The future of local SEO is conversational

here's what that means + more local SEO tips

February 18, 2025

Hello everyone,

Local SEO tips incoming 👇️ 

A recent study by Patrick Stox from Ahrefs reveals that while links may have declined in importance for regular SEO, they are more important than ever for local SEO.

Key findings for local businesses 👇

1. Links matter a lot more for local queries than for general queries.

Patrick says: “I suspect that because content on sites for local service companies is very similar, links make a good differentiator to see which company is popular.”

My take: I agree with Patrick, and I think it also has to do with a less even playing field. So many local businesses have zero links beyond the basic directory links, so a few good links can be a significant differentiator for local businesses.
 

2. Internal links (links within a website) have a stronger impact on rankings for local searches than for general queries.

Patrick says: “I suspect there are fewer external link signals for these queries, so the additional signals from internal links become more important.”

My take: I agree with Patrick here too, and I would add that internal linking is another area that most local businesses suck at. Many people think that all their key service pages are already internally linked because they’re all in the main site navigation, but that’s not the kind of internal linking that will help your rankings.

You need IN-CONTENT, anchor text optimized, internal links between your service pages. This is what very few small businesses do well, so I suspect this is another key reason why we see good internal linking impact rankings for local searches.

Click on this image for more takeaways from this awesome study 👇️

2. This is the future of local search

Rather than searching with keywords in Google Maps like you’re used to, Google will soon be rolling out generative AI conversational search.

You will be able to talk to Google like you're having a conversation. For example, you can say, “I’m looking for dog-friendly burger places in New York” and then add, “It should have poutine too”. You can keep asking follow-up questions or change your search completely.

The big change from how we use Google now is that Google will remember the context of your search, unlike now, where each search is separate and not connected.

So, how do you rank in these new AI-generated results? Watch this short video to find out 👇️

@darrenshawseo

🆕 This is the future of local search! Rather than searching with keywords in Google Maps like you’re used to, Google will soon be rolling ... See more

3. If you’re not making short videos, you’ll be left behind

Krystal Taing published a great post recently about how social media and local search are becoming more connected.

Google now highlights short videos from TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook in search results, alongside local business information. These videos often appear in different carousels, such as:

  • "What People Are Saying" carousel

  • “Social Media Updates” carousel

  • “Places People Are Talking About” carousel

Another key carousel that frequently shows up in search results is "Nearby Offers and Events." This one highlights promotions and events from social media, and sometimes even includes Google Updates from Google Business Profiles.

What all these carousels have in common is that they pull short videos related to a search term. For example, if you search for “best ice cream nyc”, you’ll likely see a carousel filled with short videos just like the one here 👇️

Scroll through the carousel on Instagram.

Here’s what you should be doing:

  1. Create social media accounts for your business on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.

  2. Connect your social media profiles to your Google Business Profile.

  3. Post short videos regularly on your social media accounts. (If you need ideas on what to post, I could make another post about that.)

  4. Use Google Updates to share offers, events, and seasonal promotions on your Google Business Profile consistently.

By the way, Krystal and I will be recording an episode of Uberall’s Local Marketing Beat podcast this week: “How to Crush Local SEO in 2025”. Get it wherever you get your podcasts!

4. You need to spend MORE time looking at your phone

Most SEOs are only tracking and analyzing search results on desktop, but more than half of your customers are using mobile devices.

According to Statista, 62.5% of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile phones.

According to ReviewTrackers, 57% of local search queries come from mobile devices or tablets (this data is from 2021, so it’s probably much higher now).

And your results on mobile can be completely different:

  • Rankings can be completely different on mobile

  • Many Google Business Profile features are only available and visible on mobile

  • Title tag rewriting can be different on mobile

You might think you’re doing great when you look at desktop, but you could be completely invisible on mobile.

So, this might be controversial, but look down at your phone more often. You will find a wonderful new world full of SEO opportunities.

See this carousel on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to follow me on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to catch all my local SEO tips!

Darren

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