If your business is based in a specific area, you need a strong local SEO strategy in place to attract and convert customers.
With the rise of AI-generated answers and the consequent changes to search engine algorithms, local SEO now requires a more strategic, human-first approach than ever before.
In this guide, we’ll break down what a local SEO strategy entails, why it’s important, how to increase leads through local SEO, and what’s included in a local SEO audit.
Let’s get into it.
What Is a Local SEO Strategy?
A local SEO strategy is an element of your overall SEO strategy that is tailored to helping your business show up in search results when people in your area are looking for your services.
It mainly focuses on improving your website’s visibility on Google Search, Google Maps, and any ‘near me’ or location-specific searches.
A successful local SEO strategy includes optimising a Google Business Profile, targeting local keywords, and building local links.
Essentially, the goal is to make your business easier to find and more likely to be chosen by potential customers nearby.
Is Local SEO Important?
Absolutely. 78% of local mobile searches result in an offline purchase, so if your company isn’t coming up for local intent searches, you’re missing out on high-quality leads.
As we head into 2026, AI and voice searches are growing in popularity, leading to an increase in phrases such as ‘near me’ with people looking to quickly find services and products in their location.
It’s all about being findable at the right moment.
How to Do a Local SEO Audit
Before you begin improving your local SEO, you need to know what you’re currently doing well and what needs improvement. That’s where an SEO audit comes in.
Here’s a simple checklist of things to look for:
- Are local keywords naturally included?
- Is your site mobile-friendly and fast?
- Are all of your details accurate on your Google Business Profile?
- Are you responding to reviews?
- Have you targeted local publications for your PR efforts?
- Are your call to actions clear?
If you’d like support with conducting a local SEO audit and a full website audit, you can request a free video audit from Lumen SEO.
We offer a completely no-obligation free audit service, where you’ll receive a video from our CEO, Aled, detailing your website’s strengths and weaknesses, along with simple steps to improve it.
How to Improve Your Local SEO Results & Increase Leads
Improving your local SEO and increasing leads doesn’t necessarily entail doing ‘more’. Instead, it requires doing the right things consistently.
Here are the key elements of local SEO you should focus on:
1. Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the information that comes up first when someone searches for your business.
To optimise it, ensure your business name, address, and phone number are accurate and that you’ve selected the appropriate category to describe your business.
Add a couple of high-quality photos, set your opening hours and weave your target keywords into your description.
Enable and respond to reviews to show your credibility.
A well-optimised Google Business Profile listing helps you appear in the map pack, which is the top 3 listings shown above organic results.
2. Target Local Keywords
Use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs or AlsoAsked to find location-specific phrases people are searching for.
For example, if you’re a solicitor in London, you want to target keywords such as ‘Solicitors in London’, ‘London solicitors’, and ‘Solicitor services in London’, depending on what exact language people are using to search. If you’re a vegan bakery in Cheltenham, then you’ll want to target keywords like ‘best vegan bakery in Cheltenham’ and so on.
Once you’ve found these keywords, naturally include them in your page titles, meta descriptions, headings, text and blog content. Remember to avoid keyword stuffing; add keywords only where they sound natural. Quality over quantity.
3. Earn Local Backlinks & Reviews
To rank locally, you need to build local trust.
You can do this by increasing your PR efforts and pitching to local publications. If you get chosen, you’ll receive a link back to your website from a reputable source. This will increase your visibility with your target market and make your business seem more trustworthy, as it’s been featured in a credible publication.
Make sure your pitches are clear, showcase your expertise and perspective, and avoid AI-generated answers.
Reviews are also a powerful way to build trust. When you’re personally looking to buy something, you tend to read other people’s experiences, don’t you? Your potential customers want to do the same.
Encourage your clients to leave you Google reviews and respond to every single one, to demonstrate engagement and reliability.
4. Improve Your Call to Actions
The way users convert to customers is all dependent on your call to actions (CTAs). On both your website and Google Business Profile, use strong, clear CTAs such as ‘book a free discovery call’ or ‘get a quote’.
Ensure the design of your CTA buttons is visible and mobile-friendly to guarantee users can easily complete the action you’d like them to.
Include your CTAs multiple times on your website pages and in your blog posts.
5. Use Lead Capture Forms Wisely
Linking back to CTAs, make sure those CTA buttons take the user to a short, simple form.
Don’t overcomplicate it; simply ask for their name, contact information, the service required, and the date and time, if needed.
Respond to their query promptly, as ultimately good SEO attracts visitors, but good user experience converts them.
Ready to Improve Your Local SEO?
If you’re serious about increasing leads from local SEO but unsure where to start, we’re here to help.
At Lumen SEO, our SEO experts specialise in delivering a full SEO strategy, including local SEO, focused on getting your business to come up where it deserves: right at the top of search.
We offer a free, no-obligation local SEO audit to help you understand how your business is currently performing, where you’re missing out on visibility, and what practical steps will drive more traffic from your local area. Request your free video audit today, and our CEO, Aled, will send it over to you within 48 hours.
If you’d like to learn more about SEO by yourself, sign up for our SEO Essentials online course, and read our blogs on ‘How to Market Your Business Locally‘, ‘Why Is Google My Business Important for SEO?‘ and ‘What Are the Benefits of Local SEO?’.
