When someone searches “plumber Ahuntsic”, “Lebanese restaurant Saint-Laurent” or “accountant Laval”, Google first shows a map with three businesses, then the websites. Local SEO is about being part of those results. Here is, step by step, what matters for a small business in Greater Montréal.
How Google picks local results
Google says it relies on three main criteria: relevance (do your profile and website match the search?), distance (are you close to the person or the place searched?) and prominence (reviews, mentions, links, activity). You can’t control distance; everything else can be worked on.
1. A complete Google Business Profile
This is the foundation. Real business name, a precise primary category, address or service area, up-to-date hours, phone, website, recent photos, products and services. An incomplete profile loses to a competitor whose profile is polished.
2. One page per service on your website
A single “Services” page listing everything ranks poorly. Create one page per important service, with a clear title (for example “Website design in Montréal”), a useful explanation, examples, an FAQ and a call to action. Only create city pages if you really work there, with content specific to each: copy-pasted pages are useless.
3. Identical details everywhere
Your name, address and phone must be written the same way on your website, Google profile, Facebook, Yellow Pages, Yelp, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect. Inconsistencies create doubt, for Google and for customers.
4. Regular reviews and replies
Ask every satisfied customer for a review, at the right moment, with a direct link. Reply to every review, positive or negative, calmly and precisely. Never buy reviews or offer rewards in exchange: it breaks Google’s rules.
5. Useful, local content
A blog that answers your customers’ real questions, projects described with the neighbourhood or city, an FAQ per service: this content helps Google understand what you do and where.
6. The technical basics
- A fast mobile website, on HTTPS.
- Unique titles and descriptions for each page.
- Structured data (schema.org LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage) describing the business.
- A sitemap submitted in Google Search Console.
7. Local links and mentions
Partners, suppliers, merchant associations, the chamber of commerce, neighbourhood media: a mention of your business on a serious local site strengthens your prominence.
8. French and English
In Montréal, some of your customers search in English. A bilingual website, with a real English version and hreflang tags linking both languages, makes you visible in both searches.
Measuring results
Track searches and clicks in Google Search Console, calls and directions in your Google profile statistics, and requests received through the website. Local SEO is built over several months: consistency matters more than one-off efforts.
BRAVUM Digital handles local SEO for small businesses in Montréal, Laval and Longueuil: Google profile, service pages, content, technical work and monthly follow-up.
Frequently asked questions
How long before local SEO shows results?
First improvements (completed profile, fixed pages) can show within weeks, but a strong position is usually built over several months.
Do I need one page per city?
Only if you really serve those cities and each page brings its own content (projects, details, local questions). Identical pages where only the city name changes are useless.
Can I do local SEO without a physical address?
Yes. A business that travels to its customers can set a service area in its Google profile and hide its address.
Local SEO or Google Ads?
They complement each other: ads bring visits right away, local SEO builds lasting visibility that doesn’t stop when the budget stops.
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