Guides
How local search works, in plain English
Straight answers to the questions owners ask about Google Maps, reviews, AI search and what local SEO should cost. No jargon, and every outside fact linked to its source.
Google Maps
- How to rank in the Google Maps 3-pack (2026)Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence, and that there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. You can't move closer to every customer, so you rank higher on Google Maps by winning on what you control: the most specific primary category, a verified and complete profile, a steady flow of real reviews, accurate hours and a website with a page for each service. Then you track your rank on a grid, because it changes from one neighborhood to the next.
- Why is my business not showing on Google Maps? 9 causes and how to fix eachIf your business doesn't show on Google Maps even when you search its exact name, the profile itself has a problem: it isn't verified yet, it's suspended, it's marked as a duplicate, or a recent edit is still under review. If it shows for your name but not for searches like "plumber near me", it's a ranking problem: the wrong primary category, a searcher who's too far away, or competitors with more reviews. The 60-second name test below tells you which one you have.
- Google Business Profile optimization checklist (2026)An optimized Google Business Profile is verified, uses your real business name and the most specific primary category, lists every service and area you actually serve, shows accurate hours, and has real photos and a steady flow of answered reviews. Google says complete, accurate information helps your profile show for relevant local searches, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. Work through the checklist below field by field, then check it again every month.
- How long does local SEO take? An honest answer (2026)There's no honest fixed timeline for local SEO. How long it takes depends on where you start, how strong the top 3 near you are, which phrase you want, where your customers search from, and how far behind you are on reviews. Profile fixes can be made in days, while closing a reviews gap and building a reputation across the web take longer, so track progress with weekly grid scans rather than one ranking number.
- Local Services Ads vs local SEO: which one do you need? (2026)Local Services Ads are Google ads you pay for per lead, not per click: you're charged when a customer calls, messages or books through the ad, and businesses that pass Google's screening get the Google Verified badge, which replaced Google Guaranteed and Google Screened. Local SEO earns your place in the free map pack and the regular results below it, which Google says you can't pay for. Ads bring leads for as long as you fund them, and SEO builds leads that keep coming, so the two work best together.
AI search
Reviews
Websites
Costs and choosing help
- How much does local SEO cost? 2026 prices and pricing modelsMost local SEO is sold as a monthly retainer, and recent surveys put typical retainers at roughly $500 to $3,000 a month, with hourly work at about $75 to $200 an hour. Ahrefs found that SEO providers serving local markets charged about $1,557 a month on average. More important than the price is what's included, how results are measured, and how long you're locked in before you see them.
- Guaranteed Google Maps rankings: what's real and what's a scamNo one can guarantee a Google ranking, and Google says so in its own advice on hiring an SEO. What a company can fairly offer is a billing promise: you don't pay until a clearly defined result is measured. Before you sign, check exactly which phrase is measured, from where, how the result is confirmed, and what happens if the target isn't met.
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