Local SEO Glossary

Key terms you'll see throughout the docs, explained in plain English.

Local Pack (aka Map Pack, 3-Pack) The box of 3 business listings that appears on Google with a map when you search for something local, like "plumber near me." Getting into the local pack is the #1 goal of local SEO.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page) The page of results Google shows you after you search. Includes the local pack, regular website links, ads, "People Also Ask" questions, and sometimes an AI Overview.

Google Business Profile (GBP) Your free business listing on Google. It's the profile that shows your hours, reviews, photos, and location on Google Maps. Formerly called "Google My Business" (GMB).

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Your business name, street address, and phone number. Having consistent NAP across all directories (Google, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.) is critical for local rankings.

Citations Online mentions of your business's NAP. A citation is any directory listing, website, or app that mentions your business name and contact info — even without a link to your website.

Backlinks Links from other websites to your website. More high-quality backlinks = higher authority in Google's eyes. Think of them as "votes of confidence" from other sites.

Domain Authority / Domain Rank A score (0-100) that estimates how authoritative a website is based on its backlinks. Higher scores mean the site is more trusted by Google.

Geogrid A grid of geographic points around your business. A geogrid scan checks your Google Maps ranking from each of these points, showing where you're visible and where you're not. Also known as a "rank grid" or "heatmap scan."

AGR (Average Grid Rank) Your average ranking across all points in a geogrid scan. An AGR of 2.0 means you're averaging position 2 across the grid — very strong.

Keywords The words and phrases people type into Google when searching. "Plumber near me," "best pizza Brooklyn," and "emergency dentist" are all keywords. Knowing which keywords to target is fundamental to SEO.

Search Volume How many times a keyword is searched per month in a specific area. "Plumber Denver" might have 1,200 monthly searches, while "pipe repair Denver" might have 320.

CPC (Cost Per Click) How much advertisers pay per click for a keyword in Google Ads. High CPC (like $60 for "personal injury lawyer") indicates the keyword is very valuable commercially.

Keyword Difficulty A score (0-100) estimating how hard it is to rank for a keyword. Lower = easier to rank for. A difficulty of 22 is much easier to crack than 78.

Local Services Ads (LSA) Google's pay-per-lead ads that appear at the very top of search results with a green "Google Guaranteed" or "Google Screened" badge. Available for service businesses like plumbers, lawyers, and locksmiths.

AI Overview The AI-generated answer that sometimes appears at the top of Google search results. Google's AI summarizes information from multiple sources to answer the searcher's question.

LLM (Large Language Model) AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's Gemini that can understand and generate human-like text. Increasingly, people ask these AIs for recommendations instead of Googling.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) A way to connect AI assistants (like Claude) to external tools and data sources. LocalSEOData's MCP server lets Claude access your SEO data directly.

Sentiment Analysis Automatically analyzing text (like reviews) to determine if it's positive, negative, or neutral. "Great service, fast response" = positive. "Took 3 hours to arrive" = negative.

Core Web Vitals Google's metrics for website speed and user experience: LCP (how fast the main content loads), CLS (how much the page shifts around while loading), and FID (how quickly the page responds to clicks).

Schema Markup / Structured Data Special code on your website that tells Google exactly what your business is, where it's located, and what services you offer. Helps Google show rich results like star ratings and business hours in search results.

Review Velocity The rate at which you receive new reviews over time. A business getting 20 reviews per month has higher review velocity than one getting 5 per month. Google favors consistent review growth.

Spam Score A metric (0-100) indicating how likely a website's backlinks are to be spammy or low-quality. A score above 30 may mean your site has toxic links that should be disavowed.