Local SEO vs organic SEO: which one brings customers to a small business?
Local SEO gets your business into the map results and Google Maps for searches near you, mostly through your Google Business Profile; organic SEO gets your website's pages into the ordinary list of web results. A café, tour or hotel needs both, and should start with the profile, because Google answers searches like "pizza" with nearby businesses.
Key takeaways
- Google ranks the map results on how well a Business Profile matches the search, how far the business is from the searcher and how well known it is.
- Web results are ranked on the words of the query, how relevant and usable each page is, the expertise behind it and the searcher's location and settings.
- Links from other websites count in both: toward a business's prominence on the map and toward a page's quality in web results.
- Nobody can pay Google for a better place in either; ads are labelled and shown apart from the results.
What is the difference between local SEO and organic SEO?
- Local SEO
- Work that helps your business appear when people look for something nearby, in the map results on Google Search and in Google Maps. It is done mostly on your Google Business Profile: the category, address, hours, photos, attributes and reviews Google uses to judge relevance and prominence.
- Organic SEO
- Work that helps your website's own pages rank in the unpaid list of web results. It is done on the site: the words on each page, its titles and headings, how quickly and cleanly it loads, and the links other sites give it.
| Local SEO | Organic SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| What shows up | Your Business Profile: name, rating, hours, photos, directions | A page of your website: its title, link and a snippet |
| Where it shows | The map results on Google Search, and Google Maps | The list of web results on Google Search |
| What you work on | The profile's category, details, photos and reviews | Your pages' words, titles, speed and the links they earn |
| How you measure it | Business Profile performance: searches, views, calls, directions | Search Console: queries, clicks, impressions, average position |
| Can you pay to rank higher? | No, Google says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking | No, ads are labelled and kept apart from the results |
Source1
Which one should a small business start with?
Local SEO, if customers come to you: a restaurant, bar, café, hotel, or a tour with a meeting point. Google's How Search Works page says its systems recognise when a query has local intent, which is why a search for "pizza" brings up nearby places. Verify your profile and fill in every field before you write a blog post; our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps has the steps in order.2
Does my website still matter for local SEO?
Yes. Google's guidelines ask for a website that represents your individual location, and your profile sends people to it with the website button. The page they land on has to answer what they came for, whether that is the menu, the rooms, the meeting point or the prices. Google's local ranking page also says prominence rests partly on how many websites link to your business, and those links point at your site.3
When does organic SEO matter more?
When people search for an idea instead of a place, often weeks before they travel: "what to do in Lisbon in winter", "is a sunset cruise worth it", "where to hold a rehearsal dinner". Searches like these are a chance for a page that answers the question, and only your website can be that page. A tour company or a guesthouse that answers the question well meets the traveller while they are still choosing.2
How do you tell which one is working?
Measure them apart. Your Business Profile's performance view lists the search terms that found the profile and counts calls, direction requests and website clicks. Search Console's Performance report lists the queries that showed your web pages, with clicks, impressions and average position. To see where the profile places from your own address, use the free local rank checker.4
Questions
Is local SEO different from regular SEO?
Yes. Local SEO works on your Google Business Profile to win the map results for nearby searches, while regular or organic SEO works on your website's pages to win the list of web results.
Do I need a website for local SEO?
You can appear on Google Maps with a Business Profile alone, but a website helps. Google's guidelines ask for a site that represents your location, and links from other sites to yours count toward how well known Google considers you.
Which is better for a restaurant, local or organic SEO?
Local first. People looking for somewhere to eat search nearby and choose from the map, so a complete profile with photos, hours and reviews comes before a blog. Organic SEO helps later with searches about your food or your area that don't name a business.
Is there a way to pay Google for a better spot on the map?
No. Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking, and its ads are labelled as sponsored and shown separately.
Does organic SEO help my Google Maps ranking?
Partly. Google's local ranking page says prominence depends partly on how many websites link to your business, so links your website earns help on the map too.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google · read
- Google Search, How Search works: ranking results · read
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google · read
- Google Business Profile Help, Understand your Business Profile performance & insights · read
- Search Console Help, Performance report (Search results) · read
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