The essentials
- Classic SEO: ranking web pages in the organic results, on criteria of content, links and technical quality.
- Local SEO: ranking a Google Business Profile listing in the local pack and Google Maps, on criteria of relevance, distance and prominence.
- The link between the two: the site feeds the listing's prominence; the listing sends traffic back to the site. A local business works on both, with different priorities depending on its activity.
- Distinct KPIs: rankings and clicks for classic; calls, directions and local pack rank for local.
The aim of SEO means all the work that improves a site's visibility in the organic results. local SEO is a branch of it with its own rules: there Google ranks businesses, not only pages, according to where the user is. Confusing the two leads to working on the wrong levers. Here are the differences point by point.
What Google ranks, and where
| Classic SEO | local SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| What is ranked | A web page | A Google Business Profile listing (and, secondarily, a local page of the site) |
| Placement | The organic results (blue links), featured snippets | The local pack (3 listings with a map), Google Maps |
| Queries targeted | Informational and commercial with no geographic dimension ("how to choose a boiler") | Queries with local intent, explicit ("heating engineer Lyon") or implicit ("heating engineer", from a mobile) |
| The role of the user's location | Poor | Decisive: the results change from one street to the next |
| Competition | National, sometimes international | Businesses within a radius of a few kilometres |
The ranking criteria
In classic SEO, the main families are content (relevance, depth, freshness), inbound links (see backlinks and netlinking), technical quality (speed, indexing, mobile) and experience signals. In local SEO, Google names three factors:
- Relevance: the match between the listing (categories, services, description, reviews) and the query.
- Distance: between the user (or the place named in the query) and the business. That factor has no equivalent in classic SEO and can't be worked on; see understanding local ranking.
- Prominence: the business's standing, measured by reviews (volume, rating, freshness), citations, links to the site and the site's own authority.
This is where the two disciplines meet: prominence depends partly on the site. A site with good classic search performance strengthens the listing; the reverse is also true, since the listing sends visits and engagement signals to the site.
The levers, compared
| Lever | Classic SEO | local SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Example | In-depth pages and articles, a topic cluster | A complete listing, posts, local pages per town, local content (see what content to create locally) |
| : these aren't outbound links as far as GA4 is concerned. Create triggers in | Topical backlinks, domain authority | Citations (directories, a consistent NAP), local links (the council, the press, partners) |
| Reviews | An indirect signal | A direct ranking and conversion factor |
| Technical | Crawling, speed, Core Web Vitals, structured data | LocalBusiness structured data, NAP consistency, a page per location |
| Tools | Search Console, a crawler, rank tracking | The listing's statistics, geographic grid tracking, review management |
The KPIs aren't the same
A classic SEO report tracks average positions, impressions and clicks per page, organic traffic and attributed conversions. A local SEO report tracks local pack rank by geographic point, calls, direction requests, clicks to the site from the listing, and the volume and rating of reviews. The two are read in different tools, which explains why local businesses often underestimate local: it doesn't appear in GA4 without UTMs on the listing. The detail is in the local SEO KPIs.
Which to work on first
- A business with a physical location or local call-outs (a shop, a restaurant, a tradesperson, a professional practice): local SEO first. The local pack captures most of the clicks on those queries.
- A business with no geographic dimension (e-commerce, SaaS, media): classic SEO; local doesn't apply, except for a head office that is recruiting.
- A high-value or comparison-driven local business (an agency, a practice, a developer): both, with a site covering the sector's informational queries and a listing per location.
- A branch network: local SEO per location and classic SEO for the brand; how to organise it is described in multi-location local SEO.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEO module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is local SEO easier than classic SEO?
It is quicker to start: a well-filled listing, reviews and citations produce results in a few weeks, against several months to rank a page on a competitive query. But it is geographically limited, and local competition can be fierce in big cities.
Do you need backlinks in local SEO?
Yes, but of a different kind: consistent citations in directories and local links (regional press, partners, associations) weigh more than a link from a national site. They strengthen the listing's prominence and the site's authority.
Can you do local SEO without a Google Business Profile listing?
The local pack shows only listings, so without one you don't appear in it. The site's local pages can rank in the organic results below the pack, but that is a second level of visibility. The listing remains essential for any business with an address or a service area.
Do AI engines change this distinction?
Google's AI answers and assistants such as ChatGPT draw on listings and reviews for local recommendations, and on web pages for explanations. Both disciplines therefore remain necessary; see the GEO hub for visibility in AI engines.