---
title: "Local SEO & Google Business Profile — free course"
description: "Get found by nearby customers: profile optimisation, reviews, citations, local pages, AI-era visibility and tracking"
url: https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile
updated: 2026-10-05
---

SEO · Beginner · 395 minutes · free · updated Sep 2026

# Local SEO & Google Business Profile

Get found by nearby customers: profile optimisation, reviews, citations, local pages, AI-era visibility and tracking

- **Lessons:** 17 in 7 modules
- **Video lectures:** 17 lectures, 137 minutes
- **Updated:** Sep 2026

## Tools you'll use

- Google Business Profile
- Google Maps
- Google Search Console
- Search Console API
- Business Profile Performance API
- GA4
- Apple Business Connect
- Bing Places
- BrightLocal
- Google Sheets
- Python
- pandas
- Looker Studio
- Gemini

[Start the course](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/how-local-search-works)

## About this course

When people search "dentist near me", "AC repair Dubai" or "best karahi in Lahore" — or ask an AI assistant the same question — the businesses that appear win calls, visits and bookings. This practical course shows business owners, marketers and agency staff how local search really works in 2026 and how to compete within Google's rules.

You will learn Google's stated local factors (relevance, distance and prominence), how AI Overviews, AI Mode and Maps' AI features use your information, and how to set up, verify and protect a Google Business Profile. You will score a profile with a hands-on checklist, run a policy-compliant review system (including the latest rules on incentives, staff names and kiosks), turn reviews into insights, fix citations, build local pages that are not doorways, earn local links, and handle suspensions and competitor spam.

Finally, you will measure with grid tracking, Search Console, Business Profile data, GA4, Python and Sheets, and run a full audit with a 90-day plan. Examples come from the UK, US, UAE, KSA and Pakistan.

## What you will learn

- Explain how relevance, distance and prominence shape local results and how AI features use your information
- Set up, verify, score and protect a Google Business Profile within Google's guidelines
- Optimise categories, services, attributes, hours, photos, posts and tracking links
- Run a policy-compliant review programme, respond well and turn reviews into operational insights
- Build consistent citations and local pages that avoid doorway abuse, and earn local links
- Handle suspensions, appeals and competitor spam with evidence
- Measure local visibility and actions with grid tracking, Search Console, GBP data, GA4 and a full audit

## Course content

### How local search works and getting set up

Understand how Google ranks local results, and set up and verify a Google Business Profile correctly from day one.

- [How local search works](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/how-local-search-works): 12 min
- [Local search in the AI era: AI Overviews, AI Mode and Maps](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-search-and-ai-features): 12 min
- [Setting up and verifying your Google Business Profile](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/setting-up-and-verifying-gbp): 13 min

### Optimising your Google Business Profile

Choose categories strategically, complete services and attributes, and manage photos, posts, products and hours as ongoing work.

- [Categories, services and attributes](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/categories-services-attributes): 12 min
- [Photos, posts and ongoing profile management](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/photos-posts-products-ongoing-management): 12 min
- [Hands-on: the GBP optimisation checklist and scoring sheet](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/gbp-optimisation-checklist-hands-on): 13 min

### Reviews strategy for local businesses

Generate a steady flow of genuine reviews within Google's policies, respond well, and deal with fake or abusive reviews.

- [Earning reviews the policy-compliant way](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/earning-reviews-compliantly): 12 min
- [Responding to reviews and dealing with fake ones](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/responding-to-reviews-and-fake-reviews): 12 min
- [Hands-on: turning reviews into insights and operations](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/review-insights-and-operations): 13 min

### Protecting your profile: suspensions, restrictions and local spam

Understand why profiles get restricted or suspended, how to appeal with evidence, and how to deal with competitors who break the rules.

- [Suspensions, restrictions, appeals and fighting local spam](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/suspensions-restrictions-and-local-spam): 13 min

### Citations, NAP consistency and local landing pages

Make your business information consistent across the web, and build local pages that are genuinely useful rather than doorways.

- [Citations and NAP consistency](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/citations-and-nap-consistency): 12 min
- [Local landing pages that aren't doorways](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-landing-pages-not-doorways): 13 min

### Local links, multi-location and service-area businesses

Earn local prominence through community links, and manage the extra complexity of multi-location brands and service-area businesses.

- [Local link building](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-link-building): 12 min
- [Multi-location and service-area businesses](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/multi-location-and-service-area-businesses): 13 min

### Local rank tracking, reporting and audits

Measure local visibility realistically with grid tracking and business metrics, and run a complete local SEO audit.

- [Local rank tracking and reporting](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-rank-tracking-and-reporting): 12 min
- [Hands-on: local performance data with Search Console, GBP data, Python and Sheets](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-performance-data-with-python-and-sheets): 14 min
- [Local SEO audit and 90-day action plan](https://optimizeall.com/learn/local-seo-and-google-business-profile/local-seo-audit-and-action-plan): 13 min

## Certificate: Certified Local SEO Specialist

The holder can set up, score and protect Google Business Profiles within Google's guidelines, run compliant review programmes and turn reviews into insights, build consistent citations and useful local pages, earn local links, manage multi-location and service-area businesses, handle suspensions and spam, and measure local and AI-era visibility with real business metrics.

- **Final assessment:** 30 questions, 45 minutes
- **Passing score:** 80%