Local SEO: how to reach the top 3 Google results in your city

If you sell services in a city, the "map pack" (the 3 results with a map from Google) is worth more than the organic #1 spot. Here's how to win it.

Step 1: Google Business Profile, thoroughly completed

Most businesses fill in 40% and stop. Complete everything:

• exact primary category (not "company", but "plumber")
• service area, hours, local phone number
• minimum 15 real photos (team, office, work)
• services listed individually, with description
• Q&A section, completed by you

Step 2: Reviews, consistently, not in waves

Google looks at rhythm, not just quantity. 2-4 reviews per month, consistently, beat 30 reviews appearing in one week.

• ask for the review on the day the client is satisfied
• send a direct link (Google gives you a short review link)
• respond to all, including negative ones, calmly and factually

Step 3: Separate pages for each service and city

You can't rank for 12 services with a single page. Create:

• /services/boiler-repairs-bucharest
• /services/air-conditioning-installation-bucharest

Each with unique text (minimum 600 real words), its own photos, frequently asked questions, and CTA. Duplicate pages with only the city name changed are penalised — write different content.

Step 4: Basic technical structure

• a single H1 per page, with the service and city
• title under 60 characters, description under 160
• LocalBusiness structured data (address, hours, phone)
• sitemap.xml submitted in Search Console
• fast mobile site (green Core Web Vitals)

Step 5: Local citations and links

Register consistently (same name, address, phone) on Romanian directories, professional associations, and local partners. NAP data consistency is more important than the number of directories.

How long does it take?

Realistically: initial movements in 4-8 weeks, stable results in 3-6 months. Anyone who promises you the #1 spot in 2 weeks is either selling you paid ads or not telling you the whole truth.

How to measure correctly

Monitor the average position and clicks on commercial keywords in Search Console, and calls and route requests in Business Profile. Total traffic is a vanity metric.