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All lessons in Local SEO Lesson 8.5 of 61

Module 1: Introduction to Local Search

  1. 1.1What is local search marketing?
  2. 1.2How does Google local search work?
  3. 1.3Google Search vs. Google Maps: what's the difference?
  4. 1.4How does Google determine local rankings?
  5. 1.5What is the local search customer journey?

Module 2: Google Business Profile

  1. 2.1How to set up a Google Business Profile
  2. 2.2How to verify a Google Business Profile
  3. 2.3How to choose the right business categories
  4. 2.4How to optimize business information and services
  5. 2.5How to add photos, videos, products, and updates
  6. 2.6How to manage multiple locations in Google Business Profile
  7. 2.7Service-area businesses vs. storefronts

Module 3: Local Keyword Research and Search Intent

  1. 3.1How to find local keywords
  2. 3.2City, neighborhood, and service-based keywords
  3. 3.3Understanding near me searches
  4. 3.4Transactional vs. informational local intent
  5. 3.5How to research local competitors and keywords
  6. 3.6How to map keywords to locations and services

Module 4: Local Landing Pages and Website Optimization

  1. 4.1How to create location landing pages
  2. 4.2How to optimize local service pages
  3. 4.3How to write location-relevant titles and content
  4. 4.4How to build location and service page architecture
  5. 4.5How to avoid duplicate and thin location pages
  6. 4.6Local business schema and structured data
  7. 4.7How to keep your website and Business Profile consistent

Module 5: Reviews and Reputation Management

  1. 5.1Why do reviews matter for local businesses?
  2. 5.2How to build a customer review generation process
  3. 5.3How to respond to positive and negative reviews
  4. 5.4How to handle fake or policy-violating reviews
  5. 5.5Review policies and ethical reputation management
  6. 5.6How to monitor review trends and customer sentiment

Module 6: Local Citations and Business Listings

  1. 6.1What are local citations?
  2. 6.2Name, address, and phone number consistency
  3. 6.3How to find relevant business directories
  4. 6.4How to create and update business listings
  5. 6.5How to identify duplicate and incorrect listings
  6. 6.6Industry-specific and local directory opportunities

Module 7: Local Authority and Competitive Visibility

  1. 7.1How to analyze local search competitors
  2. 7.2How to earn local links through community partnerships
  3. 7.3Local sponsorships, organizations, and media
  4. 7.4How to build local brand recognition
  5. 7.5How to evaluate competitor reviews and business profiles
  6. 7.6How to identify local visibility gaps

Module 8: Local Search Tracking and Reporting

  1. 8.1How to track local rankings across geographic areas
  2. 8.2Understanding Google Business Profile performance
  3. 8.3How to measure calls, website visits, and direction requests
  4. 8.4How to track local leads and conversions
  5. 8.5How to use Google Search Console and Analytics for local SEO
  6. 8.6How to create local search performance reports

Module 9: Local Search Strategy by Business Type

  1. 9.1Local search for restaurants and retail stores
  2. 9.2Local search for service-area businesses
  3. 9.3Local search for professional services
  4. 9.4Local search for healthcare and other regulated industries
  5. 9.5Local search for multi-location businesses
  6. 9.6Local search for new and small businesses

Module 10: Local Search Audits and Practical Projects

  1. 10.1How to conduct a local search audit
  2. 10.2How to audit a Google Business Profile
  3. 10.3How to check local landing pages and citations
  4. 10.4How to evaluate reviews and competitor visibility
  5. 10.5How to build a prioritized local search action plan
  6. 10.6How to create a 30-day local search improvement plan

How to use Google Search Console and Analytics for local SEO

This lesson covers

  • What Search Console shows for local businesses
  • How to find local queries and pages
  • What GA4 shows about local visitors
  • How to filter profile traffic in GA4

Short answer

Google Search Console shows which searches bring people to your website, including local queries, and how each location or service page performs. Google Analytics 4 shows what visitors do after they arrive, like calls, form fills, and bookings. Use UTM tags to separate Business Profile visits, and compare location pages to find strong and weak areas.

What Search Console shows

Google Search Console shows how your website appears in Google Search. Open the Performance report to see clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position.

For local businesses, use two filters.

Filter by query

Filter queries containing a city name, like “legazpi.” This shows your local queries: “dentist legazpi,” “dental clinic legazpi city,” and more.

Filter by page

Filter by a location page URL, like /locations/legazpi/. You see which searches lead to that page and how often it gets clicks.

Compare your location pages. A page with many impressions but few clicks may need a better title.

What GA4 shows

Google Analytics 4 shows what visitors do on your site:

  • which pages they view
  • where they come from, in the traffic acquisition report
  • which key events they complete, like calls and forms
  • their approximate city

Separate profile traffic

If you tagged your profile link with utm_campaign=gbp, open Traffic acquisition and look at session campaign “gbp.” Now you can see how many visits and key events came from your Business Profile.

A simple monthly check

  1. Search Console: top local queries and top location pages.
  2. GA4: visits and key events from “gbp.”
  3. GA4: key events by location page.

Note what grew, what dropped, and what you changed that month.

Try it

Match each question to the right tool.

Which tool shows this?

  • Which searches led to your website

  • How many visitors submitted a form

  • Impressions for your Legazpi page

  • Visits from your Business Profile link with UTM

Quick quiz

1. Which tool shows the searches that brought visitors?
2. How can you see Business Profile visits in GA4?
3. Does Search Console show local pack positions?

Common mistakes

  • Using only one tool. Each shows a different part of the journey.
  • No UTM on the profile link. Profile traffic gets mixed in.
  • Ignoring low CTR pages. Better titles can lift clicks.

Your action

Check the data for your chosen business, if you have access. Your progress saves on this device.

Key terms

Google Search Console
Google's free tool showing how your site performs in search.
Performance report
The Search Console report with clicks, impressions, CTR, and position.
Query
A search term people used.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Google's tool for measuring website visitors and actions.
Traffic acquisition
The GA4 report showing where visitors came from.

Questions beginners ask

Does Search Console show local pack rankings?

Not directly as local pack positions. It shows website clicks and queries. Use a rank tracker for local pack positions.

Can GA4 show visitors by city?

Yes, approximately, in demographic and location reports.

Why do I need both tools?

Search Console shows how people find you. GA4 shows what they do next.

Related lessons

Want someone to handle SEO for your business while you learn? The team at Remar Digital can help.