Local SEO that still works
Three boring tactics that move local rankings more than the trendy ones.
Local SEO advice has gotten weird. We've seen agencies pitch "AI-optimized geo-content strategies." The actual things that move rankings for local businesses are old, dull, and effective.
1. Google Business Profile, fully filled
Every category. Every service. Every photo slot. Every Q&A. Hours kept current including holidays. This alone is worth more than 90% of the "advanced" tactics.
2. Reviews, requested at the right moment
Not "please leave a review" in a follow-up email weeks later. A short ask while the customer is still happy - text message, link, two taps. The volume that moves rankings comes from making the ask easy.
3. NAP consistency
Name, Address, Phone. Same exact format on every directory the business appears in. Google penalizes ambiguity. We've fixed local rankings just by cleaning up old Yelp pages with a misformatted phone number.
What doesn't work as well as people claim
Schema markup helps but is rarely the bottleneck. Backlinks from local directories are mostly a distraction. Hyper-local content is fine but rarely the limiting factor.
The boring three above outperform every "growth hack" we've tested in service-business accounts.