Nearly half of all Google searches carry local intent. That means when someone in your city types “plumber near me” or “best coffee shop downtown,” Google is deciding whether your business shows up — or stays invisible.
This guide gives you seven steps to improve your local search ranking, whether you run a shop in the Tri-Cities or serve customers anywhere in BC. No jargon without explanation, no fluff, just what works right now.
What Is Local Search Ranking?
Local search ranking is where your business appears when someone searches for a service or product near them. The most valuable real estate is the local pack — the map with three listings that appears at the top of results. Businesses in the local pack get 126% more traffic and 93% more calls and direction requests than those ranked below it.
Google determines your local pack position using three core factors:
- Relevance is how well your listing matches what someone searched for.
- Distance is how close your business is to the searcher.
- Prominence is how well-known and trusted your business is online.
You can’t control distance, but the steps below directly improve relevance and prominence.
How To Rank Higher in Local Search
Step 1: Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most influential local ranking factor according to the 2025 Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors study. A verified GBP averages roughly 200 clicks and interactions per month, but only if it’s complete.
- Claim and verify your listing at business.google.com.
- Fill every field: business name, primary and secondary categories, hours, service area, and a keyword-rich description.
- Add photos — businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests.
- Post updates weekly using Google Posts to signal activity.
Customers are 2.7x more likely to consider your business reputable when they find a complete profile.
Step 2: Fix Your NAP Consistency
NAP is your Name, Address, and Phone number. It must be identical — character for character — across your website, GBP, and every directory where you’re listed. That includes Bing Places, Apple Maps, Canada411, and YellowPages.ca.
Why it matters: 62% of consumers will avoid a business if they find incorrect contact information online. Inconsistent NAP data also confuses AI answer engines — only 68% of business info on ChatGPT and Perplexity currently matches GBP data.
Step 3: Build and Manage Reviews
Reviews are no longer optional. According to BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 78% won’t consider a business rated below 4 stars.
- Ask satisfied customers directly — review velocity (2 to 5 new reviews per month) matters more than total count.
- Respond to every review, positive and negative. Businesses responding to at least 25% of reviews see a 4.1% higher GBP conversion rate.
- Every 10 new reviews increases your GBP conversion rate by 2.8%.
Step 4: Optimize On-Page SEO for Local
Your website needs to tell Google where you are and what you do.
- Include your city and service keywords in title tags, H1 headings, and meta descriptions.
- Display your NAP on your contact page and site footer.
- If you serve multiple areas, create unique location pages for each — not copy-pasted templates with the city name swapped in. Google rewards original, location-specific content.
Step 5: Add LocalBusiness Schema
Schema markup is structured code added to your website that helps search engines understand your business details. LocalBusiness schema marks up your name, address, hours, and service area in a format Google (and AI answer engines) can read directly.
Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or ask your developer to implement it. This is one of the factors that helps your business appear in rich results and get cited by AI search tools.
Step 6: Earn Local Backlinks
Local backlinks are links from other websites in your community to yours. They signal to Google that your business is trusted locally.
- Sponsor a local event or sports team.
- Join your local chamber of commerce.
- Partner with complementary Tri-Cities businesses for cross-promotion.
Quality matters more than quantity. One link from a local news site or community organization carries more weight than 50 generic directory listings.
Step 7: Prepare for AI Search Visibility
This is the step most local SEO guides skip entirely — and it’s the one that matters most going forward.
AEO (answer engine optimization) is the practice of optimizing your content so AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews can find, understand, and cite your business. Right now, 40.2% of local business queries trigger Google’s AI Overviews, and 45% of consumers already use ChatGPT for local business discovery.
To improve your AI visibility:
- Ensure your site has clear question-and-answer formatting that AI can parse.
- Implement schema markup (Step 5 feeds directly into this).
- Maintain consistent NAP data across every platform — AI engines pull from multiple sources.
- Get listed on expert-curated “best of” lists and industry-relevant sites.
AI visibility requires different optimization signals than the traditional local pack. Businesses that start now gain a significant head start.
Claim Your Free AEO + SEO Audit
If you want to know exactly where your business stands in both traditional search and AI results, RankFly’s free audit covers it all: AI visibility checks, a technical site crawl, Core Web Vitals assessment, competitor gap analysis, and a 30-minute strategy call. No obligation.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Rank Higher in Local Search?
Most businesses see measurable improvement in 3 to 6 months, depending on competition in your area and how far your current listings and site are from best practices. Consistent effort compounds — quick fixes rarely stick.
Do I Need a Physical Address To Rank in the Local Pack?
Yes. Google requires a verified physical address or a clearly defined service area for local pack eligibility. Service-area businesses can hide their address while still qualifying.
How Many Reviews Do I Need To Rank Locally?
There is no magic number. Businesses averaging 2 to 5 new reviews per month consistently outperform those with static review profiles. Steady velocity and authentic patterns matter more than hitting a specific count.