← DictionaryLocal SEO
also called local search
Optimising to appear in geographically relevant search results and map listings.
Being found by people nearby.
What It Is
In the BWH map, Local SEO lives under Marketing — Search. The canonical meaning is optimising to appear in geographically relevant search results and map listings.
It is an idea you reason with rather than a deliverable you hand over, so two teams can both hold it correctly and still apply it differently. Keep it that plain and it will still be true in twelve months.
How It's Used
Local SEO earns its keep in campaign planning, channel choices and the reporting that follows them. It normally appears alongside Search Engine Optimization, Google Business Profile and Keyword. The practical test is whether a decision changes because of it.
Why It Matters
The cost of being vague about Local SEO shows up later, not today. When it is unclear, spend keeps moving but nobody can say what it bought. Clarity here removes a surprising amount of downstream argument.
Think of it as a lens. Look through it and some choices get obvious. Being found by people nearby.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Professionally, Local SEO carries the narrow meaning: optimising to appear in geographically relevant search results and map listings.
Explained to someone with no marketing background, Local SEO is being found by people nearby.
The Bottom Line
Keep Local SEO plain: being found by people nearby. That is the version that holds up in a real project.