Being found in local search

Three things decide local search: proximity, relevance and prominence. Proximity depends on where the searcher is, not the business, so it cannot be managed directly. The other two are largely in the hands of the business.

Relevance is how well the information on the profile matches the intent of the query. The category looks like a single line but it is decisive: 'advertising agency' and 'graphic designer' enter different queries. The service list, the description and the opening hours are part of the same job.

On the prominence side the most neglected item is consistency. The name, address and phone number must be written identically on the site, the profile, directories and social accounts. The difference between 'St.' and 'Street' means nothing to a human and everything to a matching system.

Photos and reviews raise conversion more than visibility: between two businesses side by side in a list, the one with photos gets the click. The practical rule is that photos should be added by the business itself and at regular intervals; visitor photos cannot be controlled and pull the profile elsewhere over time.

Finally the site should back the profile up: the same address on the contact page, a tappable phone number and a real link to the map. Without those three, a user arriving from the profile finds no second confirmation.