As a business owner or in-house marketer, you may wonder if local search engine optimization (SEO) is a necessary addition to your current strategy. Local SEO for marketing is essential for certain business types — but only if it’s done right.
With the introduction of AI in search result pages and customers changing how they search for local products and services, it’s important to work to understand where your audience is searching and how to optimize your online presence in order to meet them there.
How do you know if your business needs Local SEO?
Having a physical storefront, servicing a specific area, or not showing up in Google’s local pack are just a few indicators that local SEO is a must have for your business. Still not sure? We’ll break it down for you.
Top 20 Business Types That Need Local SEO
| # | Business Type | Why They Need Local SEO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants & Cafés | Customers search “near me” for dining options. |
| 2 | Bars & Breweries | Locals and travelers look for nearby nightlife spots. |
| 3 | Dentists & Orthodontists | People prefer healthcare providers close to home. |
| 4 | Medical Clinics & Urgent Care | Proximity is critical for urgent health needs. |
| 5 | Law Firms | Clients usually seek attorneys within their city or county. |
| 6 | Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC | Fast-response services depend on local visibility. |
| 7 | Real Estate Agents | Home buyers and sellers search in their target area. |
| 8 | Auto Repair Shops & Dealerships | Customers choose convenient and nearby locations. |
| 9 | Gyms & Fitness Studios | People look for fitness centers close to home or work. |
| 10 | Salons, Spas & Barbershops | Reviews and visibility drive local foot traffic. |
| 11 | Retail Shops & Boutiques | Local search increases in-store visits and sales. |
| 12 | Pet Services | Customers won’t travel far for grooming or vet care. |
| 13 | Home Cleaning Services | Local SEO helps attract clients within a service area. |
| 14 | Landscapers & Lawn Care | Businesses depend on regional service areas. |
| 15 | Contractors & Home Builders | Target customers within specific neighborhoods. |
| 16 | Schools & Tutoring Centers | Parents look for options close to home. |
| 17 | Coffee Shops & Bakeries | Daily visits are driven by proximity and convenience. |
| 18 | Entertainment Venues | People choose fun activities near where they live. |
| 19 | Hotels & Bed-and-Breakfasts | Travelers rely on local search when booking stays. |
| 20 | Nonprofits & Community Groups | Volunteers and participants search locally for events. |
Top 6 Reasons Your Business Need Local SEO
1. You’re a Brick-and-Mortar Business
Does your business serve customers or clients out of a physical location? If yes, then you need a strong SEO strategy that focuses on ensuring you’re showing up in search engine results pages.
It’s not enough to have your webpages rank; you also need a proper Google Business Profile and strategy in place to show Google how to rank your profile and why you should rank higher than your competitors.
2. You Have a Google Business Profile
Does your business have a Google Business Profile (GBP)? To start ranking locally, it takes more than creating a GBP and hoping that Google automatically displays it where customers are searching for your products/services.
A strong GBP means you’re optimizing it to its full potential to keep it relevant and help Google understand the full scope of your business. Optimizing your GBP is essential because 80% of U.S. consumers search online for local businesses weekly and nearly a third do so daily, according to Bright Local.
3. You Aren’t Showing Up In the Local Pack
The “local pack” is the portion of Google search results that shows the top local-business results, often alongside a map of businesses near you.
If you’re not appearing there, you’re missing high-visibility placements. Having an optimized GBP increases your chance of showing up in that pack.
Your business can show up in the local pack for multiple search terms, but only if your GBP and website are optimized to do so.
4. You Have Competition In Your Service Area
Today, it’s almost impossible not to have competition in your industry, regardless of where you operate. People can find your products/services both in person and online, which is why it’s important to see what your competitors are doing and align your SEO strategy with industry best practices.
5. You Aren’t Showing Up in AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews have slowly taken over the tops of many search results pages. Some businesses have seen their website clicks and traffic decrease because they’ve lost engagement due to AI overviews providing information normally found on their site. Others have seen an increase in traffic because their webpages are optimized and curated in ways that these overviews favor, allowing Google to cite and link to their business and service/product pages.
Google continues to roll out new features and updates, and while it’s not exactly clear how to rank specifically for AI overview sections, there’s still plenty of work to set your content and site up for success.
6. Language Models like ChatGPT Aren’t Citing Your Business
How often do you use ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Grok to search for local businesses or services? If you haven’t made that leap yet, that doesn’t mean others haven’t. Sure, Google still dominates online searches, but AI and how it’s used are moving faster every day. It’s slowly but surely becoming the norm for many to use language model chatbots daily, and as their capabilities progress, their use of local searches will continue to expand.
Language models favor helpful, informative, user-first content and structured data that allows them to interpret your site easily. Optimizing your content for AI isn’t really an option moving forward; it’s a necessity.
Local SEO Strategies for 2026
Local SEO for marketing will continue to evolve as people change the way they search online. Creating a solid local SEO strategy means staying up to date on Google algorithm changes, new AI capabilities, customer behaviors, competitor strategies, and more.
Luckily, Cannonball Digital has a strong focus on Local SEO and consistently helps businesses increase their local visibility, optimize their websites for search engines and AI, and maintain their GBP relevancy and authority.
If you’re ready to dive into Local SEO’s capabilities to see how big of a splash your business can make in search results, contact Cannonball today.