Google Maps is one of the world’s most used apps, yet local SEO is seriously underutilised

I’ve been talking about Local SEO for years. It is almost completely ignored by many brands. I often talk about large retailers, because to be honest, they really can't ignore it anymore. Whether you have dozens or hundreds of local branches, it is essential that they are easy to find, and that you can maintain your brand identity. Because almost everyone uses Google Maps and Google Business Profiles to find nearby locations or stores.  

In fact, Google Maps is one of the world’s most used apps! Yet it is still overlooked, partly because it is difficult to translate the value into direct turnover. You get more in-store visitors and higher turnover, but it is difficult to attribute this data specifically to your local SEO efforts. Yet Google Business Profiles (GBPs) have already proved their worth generating turnover, because you can clearly see this when you use them to generate in-store appointments or leads. 

And I want to emphasise, local SEO is not just for big retailers. It is also essential for (small) local businesses. So it has more uses and goes further, think for example of the EV market that wants their charging stations to be displayed clearly on the map.

Recent developments have arrived in rapid succession. Google is rolling out AI Overviews, or AI-driven search, in more and more countries. For the time being, this won't affect local searches because Maps results aren't displayed. But there is a good chance that this will happen at some point in the future. In addition, as a new development, you see "places sites" appearing in the SERP, that display primarily directories. (e.g. Tripadvisor). It’s worth mentioning that this type of development will continue to happen and will have little effect on our role as SEO experts: we will always optimise your profiles and make your brand’s local presence as strong as we can. 

That's a good thing! In most cases, it's good to translate and localise your content to the local language and/or region so that your content will be easier to find, and you will get more results from it. Of course, this is only useful if it is an important market and the content contributes to your objectives. 

Advertisers and brands should include the local search results (Local SERP) in local campaigns. For example, these campaigns can be promoted in GBPs and you can run local search ads. We also recommend promotion through local publishers, such as local news sites or blogs so that you can dominate the local SERP for important keywords. 

All of the speakers had something interesting to say. The key message of the event was that we need to focus more on helpful content and E-E-A-T. I am a fan of Jarno van Driel, the leading expert in the field of structured data, and he told me that structured data does not influence E-E-A-T. An important misconception! 

I also found Roy Huisken’s presentation very interesting. He took us through the history of Google Algorithm updates. This showed that despite all the new developments, the basic principles of SEO are still largely the same. 

The most important developments are Google's shift towards quality content and E-E-A-T. It's not necessarily surprising, we've known for some time that it was coming. It struck me that this was a key topic for all experts. 

We know that Google is already rolling out AI Overviews (AIO). Eduard Blacquière gave a presentation about this. His main message: AI Overviews are not the biggest threat to SEO. They will not be rolled out in the EU anytime soon. Also, the effect will not be too bad and it will take a long time before everyone starts searching with AI seriously. 

I think mainly the confirmation that we are doing the right things. We also work with customers on quality content and E-E-A-T. The most surprising thing is that this consensus is increasingly widely supported among specialists.