How to rank a client's business in Google's local results
The four moves that help a local business into Google's top three map results, and where a client page and a trackable QR code fit into the work you already do.
Short answer
Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot change distance, so work on the other two: a complete Business Profile, one page per service that matches the profile's categories, locally specific copy, and links and verified listings such as Apple Business Connect and Bing Places. Then put a page you control behind the profile link so you can measure what it brings in.
Local rankings move on a different set of signals to normal SEO. Google is not just reading the website; it is deciding whether this is a real business, whether it serves the area, and whether other local entities recognise it. Miss any one and the business stays invisible.
Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Distance is out of your hands. This is a short version of how agencies work on the other two, with the parts a solo agency can actually deliver.
What the work costs you
You run these jobs on credits. Your cost per credit depends only on the pack you buy, and bigger packs cost less:
- Copper — 100 credits
- R100.00 R1.00
- Gold — 600 credits
- R500.00 R0.83
- Platinum — 1 400 credits
- R1 000.00 R0.71
Between R0.71 and R1.00 per credit across the packs. Every job below is charged in credits, so this rate is all you need to price the work on the client invoice.
What a client job costs
These are ZELF's published credit costs. They do not include your own time, which is yours to price.
| Client job | Credits | In rands |
|---|---|---|
| Client link page | Free | R0 |
| Each extra client page | 10 | R7.14–R10.00 |
| Print or campaign QR code | 1 | R0.71–R1.00 |
| QR add-on (schedule, password, scan cap, webhook) | 1 | R0.71–R1.00 |
| Logo or photo upscale | from 4 | from R2.86 |
| Old photo restore | from 3 | from R2.14 |
| Headshot from a selfie | from 3 | from R2.14 |
| Client invoice (quotes free) | 1 | R0.71–R1.00 |
Four moves that improve local rankings
- 1 Prove the business is real: a complete Google Business Profile, a page per service that matches the profile's categories word for word, and real photos and reviews.
- 2 Prove it serves the area: locally relevant copy that names neighbourhoods and speaks to that place, not generic advice that could come from anywhere.
- 3 Prove others recognise it: get one relevant external link for each page, then verification-required citations such as Apple Maps and Bing Places.
- 4 Add a page you control for the profile link and a trackable code for print, so every profile click and every scan ends in the same place — and you can show the client what it did.
What the moves look like on a client job
The category match
If the profile's category is "air conditioning repair", use the same words in the page title and heading, so the page and the profile plainly describe the same service.
One link per page
Aim for at least one relevant external link to each service page, such as a local directory, supplier or community listing. It is a prominence signal, and it is the step most mass-produced pages skip.
The profile link
Point the profile's one website link at a ZELF page you can repoint, and watch the clicks.
Frequently asked questions
How long does this take?
There is no fixed timeline. Profile and on-page fixes are picked up as Google recrawls, which can be days or weeks, while prominence from links and reviews builds over months. Distance to the searcher never changes, so a business will always rank better close to its address.
Do I need to write blog posts?
No. One accurate page per service beats a pile of general blog posts. Match what the profile already claims, and make each page genuinely about that business and that area.
Where does ZELF fit?
After the profile work: a ZELF page is the link you control for the profile, and a trackable QR code covers print. Both give you scan and click numbers you can put in the client report.
Sources
Zelf Page
A link page for every client, on its own address.
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