Module 6: Local & SERP Features
Google Business Profile, reviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask — winning the parts of the results page that sit above the blue links.
Your Google Business Profile
For local searches, the most valuable real estate is not the blue links — it is the map pack, the three businesses Google shows with a map. The key to it is your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): a free listing you claim and optimize. For “plumber near me” searches, this profile outranks every website trick in this course.
Claim it, then fill in everything: exact business name (no keyword stuffing — Google penalizes “ABC Plumbing BEST CHEAP Austin”), correct categories (primary plus relevant secondaries), services with descriptions, hours including holidays, and real photos — businesses with photos get dramatically more calls. Add your service area so you show for the towns you actually serve.
Then use it like a channel, not a directory: post updates weekly (offers, tips, news), answer the Q&A section yourself before strangers do, and keep hours current. An active, complete profile beats a claimed-and-forgotten one every time. For local businesses, the Business Profile is your homepage — treat it like one.
Build brief
Audit your Google Business Profile (claim it first if you haven't): is every field filled — categories, services, hours, photos, service area? List what's missing or outdated and write your fix for each. Draft your first weekly post.
Saved
Reviews are rankings
Reviews do double duty: they convince humans to call you, and they convince Google to rank you. Businesses with more recent, positive reviews rank higher in the map pack — review velocity (a steady stream, not a burst) matters as much as the star average. Ten reviews from this month beat fifty from three years ago.
Getting reviews is a process, not a wish. Ask at the moment of delight — right after the job is done and the customer is happy. Make it frictionless: a direct link, not “go find us on Google.” A short text with the link after service works wonders. Never buy reviews, never review-gate (only asking happy customers) — both violate policy and both get caught.
Respond to every review, good and bad. Thank the happy ones by name and mention the service — it shows future readers you are attentive. For bad ones: stay calm, take responsibility where fair, and move the conversation offline (“please call us at…”). Future customers read your responses more than the complaint. Every review is a tiny ad written by someone else — collect them relentlessly and answer them all.
Fresh beats old
50 old reviews vs 10 this month
| 50 reviews | 10 reviews | |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 50 | 10 |
| Recency | three years ago | this month |
| Ranking signal | stale | steady velocity wins |
Build brief
Design your review process: write the exact text message you'll send after a job (with the review link), decide who on your team sends it and when, and draft responses to your 3 most recent reviews — including any negative one.
Saved
Winning position zero
Above the blue links sits position zero: the featured snippet, Google's chosen answer box. It steals the click from position one — and you can win it even from position five. Google picks snippets from pages that answer the question most cleanly. Clean formatting wins.
The manual method: find queries in your niche that show a snippet (or a weak one), then format your answer the way Google likes to quote. Definitions get 40–60 word paragraphs starting with “X is…” Processes get numbered steps. Comparisons get tables. Put the answer right under a header that mirrors the question, then expand below it. You are literally writing the snippet for Google.
People Also Ask boxes are the companion prize: each question is a section for your page and a snippet opportunity. Answer four or five of them in a dedicated FAQ section (with FAQ schema from Module 3), and one page can hold multiple SERP features at once. Format for the machine, write for the human — snippets reward pages that do both.
Build brief
What are the 2–3 questions customers ask right before buying from you? Write them exactly as customers phrase them — and tell me how many sales each question costs you when it goes unanswered.
Saved
The local ranking stack
Rosa's bakery ranks #8 organically for “birthday cakes austin” but isn't in the map pack at all. Her Business Profile is unclaimed. What's the highest-leverage move?
Your turn: Local domination sheet: Business Profile completeness checklist (every field y/n), review process (ask script + link + who/when), 5 PAA questions with your snippet-formatted answers drafted.
Saved.
Your next 24 hours
Claim (or fully complete) your Google Business Profile today: every field, 10 real photos, correct categories. Send your first review-request text to today's happiest customer.
Steal this template
LOCAL SEO CHECKLIST
Profile claimed & complete: ☐ Categories set: ☐ Photos (10+): ☐
Review ask text: “___” Sent by: ___ When: ___
Snippet targets: 1.___ 2.___ 3.___ (50-word answers drafted: ☐)
Cheat sheet
- For local queries, the map pack outranks blue links — the Business Profile is your homepage.
- Complete every field; real business name (no keyword stuffing); post weekly.
- Reviews: ask at the moment of delight, make it one tap, steady velocity beats bursts.
- Respond to every review — future customers read your replies.
- Win position zero: 40–60 word definitions, numbered steps, tables — formatted to quote.
- People Also Ask questions are free FAQ sections and snippet opportunities.