How Local SEO Actually Works

Local SEO is getting your business into the map pack, the three businesses with a map that show up when someone searches "[your service] near me." Everything I do comes down to getting you one of those three spots.

Here's the process I run, start to finish.

Days 1 to 30: Foundation

I fix what Google checks first: your Google Business Profile (categories, services, photos, posts, Q&A), your website's keyword targeting, heading structure, image compression, and I add a Google Maps embed. This is the groundwork everything else gets built on. Most businesses I audit are missing half of it before I ever touch anything.

Then I let Google index it and watch how the rankings move. Not much happens on the surface for a stretch in here, and that's on purpose. Google needs time to recrawl and recalculate. Anyone who tells you they can skip this part is either lying to you or cutting corners that catch up with you later.

Days 31 to 60: Authority

Citations and backlinks. I get your business listed consistently across the directories Google actually trusts, and build links that back up that you're a real, established business. Most small businesses never get around to this on their own. It's tedious, unglamorous work, and it's where a lot of rankings are actually won.

Your review count starts climbing in here too, and I'm watching whoever is ranked above you the whole time. This is usually the month you stop asking me whether it's working, because the phone tells you before I do.

Days 61 to 90: Top 3

Now it's closing the gap on whoever is still sitting above you. I expand your schema, keep the weekly Google Business Profile posts going, and set your pages up so the AI answers name you when somebody asks for a business like yours.

By day 90 you should be in the top 3. If you're not, I keep working at no additional cost until you are. After that it's about holding the spot, which is a lot less work than winning it.

How long does it take?

90 days in most markets. If yours is more competitive (roofing in a big metro, dental in a saturated zip code) it can run up to 120 days. I tell you which one applies to you before you pay me anything, not after.

What happens if you don't hit the guarantee?

I keep working for free until you do. No extra charge, no new contract to sign.

Most SEO guys hide behind reports and excuses. I put my name on a guarantee instead.

Want to see what this looks like for your business specifically? Get a free video audit →