There’s no single trick to ranking local.

It’s a system, and it has more layers than most business owners realize.

The map pack gets the attention, but it’s only one piece. Organic results below it. AI Overviews above it. Directory listings. Review signals. Citations across the web.

Each piece feeds into the others, and the surface area keeps getting bigger.

I wrote this guide for Backlinko to walk through how it all works together. GBP optimization, NAP citations, reviews, location pages, AI Overviews.

It’s my full playbook for showing up where customers are looking. Check it out!

Read it here: Local SEO: The Definitive Guide for 2026