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Your primary category should match the main service you want to rank for.
THE FOUNDATION
THE 4 CORE LOCAL SEO PRINCIPLES
1. RELEVANCE
Does Google understand exactly what you do?
Your business category, services, website content, and overall profile should clearly communicate what your business does.
2. PROXIMITY
Are you located close enough to the people searching?
Your physical business location and proximity to the searcher can influence where you appear in the Google Map Pack.
3. CONSISTENCY
Is your business information accurate and are you consistently active online?
Your business information should remain consistent across the web, while your Google Business Profile should be regularly maintained with fresh activity.
Business information
Business name
Address
Phone number
Website
Services
Photos
Videos
Google Business Profile posts
Customer reviews
4. TRUST & AUTHORITY
Does Google have enough evidence to trust and recommend your business?
Reviews, backlinks, citations, social profiles, third-party mentions, and other online signals help establish your business as legitimate and authoritative.
YOUR PRIORITIES
THE 10 PRIORITY RANKING FACTORS
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STAY CONSISTENT
CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST
It also means consistently showing Google that the business is active.
Every Month: Keep Your Profile Active
FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS
MYTHS & LOW-IMPACT TACTICS
Don't waste time or budget on tactics that don't provide meaningful value.
PHOTO EXIF / GEOTAGGING
Google strips EXIF data upon upload; it does not improve local rankings.
KEYWORD STUFFING IN OWNER RESPONSES
Responding to reviews is great customer service, but stuffing keywords into your reply provides zero algorithmic benefit.
EXPANDING SERVICE AREA CIRCLES
Expanding the service-area radius in your profile settings does not expand where your map pin ranks.
MASS LOW-QUALITY DIRECTORY BLASTS
A large number of low-quality citations isn't a substitute for relevant, high-authority citations and backlinks.
AT A GLANCE
QUICK CLIENT CHECKLIST
#Ranking FactorComplete
THE BIG PICTURE
THE LOCAL SEO FORMULA
RELEVANCE
What you do
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PROXIMITY
Where you are
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CONSISTENCY
How accurately and consistently you represent your business
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TRUST & AUTHORITY
How much evidence Google has that you're legitimate and trusted
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THE GOAL
Make it as easy as possible for Google to understand your business, verify your business, and confidently recommend your business to potential customers.