Local SEO is the process of increasing visibility in results for local search queries such as restaurants, bars, hair salons, etc.

Local rankings are determined by keywords that share very close proximity to a specific location. Many members of the Google Search Quality team update these local keyword ranking algorithms using manual reviews and machine learning techniques to adjust to new patterns that emerge and the ever-changing search landscape. There are also some great tools out there like Moz Local (www.moz.com/local) which can give you even more information on factors affecting your site\’s rank in certain locations!

Local SEO is important because now it is possible for customers to find what they\’re looking for with a quick search. If you don\’t invest time and money into your local SEO, it may be very hard to find your business at all. Local SEO has another name as well – citation building. Citation building is the process by which you get third party websites to mention your business directly on their own site so that when people search for your business, they find both your website and other sites saying nice things about you. This creates a boost effect because now not only are you ranking in the SERPs but also these other sites are pointing back to your domain, giving it more authority.

It\’s a huge trend with local businesses right now. People are using paid directories , social networks, press releases , blogging, forums etc., plus whatever else they can get their hands on to create citations of their business in order to rank high in search results.