How Google decides who appears locally
Google names three drivers of local results: how relevant the profile is, how near the business is, and how prominent it is. A relevant profile matches the search. Nearness is measured from the searcher or the place they named. Prominence reflects how widely known you are, online and in reviews.
You cannot change distance, and nobody can pay for a better local ranking. Google states that plainly in its help pages. That leaves relevance and prominence, which are exactly what the checklist below is designed to improve.
Everything here applies to businesses with a shopfront or a service area in Canberra, the wider ACT or the Queanbeyan region. Work through it from top to bottom, because the early items support the later ones.
The checklist at a glance
Use this table as a working list. The detail behind each row follows in the sections after it.
| Area | Task | Check it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | Claim and verify your Google Business Profile. | Profile shows as verified and you can edit it. |
| Profile | Pick a specific primary category and as few extras as possible. | Category describes what the business is, not what it has. |
| Profile | Add services, hours, photos and a plain description. | No links or promotions inside the description. |
| NAP | Match name, address and phone across site, profile and listings. | Same spelling and format everywhere. |
| Citations | Fix or add listings on the directories that matter to your trade. | No duplicates and no old addresses. |
| Website | Show contact details as text and add LocalBusiness markup. | Rich Results Test reports no critical errors. |
| Pages | One useful page per core service, and area pages only where justified. | Each page has original content a customer can use. |
| Reviews | Ask every customer the same way, and reply to all reviews. | No incentives, no filtering of who is asked. |
| Upkeep | Review hours, photos, services and listings monthly. | Holiday hours set before public holidays. |
Google Business Profile: the first job
For most local businesses, the profile is the most important asset after the website itself. Our detailed guide to Google Business Profile optimisation in Canberra goes deeper, and the essentials are these.
- Check you are eligible: Google accepts businesses that customers can visit in person or that travel to customers; virtual offices and rented mailboxes do not qualify.
- Use your real business name: Use the name on your signage and invoices; Google rules out added taglines, keywords, hours or phone numbers.
- Hide the address if you travel: Mobile trades and other travelling businesses should conceal the address and name the areas they serve.
- Verify the profile: Verification can be by phone, email, video call or postcard, and Google decides which methods you are offered.
- Choose categories carefully: Pick the most specific primary category, then add only those extras that describe your core business.
Name, address and phone consistency
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Google does not publish how it weighs consistency, but customers see these details across your website, your profile and other listings. When they disagree, it is harder for anyone to be sure which details are correct.
Decide on one version and record it in a short document: the exact business name, the address format, the main phone number and the website address. Then check every place that lists you, starting with your own site's header, footer and contact page.
Common causes of mismatch are old trading names, a previous address, a tracking phone number added to some pages, and abbreviations such as 'St' in one place and 'Street' in another. Fix the ones you control first, then request corrections where you do not.
Citations and listings
A citation is any mention of your business details on another site, such as a trade association page, a chamber of commerce directory or a local business listing. They help confirm that you exist and where you operate.
Quality matters more than volume. A few accurate listings on sites your customers actually use are worth more than hundreds of low-grade directories. Prioritise your industry bodies, relevant Canberra business groups, and the main platforms in your trade.
Search for your phone number and business name in quotation marks to find duplicates and old entries. Claim those you can and ask for removal of those you cannot fix. Keep a simple sheet of each listing, its login and the date you last checked it.
Your website: local signals and technical basics
The profile gets attention, but your website supplies the detail. These points sit with the on-page SEO and technical SEO side of the work.
- Contact details in plain text: Put the name, address or service area, phone number and hours on the site as text, not only in an image.
- LocalBusiness markup: Google lists name and address as required properties, and recommends the most specific business type available.
- A page per core service: Each main service should have its own page that explains what you do, for whom and how to book.
- Mobile speed and usability: Customers often search on a phone, so check that the call button works and pages load quickly.
- A map and directions: If customers visit you, add your location and parking or access notes.
Local pages: where to be careful
Businesses are often told to create a page for every suburb. That can backfire. Google's spam policies describe doorway abuse as pages made to rank for similar searches. One example it gives is a set of pages aimed at individual regions or cities that all send users to a single page.
Do
- Create a page for a district or town only if you really serve it and have something specific to say.
- Include real details, such as jobs you have done there, access notes or local conditions.
- Link area pages to the relevant service pages in a clear hierarchy.
- Explain your service area on one strong page if the areas are close together.
Do not
- Copy one page and swap the suburb name.
- List dozens of suburbs in the footer or in a block of text.
- Create several sites or domains for the same service.
- Add pages that exist only to catch search phrases.
Reviews: asking, replying and staying within the rules
Reviews help customers decide and add to prominence. They are also where businesses most often break the rules, sometimes without realising.
- Ask in the same way every timeSend customers your Google review link or QR code. Google notes they need a Google Account, which can use a non-Gmail address.
- Offer nothing in returnGoogle classes incentives such as free or discounted goods for reviews as fake and misleading content and strictly prohibits them.
- Do not hide the bad onesIn 2013 the ACCC cautioned that leaving out negative reviews can mislead shoppers just as fake ones do.
- Reply to every reviewKeep replies brief and specific, never promotional, and never share a reviewer's private details.
- Flag genuine violationsIf a review breaks Google's content policies, you can flag it for review.
Monthly upkeep and where to get help
Local SEO is not a one-off job. Set a monthly reminder to check your hours, add a few fresh photos, answer new reviews and look for new duplicate listings. Update special hours before public holidays and long weekends.
If you would rather have someone else handle it, our local SEO service covers profiles, citations and local pages. For a first view of what needs fixing on your site, request a free SEO audit via the contact page. We look over the website and send back a short, ordered list of fixes in plain English. You will hear back within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a local SEO checklist take to complete?
The basics, such as verifying your profile and fixing contact details, can take a few hours. Cleaning up listings and improving pages takes longer. Results depend on competition and your starting point, and Google notes some changes take hours while others take months.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
It is strongly worth having one. The profile gives customers quick facts, but a website explains your services in depth and gives you control of the content. Many searches also lead people from the profile to the site, so each should support the other.
Can I use a home address for my profile?
If you run a service-area business from home, you can keep the address private and list a service area in its place. If you show it, Google expects customers to be able to visit. Your answer depends on how you really operate, so follow Google's guidelines rather than guessing.
Does being in Queanbeyan or across the border change anything?
Your profile address must be real, so a Queanbeyan business lists its Queanbeyan address. You can serve Canberra customers by setting a service area and explaining it on your website. Distance still counts in local results, so be realistic about the area you can reach.
Should I add Canberra or a service keyword to my Google business name?
No. Google asks for the name customers know you by from your signage, website and invoices, and it does not let the name carry taglines, opening times, contact numbers, descriptions of services or location details. Put Canberra and your services in the description and on your website instead. A keyword-stuffed name risks a rejected edit or a suspended profile.
Which phone number should I use on my profile?
Use a number that connects to your specific location. Google prefers a local number over a central call-centre line and does not allow premium-rate numbers. If you use a tracking number on some pages, keep your main number identical on the profile and on your contact page so the details still agree.
Sources and further reading
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Business Profile Help): Eligibility, business name rules, address and service-area rules, category guidance, description rules.
- Verify your business on Google (Business Profile Help): Verification methods are chosen by Google; postcard, phone, email and video options.
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (Business Profile Help): Relevance, nearness, prominence; no way to pay for a better local ranking.
- Business Profile Help: asking for and replying to reviews: Asking for reviews by link or QR code, incentives prohibited, reply guidance, flagging reviews.
- Local business structured data (Google Search Central): Required and recommended properties, most specific sub-type, Rich Results Test.
- Spam policies for Google web search (Google Search Central): Doorway abuse and city-targeted page examples.
- ACCC releases guidance about online product reviews (3 December 2013): Omitting negative reviews can be as misleading as posting fake reviews.
- SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central): Changes can take hours to several months to show.