The alphabet · LOCAL

The neighborhood layer machines trust.

Before any engine — classic or AI — recommends a local business, it reads the local layer. This is where that trust is built.

Local SEO pillar one of four · 30% of your score

The practice of making a business visible for geographic searches — the map pack, “near me” queries, and now the local recommendations AI assistants hand out. Built on your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and one consistent name-address-phone everywhere machines look.

See also: SEO · AEO · GEO · AIO

Why it matters

Three truths about Local SEO.

01

AI reads the local layer first

When an assistant picks a name for “best plumber near me,” it leans on profiles, reviews, and consistent listings — the same trust signals the map pack runs on, read by a new reader.

02

Reviews are the new backlinks

Volume, velocity, and recency all register. Assistants don’t just count stars — they summarize sentiment and quote specifics, which means review content is now marketing copy.

03

Drift is invisible until it costs you

An old address in one directory, a mismatched phone in another — inconsistencies accumulate silently and quietly erode the confidence machines have that you are who you say you are.

In your scan

What Speak Local checks.

Every scan measures these — scored, prioritized, and re-checked on schedule. See the full platform for how the pillars combine.

Google Business Profile health — completeness, categories, photos, activity
Review signals — volume, velocity, and rating trend vs. your market
NAP consistency — one name, address, phone across every listing machines read
Local pack tracking — where you stand on the map results that matter
LOCAL SEO AEO GEO AIO
LOCAL questions

Asked and answered.

What is NAP consistency?
NAP is your business Name, Address, and Phone number. Machines cross-reference them across your website, Google Business Profile, and directories — when the details disagree, engines lose confidence in your identity, and that costs you both map rankings and AI recommendations. Speak Local flags every mismatch it finds.
How do reviews affect AI recommendations?
AI assistants don’t just read your star rating — they summarize review content and patterns. Recency and velocity matter (a business with steady recent reviews beats a higher-rated one that went quiet), and specific praise gets quoted in answers. Review strategy is now answer strategy.
What is the local pack?
The map with three business listings that Google shows for local-intent searches. It runs on proximity, relevance, and prominence — profile quality and reviews above all — and it feeds the local recommendations that surface in AI Overviews too.