Local SEO
Local SEO is optimisation for searches where the results depend on the searcher's location or a named place.
In full
Local SEO covers the work of ranking for searches with geographic intent, whether explicit, such as a city name in the query, or implicit, such as a search for a service where the engine infers proximity matters. Local rankings turn on a different mix of factors from ordinary organic results: relevance to the query, distance from the searcher, and prominence, which includes consistency of business information across the web. That consistency, often shortened to NAP for name, address, and phone number, is unglamorous and genuinely consequential, because conflicting details across directories reduce confidence in the entity.
Why it matters
For any business serving a defined area, local search is where a large share of commercial intent concentrates, and the competitive set is small enough that a well-executed site can compete quickly.