Best Practices for Local SEO in 2025: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Jon Blalock
Jun 19
2 min read

Updated: Jun 23

Local SEO is more important than ever — especially as Google prioritizes hyper-relevant, location-specific search results. Whether you run a coffee shop, dental office, boutique agency, or service-based business, showing up in local search is key to attracting new customers.

Here’s what you need to focus on in 2025 to dominate your local market.

1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Google Business is still the most powerful (and free) local visibility tool available. But in 2025, it’s no longer “set it and forget it.” Google favors active, updated profiles.

Quick Wins:

Add high-quality images (team, storefront, products, events)
Post updates weekly (offers, tips, announcements)
List services and service areas accurately
Include business hours — and mark holidays

Pro Tip: Respond to every review. It boosts credibility and ranking.

2. Use Location-Based Keywords

If your site still says “plumber” instead of “plumber in Savannah GA,” it’s time to shift.

Add city/state to:

Page titles and meta descriptions
H1 and H2 headings
URLs, image alt text, and internal links

Bonus Tip: Create separate pages for each service area or city if you serve multiple locations.

3. Build Local Citations

Local directories help Google validate your business location. Make sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is 100% consistent across the web.

Top Citations for 2025:

Yelp
Nextdoor
Apple Maps
Angi
Bing Places
Local chamber of commerce websites

Use tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark to scan and manage listings.

4. Focus on Local Content

Content is still king — especially when it’s location-specific. Writing about your city shows relevance to Google and builds community trust.

Content Ideas:

“Top 5 Things to Do in [City] This Summer”
“What to Know About Hiring a Roofer in [Neighborhood]”
Highlight customer stories or local partnerships

Add a blog post every 2–4 weeks to keep your site fresh and optimized.

5. Collect and Showcase Reviews

Reviews aren’t just social proof — they directly impact your local rankings. In 2025, Google values frequency and freshness of reviews even more than quantity.

Tips to Get More Reviews:

Ask right after a service or purchase
Use QR codes or SMS follow-ups
Feature review badges on your site

6. Add Schema Markup to Your Website

Local business schema tells Google exactly what your business is and where it’s located. This increases your chance of showing up in the Local Pack and enhances your appearance in search.

If you use WordPress, plugins like RankMath or Yoast can handle schema markup easily.