In short: local SEO in 2026 comes down to 3 things: a complete Google Business Profile, consistent business data with genuine reviews, and a fast website with 1 locally optimized page per service and place. AI Overviews and AI Mode draw their answers from those same sources. Get this right and you are in the Local Pack within 3 to 6 months.
How local search works in 2026
Someone types 'heat pump installer Zwolle' or 'garage MOT Breda' into Google, or asks their phone. Google decides who appears based on 3 factors: relevance (does your business match the query), distance (how far you are from the searcher or the named place) and prominence (how well known and trusted you are online).
What has changed is what the result looks like:
- Local Pack. The map with 3 businesses at the top, fed by your Google Business Profile. In the EU, since the Digital Markets Act (March 2024), the map no longer links straight to Google Maps and a carousel of external sites sits beneath it.
- Google Maps. More people search directly in Maps, especially on mobile, where reviews, photos and opening hours weigh more than your website.
- AI Overviews. Available in the Netherlands since 2025: an AI summary above the results, with sources. For local queries the summary names specific businesses, pulled from Business Profiles, reviews and websites.
- AI Mode. The conversational version of Google Search, rolling out further in 2026. Someone asks 'which garage near me does an MOT with a courtesy car' and gets a list with reasons drawn from your services, reviews and pages.
The conclusion: there is no separate 'AI SEO'. Whatever your Business Profile and website make clear, Google can show in any format.
Google Business Profile: the 10 fields that make the difference
Your Business Profile is the most important local ranking factor and it is free. Most profiles are 40% complete. These 10 fields decide the outcome:
| Field | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Your exact legal or trading name, no keywords added | Keywords in the name break the guidelines and lead to suspension |
| Primary category | The most specific category (Heat pump installer, not Contractor) | Heaviest factor for relevance |
| Additional categories | 2 to 5 supplementary services | Broadens what you show up for |
| Address or service area | Show your street address, or service area only if customers never visit | Distance is calculated per address or area |
| Opening hours | Including holidays and temporary changes | Google shows 'closed' when in doubt, and that costs clicks |
| Services and products | Every service separately, with description and guide price | Feeds AI Overviews and service filters |
| Business description | 750 characters: what you do, for whom, in which region | Context for relevance |
| Photos and video | At least 20 real photos: team, work, premises, vehicles; add monthly | Profiles with photos get more direction requests and clicks |
| Questions and answers | Fill in the 10 most common questions yourself | Otherwise a customer does it, sometimes wrong |
| Posts and booking link | A weekly update, plus a direct booking or quote link | Activity is a signal and shortens the path to contact |
Also check your phone number, website URL and attributes such as 'wheelchair accessible'. A profile that is 100% complete consistently ranks above a half-finished profile with the same reviews.
NAP consistency and citations
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Google compares those details across the web: your website, the Chamber of Commerce (KvK), Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Telefoonboek.nl, Openingstijden.nl, trade sites (Werkspot, Techniek Nederland, BOVAG, Zorgkaart) and social media. Every deviation (Straat 12 versus Straat 12a, mobile versus landline) lowers trust.
How to handle it:
- Choose 1 spelling of your name, address and number and write it down.
- Go through the 15 most important listings and correct them. For an installation company that means, besides Google, mainly Werkspot, Techniek Nederland and the supplier finders; for a garage BOVAG, RDW recognition and AutoTrack.
- Put the same details in your website footer and in the LocalBusiness schema.
- Formally close duplicate or old profiles (a move, an old trading name) through Google.
Citations are no ranking miracle, but inconsistency is a brake.
Collecting reviews (and what is allowed)
Reviews weigh more than ever in 2026: count, average, recency, the words customers use and whether you respond. AI Overviews quote reviews literally ('customers praise the fast service').
What works:
- Ask after every completed job, within 24 hours, with a direct link to your review form.
- Automate the ask from your scheduling, CRM or invoicing system: 1 message, no reminders.
- Respond to every review, the good ones too, within a week. To negative reviews, businesslike and specific.
- Invite customers to mention the service and place. Do not steer, do invite: 'Feel free to describe what we did for you.'
What is not allowed: buying reviews, rewarding reviews with a discount or gift, asking only satisfied customers (review gating) and writing reviews on behalf of staff or family. Dutch law has banned fake and paid reviews since 2022, the ACM enforces it, and Google removes profiles that break the rules.
Local landing pages without a doorway penalty
A page 'Plumber Utrecht', 'Plumber Amersfoort', 'Plumber Zeist' with the same text and a different place name is a doorway page. Google names it in its spam policies and devalues it. Yet a genuinely local page works extremely well.
A good local page contains:
- 1 service and 1 place or region in the title, URL and H1 ('Heat pump installation in Zwolle').
- Concrete local content: projects in that place with photos, which neighborhoods you serve, travel time, local rules (planning permission, municipal subsidies), partnerships.
- Reviews from customers in that place.
- A map, contact block and the path to a quote.
- 400 to 800 words of unique text, no recycled paragraphs.
If you have 1 location and 5 services, build pages per service with your region in them, not per place. If you have 3 locations, build 3 location pages, each with its own Business Profile.
Technical basics: speed, LocalBusiness schema and mobile
- Speed. 70 to 80% of local searches come from a phone, often on the move. Hit the Core Web Vitals: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds. A slow site loses rankings and the customer who was about to call.
- LocalBusiness schema. Add structured data with the most specific type (Plumber, Electrician, HVACBusiness, AutoRepair, Dentist) with name, address, phone, opening hours, geo coordinates, price range and sameAs links to your profiles. For several locations: 1 block per location page.
- Tappable phone number, address and directions at the top on mobile. Track the taps as conversions.
- One language, one region per page. Multilingual? Then hreflang per language, not per place.
Redesigning your site? Build that foundation in now. Website redesign SEO migration checklist shows how to do it without damage.
Content for local search intent
Local searchers want to know 3 things: do you do what I need, can you get to me fast and can I trust you. Content that answers them:
- Service pages with prices and lead times. 'What does an MOT cost in Breda' is a real query; whoever answers it wins the click and the AI answer.
- Projects and cases per place. Short, with before-and-after photos, what it cost and how long it took.
- Frequently asked questions per service, in your customer's words. Exactly the questions someone asks AI Mode.
- An about page with real people. Names, certifications (F-gas, BOVAG, RDW), years of experience.
Write each page for 1 intent. 10 good pages beat 100 thin ones.
Measuring: Search Console and Business Profile insights
- Google Search Console. Filter queries by place names and track impressions, clicks and position per service page.
- Business Profile performance. Calls, direction requests, website clicks, messages and the search terms your profile appeared for.
- UTM parameters on the website link in your profile (utm_source=google, utm_medium=organic, utm_campaign=business-profile), so profile traffic shows separately in analytics.
- Call tracking. A dedicated number or call logging for your profile shows which channel brought the customer.
- Rank tracking per postcode. Positions differ per kilometer. Tools such as Local Falcon or BrightLocal show your visibility on a grid.
Look at leads, not positions. 30 phone calls a month from your profile say more than position 2 on 1 keyword.
RABZI estimate: local SEO at RABZI starts with a one-off audit from €1,450 excl. VAT (Business Profile, citations, technical, content, with a prioritized list) and continues as a program from €1,250 per month (Launch: profile, reviews, 2 local pages per month, reporting), €2,500 per month for Growth (several locations or services, link building) and €4,500 for Flagship. Minimum 6 months, because that is how long it takes. See SEO and search visibility, or combine it with conversion optimization so visitors actually call.
Frequently asked questions
How long does local SEO take to show results? A complete Business Profile and corrected business data often produce more impressions and calls within 4 to 8 weeks. Stable Local Pack positions for competitive keywords take 3 to 6 months, depending on your reviews, content and the competition in your region.
Can I do local SEO myself? The basics, yes: completing your Business Profile, asking for reviews and aligning your business data everywhere takes 1 to 2 days. Local landing pages, structured data, speed and ongoing content require knowledge and time. Many businesses do the basics themselves and outsource the rest.
How do I get into AI Overviews for local searches? AI Overviews pull local businesses from Google Business Profiles, reviews and websites with clear service, price and region information. A complete profile, recent reviews that name your services and service pages with concrete answers are the way to get mentioned.
Can I give customers a discount for a review? No. Rewarding reviews with a discount, a gift or a prize draw is against Google's guidelines and against the Dutch rules for online reviews. Asking only satisfied customers for a review is not allowed either. Asking is always fine, steering is not.
Conclusion
In 2026 local SEO is not a trick but hygiene: a complete Business Profile, the same business data everywhere, genuine reviews you respond to, and a fast website with 1 good page per service and place. Those are exactly the sources AI Overviews and AI Mode use to recommend a business. Want to know where your business stands in its region right now? Book an intro call and within 2 business days you will have a short scan of your profile and site with the 3 most important improvements.