Local SEO in Spain for businesses
that show up when customers search.
Google Maps, local search and Google Business Profile, optimised for businesses in Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, Valencia, the islands and beyond. So customers find you before they find your competitors — whether they search in English or Spanish.
// max. 2 clients at a time
// Why it matters
46% of searches
on Google have local intent.
When someone searches "plumber Marbella" or "English-speaking dentist near me", Google shows the local map first — the so-called Local Pack. Three results. Only three.
If your business isn't there, you're handing customers to your competitors every day — even if your website ranks well in the classic organic results. Local SEO is its own ecosystem and needs specific work.
46%
of Google searches have local intent — the user wants to find something nearby.
3
results in the map pack — the only ones that grab attention before any organic result.
76%
of local searches lead to a visit to the physical business that same day.
// What's included
Everything a local business
needs to show up.
The exact scope is defined after the initial audit, but these are the usual building blocks of a local SEO project.
4.9 · 127 reviews
// optimisedGoogle Business Profile
Full profile optimisation: photos, categories, description, attributes, opening hours and regular posts to keep your local relevance in Google's eyes.
// the core of local SEOLocal on-page SEO
Local keywords, area pages and URLs built for "near me" searches.
Reviews and reputation
A systematic approach to genuine reviews and replies that reinforce relevance.
Citations and directories
Consistent NAP across all the relevant local directories in your industry.
Local content
Hyperlocal pages by area and guides that capture real demand in your town.
// In detail
What local SEO work involves
Google Business Profile is the backbone — but not as a listing you "fill in" once and forget. It's an asset that needs ongoing work: the right categories, well-described services, fresh photos, actively managed reviews, regular posts and answers to questions. A profile Google sees as alive is a profile it prioritises over the competition.
On top of that, your website needs service pages built for local searches — not generic pages describing what the business does, but pages that answer exactly what someone in your area needs right now: a guide price, coverage area, timelines, availability.
Then there's area- and industry-specific content: pages for places like Marbella, Ruzafa or the Eixample, and for specific sectors such as vets, HVAC or hospitality. For international businesses, that often means pages in both English and Spanish, each targeting how that audience actually searches. It's content that captures high-intent searches no generic page can, because it speaks the exact language of the person searching.
And increasingly, the work includes AI search visibility. ChatGPT and Perplexity already recommend local businesses when asked. Modern local SEO isn't limited to Google: it means making sure that when someone asks an AI "who's the best English-speaking plumber in Jávea?", your business is in the answer.
// Ongoing case
Real results.
Work in progress.
Local SEO projects don't always produce spectacular numbers in the first months. What they are is honest and measurable from day one.
// Since February 2026 · Ongoing project
JAG Alcaide
HVAC, plumbing and gas installations · Barcelona · Founded in 1953
JAG Alcaide is a family business with over 70 years of history in Barcelona. I started working on its local SEO in February 2026, with the goal of improving its visibility in local searches for HVAC, plumbing and gas services in the city.
Its average position in Google Search Console has improved steadily since the project began. Preliminary results after less than 3 months of work.
// Metrics over time
Average position improving steadily since the project began.
<3
months of work
↑
average position in GSC
// Local SEO vs traditional SEO
Why local SEO
is a different job.
Google Maps is its own ecosystem
Ranking on Google Maps doesn't depend on your website's SEO alone. It has its own signals: profile completeness, proximity, reviews, category authority. They're different levers that need specific work and an understanding of how the Local Pack works.
Intent is hyperlocal
Someone searching "electrician Gràcia" doesn't want the best electrician in Spain — they want the one in their neighbourhood. Keywords, content and relevance signals have to be built at a very specific geographic scale, unlike any general SEO strategy.
The competition is more beatable
Competing in local SEO against other businesses in your area is structurally easier than competing nationally. With well-executed work, small businesses can outrank big chains if they have stronger local relevance.
// Who it's for
Businesses with local roots
that want local customers.
Local SEO works well in very specific contexts. This is the kind of project I work with.
- ✓
Businesses with a physical presence in Spain
With a verifiable address on Google and a need for local customers — expats, tourists or Spanish residents — to find them before the competition.
- ✓
Service businesses that depend on local customers
Plumbers, electricians, clinics, garages, restaurants, lawyers, estate agents, architects — any business where physical proximity matters to close the sale.
- ✓
Businesses that have spent on local paid ads without lasting results
Local Google Ads or Meta work while you pay. Local SEO builds visibility that stays even when you stop spending on ads.
// What I don't do
-
I don't do local SEO for businesses without a verifiable physical address on Google Business Profile.
-
I don't guarantee the number 1 spot on Maps. Google's local algorithm has factors no consultant controls.
-
I don't work with businesses that have manipulated reviews or use practices that break Google's policies.
// Industry experience
Industries where I have documented case studies.
Every industry has its own local signals, its own keywords and its own way of competing on Google Maps. These are the sectors where I've worked with real data — not generic guides.
// Veterinary clinics
SEO for veterinary clinics
Real case: Clínica Veterinaria Rovira in Barcelona. New website in 3 languages, PageSpeed 100 and recommended by ChatGPT for vet searches in Gràcia.
See case study →// Ice cream shops and hospitality
SEO for ice cream shops and hospitality
Real case: La Palau in Barcelona. From an abandoned WordPress site to PageSpeed 100 and local keywords in the top 5 in 6 weeks.
See case study →// HVAC companies
SEO for HVAC companies
Real case: JAG Alcaide in Barcelona. First position on ChatGPT for local boiler and air-conditioning searches. 3.5x more daily clicks in 2 months.
See case study →// FAQ
What people usually ask
before we start.
// Timeline
How long until I see results on Google Maps?
It depends on the starting point. With an unoptimised profile and few direct competitors, the first movements show up in 4–8 weeks. In more competitive markets, or with a badly neglected profile, the first solid results arrive between months 2 and 4. Local SEO is faster than national SEO, but it still takes patience.
// Website
Do I need a website to do local SEO?
It's not strictly required — you can rank on Maps with just a Google Business Profile. But a well-built website amplifies the results significantly: it lets you create service pages by area, capture searches that never reach Maps and reinforce your profile's relevance with domain signals. I always recommend having both.
// Differences
What's the difference between local SEO and traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO works to appear in the organic results (the blue links). Local SEO works to appear in the map pack and in searches with geographic intent. They rely on different signals: local SEO depends heavily on your GBP profile, reviews, consistent citations and physical proximity to the user. The two complement each other, but each needs specific work.
// Coverage
Do you only work with businesses in Barcelona?
No. I work with businesses all over Spain: Madrid, Málaga and the Costa del Sol, Valencia, Alicante and the Costa Blanca, the Balearic and Canary Islands, and beyond. My most documented case studies are in Barcelona, but what matters is that your business depends on nearby customers, not where exactly it is.
// Existing profile
What if I already have a Google Business Profile?
Perfect. An existing profile is the starting point. Most profiles I review have the wrong categories, generic descriptions, unoptimised photos, no replies to reviews or information that doesn't match the website. The initial audit identifies exactly what's holding back your visibility and where to start winning ground back.
// Where I work
Local SEO across Spain, in English.
I'm based in Barcelona and work remotely with businesses all over the country. These are the areas where English-speaking businesses most often need local visibility — in both English and Spanish search.
// Barcelona & Catalonia
Local SEO in Barcelona
My home base and where most of my documented case studies are: an HVAC company, a vet clinic and an artisan ice cream shop, with real local ranking data.
See case studies →// Coasts & islands
Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Valencia, Madrid and the islands
Marbella, Málaga, Alicante, Jávea, Valencia, Madrid, Mallorca, Ibiza, Tenerife… Fully remote work for businesses serving international residents, tourists and local Spanish customers.
Get a free audit →// START TODAY
The audit is free.
Diagnosis in under 24 hours.
Send your URL and email. Within 24 hours you'll know exactly what's holding back your business's local visibility.
Request free audit →// no obligation · reply within 24h
// FAQ
Local SEO FAQ
// Scope
What does the local SEO service include?
Optimising your Google Business Profile, on-page SEO aimed at searches with geographic intent, reviews and reputation work, and consistent name, address and phone details across the sources Google cross-checks.
// Timeline
How long does local SEO take to deliver results?
It's one of the fastest-returning kinds of SEO work: changes to your profile can show up within weeks. Consolidating a position in the Local Pack for competitive searches takes two to six months, depending on how dense the competition is in your area.
// Criteria
How does Google decide who appears in the Local Pack?
Using three criteria: relevance to the search, physical distance from the user and the business's prominence. Distance can't be changed; relevance and prominence can, and that's where the work happens.
// AI
Does local SEO help me appear in ChatGPT?
It helps, because the sources that describe your business consistently are the same ones AI models ingest. But it isn't enough: showing up in AI assistants needs specific GEO work on top of local SEO.