Setup Requirements

Minimum Requirements (Must-Have)

Google Business Profile (GBP)

• Your business must have a Google Business Profile (sometimes called Google Maps listing).

• You should have login access to your GBP so you can update it if needed.

At Least 15 Reviews

• Your GBP should have at least 15 customer reviews.

• Businesses with fewer reviews often don’t rank well because Google’s algorithm doesn’t see them as trusted.

A Basic Website

• Even a simple website (landing page) is better than no website.

• Ideally, your website should mention the same keywords and services listed in your Google Business Profile. This helps Google connect your site to your Maps profile.

Services Listed in GBP

• Inside your Google Business Profile, list all your services.

• Add short descriptions for each service. These should include keywords people might search for to find your business.

• Each description should be unique — avoid copying the same text for multiple services.

Map Embedded on Your Website

• Your website should display a Google Map showing your business location.

• To add this:

  • Go to Google Maps

  • Find your business location

  • Click “Share” → “Embed a map”

  • Copy the code and add it to your website (often in the footer)

Website Structure Basics

• Your website should use clear headlines:

  • H1 (main title) → something like “Massage Studio in Kaunas”

  • H2 (subheadings) → specific services, e.g. “Thai Massage in Kaunas”

• Your website should load quickly (ideally under 1 second), because slow sites rank lower on Google.

HTTPS

• Your website must have an SSL certificate, so it loads as HTTPS and not HTTP.

• Google treats non-secure sites as risky, which can hurt your rankings.

Mobile-Friendly

• Your website should work properly on mobile phones and tablets.

• Text should be readable without zooming, and buttons should be easy to tap.

Robots.txt File

• Your website’s robots.txt file should not accidentally block Google from accessing your pages.

• A common mistake is: Disallow: /, which tells search engines to ignore your entire website.

Alt Text for Images

• All images on your website should have “alt text.”

• Alt text helps Google understand your images and can improve your local SEO.

Structured Data (Schema.org)

• Your website should include LocalBusiness structured data so Google clearly understands:

  • Your business name

  • Address

  • Phone number

  • GPS coordinates

• This code helps connect your business to local searches and Maps rankings.

→ Locelio’s tool automatically generates the correct code for you. You simply copy and paste it into your website’s HTML. For example:

<script type="application/ld+json">

{

"@context": "https://schema.org",

"@type": "LocalBusiness",

"name": "null",

"url": "",

"sameAs": "https://maps.google.com/?cid=6758688494328654465",

"telephone": "",

"geo": {

"@type": "GeoCoordinates",

"latitude": ,

"longitude":

},

"address": {

"@type": "PostalAddress",

"streetAddress": " ",

"addressLocality": "",

"postalCode": "",

"addressCountry": ""

}

}

</script>

No Duplicate Content

• Avoid having the exact same text repeated across different pages of your website.

No 4xx or 5xx Errors

• Your website should not have:

  • 4xx errors (like 404 Not Found)

  • 5xx server errors

• Broken pages or server errors harm your rankings and user trust.

Title and Meta Description

• Each page should have:

  • A Title (around 60 characters) that includes your main keyword and location.

  • A Meta Description (around 160 characters) that describes the page and encourages people to click.

Low or Too Much Content

• Pages should not be too short (under 300 words) nor overwhelming walls of text.

• Aim for clear, useful information around 300–600 words per page for most local business sites.

Favicon

• Your website should have a small icon (favicon) visible in browser tabs.

• It’s a small detail but adds professionalism and trust.

Recommended for Best Results (Nice to Have)

Use Location-Based Keywords

• Include your city or area in your keywords.

• Example: Instead of just “Dental Cleaning,” use “Dental Cleaning in London.”

Avoid Duplicate Profiles

• Do not create multiple Google Business Profiles for the same business. Google may penalize your rankings.

Choose the Right Categories in GBP

• Google ranks businesses partly based on their chosen category.

• For example:

  • “Chinese Restaurant” vs. just “Restaurant”

• Look at your top competitors in Google Maps to see which category they use.

Keep Your Website Fast

• Google prefers fast-loading websites.

• Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can show how quickly your site loads.

• If your website is on WordPress, plugins like WP Rocket can help improve speed.

Separate Pages for Multiple Locations

• If your business has more than one location, create a separate page for each location on your website.

• Each page should include:

  • The location’s name

  • Services offered

  • Keywords specific to that location

While the above items are required, doing these extra steps can help you rank faster and higher:

Don’t Rely on Cheap Backlink Services

• Avoid buying cheap backlink services or fake reviews.

• Google may penalize your business for these practices.

GZIP Compression

• Enable GZIP compression on your server to help pages load faster.

Caching

• Use browser caching so visitors’ browsers store parts of your website and load it faster on repeat visits.

Sitemap.xml

• Create a sitemap.xml file and submit it to Google Search Console.

• This helps Google discover and index all your pages.

Google Search Console

• Connect your website to Google Search Console.

• This allows you to monitor:

  • Keyword impressions

  • Indexing issues

  • Crawl errors

Open Graph Tags

• Add social media tags (Open Graph) so your links look attractive when shared on social platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn.

Consistent NAP

• Ensure your business Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are identical everywhere:

  • Website

  • Google Business Profile

  • Cloud stacks documents

• Even small differences can hurt your rankings.

Internal Links

• Link between pages on your website so Google can easily crawl all your content.

Clear Calls-to-Action (CTA)

• Every page should encourage visitors to:

  • Book a free trial

  • Call your business

  • Send a message

• Google watches how users interact with your site — clear CTAs help improve those signals.

Be Patient

• Local SEO is an organic process.

• Many businesses see results around 3 months in. In competitive markets, it might take longer.

Why This Matters

Google’s algorithm looks at both your Google Business Profile and your website. If they match and are properly optimized, your chances of getting into Google Maps’ Top 3 improve dramatically.

Locelio’s technology works best when your business has these foundations in place.

Need help figuring this out? Feel free to contact us, and we’ll guide you through the necessary steps to make Locelio work for you.