Local SEO
Definition
Local SEO is the optimisation of your visibility on geographic searches: "accountant Ixelles", "print shop Brussels". It rests on your Google Business Profile, your local pages and the consistency of your contact details.A share of searches carries an obvious local intent: the trade plus the city, "near me", or a direct search on the map. For those queries, engines do not show the same results as elsewhere: proximity and local reputation enter the equation. Local SEO is about working precisely on those results.
It rests on three pillars. Your Google Business Profile: complete, up to date, with real reviews you actually answer. Your local pages: a page that clearly says where you are, who you serve and how to reach you, rather than an address hidden in the footer. Consistency: identical name, address and phone number everywhere (site, profile, directories), because inconsistencies sow doubt for engines and clients alike.
Local SEO concerns any business with a catchment area: firms, shops, horeca, independents. For many SMEs it pays off faster than chasing national queries.
It is an axis we build into the site's structure from the start, as on our own pages: our web agency in Brussels page applies exactly this recipe.
Search for your trade + your municipality in a private window. If your Google profile does not appear in the map block, start there: it is free, and often faster to fix than the website itself.
Frequently asked questions
No: it complements it on geographic searches. A business with a catchment area works on both: its Google profile and local pages for "trade + city", its website and content for the rest.
No: the Google Business Profile is free. Your position in the map block depends on proximity, profile completeness and reviews. Local advertising exists, but it adds to the groundwork, it does not replace it.