adds above everything else.

Nearly half of all Google searches have local intent, and for most brick-and-mortar businesses, local search is where the customers come from. The core ingredients are a well-maintained Google Business Profile, consistent business information across online directories (NAP consistency), genuine customer reviews, and a website that clearly communicates what the business does and where it operates.

What makes local SEO interesting in 2026 is how directly it feeds into AI visibility. The directory listings, review profiles, and local press mentions that drive local SEO rankings are the same sources that ChatGPT and Google AI draw from when recommending businesses.

We found that a Google Maps profile alone isn’t enough for either traditional search or AI recommendations. Businesses that show up consistently are the ones with presence across multiple platforms: their own website, Google, Yelp, industry-specific directories, and local media mentions. Each additional source of consistent, detailed information makes the business more visible to both Google’s local algorithm and AI recommendation models.

The businesses that do local SEO well tend to do it as a natural extension of running their business: keeping hours updated, responding to reviews, making sure their website reflects their actual services and service areas, and staying active in their local community. The ones that struggle are usually the ones treating it as a one-time setup rather than ongoing maintenance.