A little note before we begin. Google My Business is now known as Google Business Profile, so I am kinda going to switch between the two! But they both mean the same thing!
What Is Google Looking At?
1. Your Website
Google can crawl your pages words, headings, links and information it finds there to understand your business. Say you’re a plumber in Western Sydney. Your website should make it clear that you provide emergency plumbing, drainage, hot water repairs, residential and commercial plumbing, and plumbing for new homes, while also clearly explaining the areas you actually service.
That’s much more useful than simply having a homepage that says: “Welcome to Smith Plumbing.”
You don’t need to cram every possible keyword onto one page.
You need to explain the business properly. Google specifically uses crawled content from business websites as one source of information for local listings.
2. Your Google Business Profile
You might still hear people call it Google My Business or GMB. Google now calls it Google Business Profile.
Your profile can include information such as your:
- Business category
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Opening hours
- Website
- Services
- Photos
- Customer reviews
Keeping this information accurate matters.
Google says complete and accurate Business Profile information helps it understand what a business does and match it with relevant local searches. Google also says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence.
So if your website clearly says you’re a plumber, your Google Business Profile is set up properly, and your other online information backs it up, Google gets a much clearer picture of what your business does. If you’re not sure whether your profile is doing enough, we’ve also covered how to set up Google My Business to increase engagement in more detail.
3. Your Business Services
Don’t make Google guess what you sell.
If you’re a builder, for example, your website could clearly explain that you provide:
- Home renovations
- Ground-floor additions
- First-floor additions
- Extensions
- Custom builds
Each useful service page gives customers somewhere relevant to land. It also gives Google more information about the business. This is where good SEO is often less complicated than people make it sound.
Tell Google what you do by clearly explaining what you do.
4. Your Location
If you run a local business, location matters.
Google considers distance when deciding which local businesses are relevant to a search. That distance can relate to the location used in a search or the location Google has available for the person searching.
Your location information can appear across your website, Business Profile and other online sources.
Make it clear:
- Where you’re based
- Which areas you service
- Where you actually operate
- How customers can contact you
But don’t start creating pages for 300 suburbs because someone told you that’s how local SEO works.
If you don’t service an area, don’t pretend you do.
5. Customer Reviews
Reviews give potential customers first-hand information about your business. They can also contribute to how Google understands and displays local businesses. Google says review count and review scores are among the information associated with local prominence.
But don’t turn your review strategy into keyword stuffing.
A genuine review saying: “They replaced our hot water system quickly and explained everything clearly.” is far more believable than asking a customer to write: “Best hot water plumber in Western Sydney.”
Ask for genuine feedback about the work you actually did.
And never buy or manufacture reviews. Google requires reviews to reflect genuine customer experiences.
6. Other Websites and Online Mentions
Google doesn’t only look at your own website.
Business information can come from other websites, including directories, industry websites, news sites, community organisations and other publicly available sources.
For example, your business might be mentioned by:
- A local newspaper
- An industry association
- A supplier
- A community organisation
- A local event
- An industry publication
- Another relevant business
Sometimes there will be a link back to your website. Sometimes there won’t. The important point is that your business exists within a much bigger web of information.
That is why one genuine mention from a relevant website can be more useful than submitting your business to hundreds of random directories.
7. Links From Other Websites
A backlink is simply a link from another website to yours. For example, a local publication might write about a project you completed and link to your website. Or an industry organisation might list your business as a member. Google says links and information from across the web can contribute to a business’s prominence in local search.
That doesn’t mean you should buy 500 cheap backlinks. You don’t need a mountain of meaningless links.
You want real websites talking about your real business.
8. Information From Other Sources
This is the bit many business owners forget. Google doesn’t only use information you personally provide.
Google says local business information can come from:
- Your official website
- Third-party data
- Users
- Business owners
- Publicly available information
Google’s own interactions with a business
A customer might upload a photo. A directory might publish your phone number. A supplier might mention your business. A local website might write about a project you’ve completed.
All of this can become part of the wider information Google has about your business. That’s why it’s worth occasionally searching your own business name and checking what Google finds.
What Does This Have to Do With SEO?
Quite a lot.
SEO isn’t simply putting a keyword on a page and hoping Google notices. For a local business, you’re helping Google understand:
- Who are you?
- What do you offer?
- Where do you operate?
- Who are your services for?
- Can the information about your business be trusted?
Your website, Business Profile, reviews, links, directories, structured data and online mentions all contribute to the wider information ecosystem around your business.
Google’s own documentation says local search is primarily influenced by relevance, distance and prominence, while its broader Search systems consider factors such as relevance, usability, expertise and location.
That’s why local SEO is not just about one page.
So, How Does Google Know What Your Business Does?
It doesn’t rely on one magic signal.
Google builds its understanding from multiple sources.
- Your website explains your services.
- Your Google Business Profile provides important business and location information.
- Directories and third-party websites provide additional references.
- Reviews describe real customer experiences.
- Backlinks and mentions connect your business to other websites.
- Structured data helps search engines interpret important information on your pages.
- And your location and service information help Google understand where your business fits within local searches.
Put all of those pieces together and Google gets a much clearer picture of your business.
That’s really what good local SEO is about. Not trying to trick Google.