Local SEO 2026

Look inside the book

What is in Local SEO 2026?

The full table of contents: 25 chapters. You will find sample chapters of the revised edition at Local Entity SEO 2027: the first chapters are available there free online (in Dutch).

PART I: THE FOUNDATIONS: WHAT ALWAYS APPLIED AND STILL APPLIES IN 2026

1. 1Basic principles of local SEO: the rules of the game, now and in the AI era In the book

   What is local SEO and why is it the lifeblood of SMEs?

2. 2Your Google Business Profile: the foundation of your digital entity In the book

   Why your GBP is sacred. For many local businesses, the Google Business Profile matters more for revenue than their own website. When someone searches for ”boekhouder Haarlem” (accountant Haarlem), Google immediately shows a map with featured businesses.

3. 3NAP consistency and local citations: your business's fingerprint In the book

   NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone number. Together they form the digital fingerprint of your business. Search engines scour the entire internet to verify that your business details are correct everywhere.

PART II: THE NEW RULES OF 2026

1. 4From keywords to entities: how Google has reorganised the world In the book

   For years Google has no longer thought only in keywords. It thinks in entities: recognisable, verifiable ”things” in the world, such as people, businesses, places, products and concepts.

2. 5GEO: Generative Engine Optimization In the book

   From SEO to GEO. Classic SEO is about optimising your website and profile so that search engines place you in the right position in a list of results.

3. 6Google AI Mode: how your customer searches from now on In the book

   A fundamental shift in how people search. In 2025 Google launched AI Mode: a conversational search experience in which users ask multi-part questions and receive AI-generated answers, without always having to click a link.

4. 6bThe newest GBP features of 2026 In the book

   In 2026 Google renewed the Google Business Profile more thoroughly than in any year before. If you maintained your profile the way it was done in 2024, you are behind. This chapter covers the features that really matter now.

5. 6cFilling in your GBP 100 per cent optimally, the complete playbook In the book

   Most business owners fill in their Google Business Profile the way they fill in a tax form: as quickly as possible, as little as possible, and then never look at it again. That is a waste.

6. 6dPomelli, Google's free AI marketing assistant for SMEs In the book

   There is a tool Google rolled out in 2026 that many small and medium-sized business owners still do not know, even though it solves exactly the problem they have struggled with for years: creating consistent, professional, on-brand marketing material without time, budget or design skills.

7. 7Reviews: the new backlinks In the book

   Why reviews are the most powerful ranking factor in 2026. Ten years ago, backlinks (links from other websites to yours) largely determined how high you ranked. In 2026 reviews have largely taken over that role for local businesses.

PART III: BUILDING CONTENT, VIDEO AND VISIBILITY

1. 8Local keyword research for the AI era. The search query is changing: from terms to questions In the book

   Search behaviour has changed: from terms to questions. Three years ago you optimised for ”elektricien Utrecht” (electrician Utrecht). Today a customer asks AI Mode:

2. 9On-page optimisation for local entities In the book

   The technical basics that always count. On-page optimisation is the systematic improvement of the elements on your website so that search engines and AI models understand what you do, for whom, and where.

3. 10Content strategies for a local audience In the book

   Unique content as a competitive advantage. In May 2026 Joy Hawkins set out her number one content strategy for the year: write content your competitors have not written yet.

4. 11Video First: the fastest route to the top In the book

   Why video is such a powerful local SEO tool. First an honest observation, because people talk far too lightly about video.

5. 12Unstructured citations: the hidden engine of AI visibility In the book

   Why unstructured citations are a top priority in 2026. Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors report ranks unstructured citations among the most influential factors for visibility in AI-generated search results.

PART IV: AUTHORITY, REPUTATION AND PROTECTION

1. 13Backlinks and local authority 2.0 In the book

   Backlinks are not dead, but they work differently. Backlinks, links from other websites to yours, are still a relevant ranking factor, but the way they work for local businesses has shifted.

2. 14Protecting your entity: what two AI experiments teach us In the book

   The vulnerability of your digital identity. In the world of AI-generated answers you are vulnerable in a way that was unthinkable three years ago.

3. 15Mobile SEO and the local consumer In the book

   Mobile-First: the norm, not the exception. More than 60 per cent of all local searches take place on a smartphone.

PART V: MEASURING, SCALING AND KEEPING IT UP

1. 16Measuring, analysing and adjusting In the book

   Which KPIs really count. Many business owners measure the wrong things. They look at website visits and organic traffic, while the KPIs that really count for local businesses are a completely different category.

2. 17Scaling multiple locations. The Franchise Paradox In the book

   Businesses with multiple locations face a fundamental tension: consumers want the certainty of a trusted brand name and also the authenticity of a local provider.

3. 18The 30-minute strategy: maximum impact with minimum time In the book

   The problem of the busy business owner. Most business owners now know that local SEO is important. But they have no time for a daily marketing operation. They have a business to run.

4. 19GBP in 2027, what is coming In the book

   This book is about what works now. But a good strategic picture also requires a view of what is coming.

PART VI: THE LOCAL RANKING FACTORS OF 2026

1. 20The 25 most important local ranking factors of 2026 In the book

   Every year Darren Shaw of Whitespark runs a large-scale survey among local SEO experts worldwide.

PART VII: ENGAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND ADVANCED STRATEGIES

1. 21GBP engagement, being active pays off. Why a static profile costs you Google signals In the book

   There is a persistent misconception in the world of local SEO: the idea that you can optimise a Google Business Profile once and then sit back. That is wrong.

2. 22Google Maps manipulation, what is going on and how to defend yourself In the book

   The dark mirror image of local SEO. Local SEO is a competitive discipline. Where there are winners, there are also players who push the boundaries or simply cross them.

Questions

Questions about Local SEO 2026

Where can you find Local SEO 2026 online?

Besides this site, Local SEO 2026 is also listed on these book platforms:

• Amazon.nl: hardcover
• Goodreads: Local SEO 2026
• Goodreads: Local Entity SEO 2026
• Open Library (ISBN 9798187450541)
• Internet Archive

All books by Gijs Bodenstaff in one place: Goodreads, BookBub and Amazon.