Profile optimization
Categories, services, hours, service area, description and attributes complete and correct.
Local SEO Local SEO so your business gets found on Google Maps.
Optimization and management of your Google Business Profile, reviews and website prepared for local search. The profile is free. The work is making it complete, active and trustworthy, without shortcuts that put the account at risk.
The service
How local SEO works.
When someone searches for "dentist near me", Google usually shows a map with three businesses before the regular results. That block is what local SEO works on. For many neighborhood businesses, it brings more contacts than the website itself.
Relevance, distance and prominence
According to Google Business Profile Help, local ranking depends on three factors: how well the profile matches the search, the searcher's distance and the business's prominence, which includes reviews and web presence. Distance can't be controlled. Relevance and prominence can.
The Business Profile is free
The Google Business Profile costs nothing. What you pay for, when you hire someone, is the management: the right categories, described services, photos, posts, review replies and a website aligned with the profile.
Competition is the neighborhood, not the city
A clinic competes on the map with nearby clinics, not the whole city. That's why local SEO works well for small and medium businesses: the competition is smaller than in broad organic search.
Scope
What local SEO includes.
Profile, reputation and website working together.
Photos and posts
Real photos of the business and regular posts, so the profile looks alive to customers and to Google.
Reviews
A routine to ask real customers for reviews and reply to all of them. Nothing bought.
Data consistency
Same name, address and phone on the profile, the website and the directories where the company appears.
Local SEO on the website
Titles with the region, LocalBusiness structured data and useful pages for the areas served.
Monthly review
Calls, directions, clicks and searches that led to the profile, with what changes next month.
Fit
Who local SEO works for.
Google requires real in-person service. That defines who qualifies.
Works well for
- clinics, practices, offices and stores with an address open to the public;
- service providers who go to the customer, with a defined service area;
- companies with more than one location, each with its own profile;
- businesses that depend on people nearby, such as restaurants and gyms.
Not the path for
- online-only businesses without in-person service (per Google's guidelines);
- anyone wanting to appear in neighborhoods where they have no address by creating fake profiles;
- anyone expecting results without asking real customers for reviews.
The process
How local SEO work happens.
It starts with the basics and becomes a routine.
Audit
Profile, reviews, website and competitors showing on the map for the searches that matter.
Fixes
Categories, data, photos, services and consistency of name, address and phone.
Website
Local SEO adjustments, structured data and pages for the areas actually served.
Routine
Posts, photos, review requests and replies, month after month.
Review
What brought calls and directions, what didn't change and the next step.
Who leads
Done carefully so your profile isn't put at risk.
Ramon Saium leads ArcWords' SEO and paid traffic strategy and defines what goes into your plan. A qualified team handles the profile and website routine under his direction.
Invented addresses and bought reviews are shortcuts that can get the profile suspended. Here, everything follows Google's guidelines. The service is remote and serves companies in São Paulo and other cities.
Investment
How much local SEO and Business Profile management cost.
The profile is free. The price is for the work, and it varies between a one-time optimization, monthly profile management and a full package with website and content.
Brazilian market reference, Oct/2026 Ranges in Brazilian reais (BRL) published by other companies in Brazil. These are not ArcWords prices.
| Type of engagement | Market range (BRL) | What it usually includes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-time optimization (small business) | R$ 250 – 1,500 | Full profile setup, once. | 2S Digital |
| One-time optimization (mid-size) | R$ 1,500 – 4,000 | More services, locations or fixes. | 2S Digital |
| Monthly profile-only management | R$ 400 – 1,200/mo | Posts, photos, reviews and report. | 2S Digital |
| Full local SEO package | R$ 800 – 2,500/mo | Profile plus website, content and local links. | 2S Digital |
| By number of locations | R$ 600 (1) – 4,000 (10)/mo | 1 location R$ 600; 3 R$ 1,500; 5 R$ 2,200; 10 R$ 4,000. | B20 |
| Published reference in São Paulo | from R$ 497 – 1,997/mo | Essential plan and full plan with content and local links. | Agência Green Digital (SP) |
Ranges reviewed quarterly.
What changes the price
Number of locations
Each address has its own profile to look after.
Local competition
Contested segments and regions need more content and consistency.
Profile status
New, abandoned or with verification or suspension issues.
Website
Whether the site already has a technical base or needs pages and structured data.
Content volume
Number of posts, photos and pages per region.
Citations
Fixing data in directories and listings across the web.
Usually included
- Full Business Profile optimization
- Profile posts and photos
- Review request and reply routine
- Local SEO on the website, depending on the plan
- Monthly report
Not included, paid separately
- Local Google ads (media budget separate)
- Professional photo shoot, when needed
- New website design, quoted separately
- Paid third-party tools
ArcWords sends a proposal after the diagnosis, with scope, deliverables and exclusions in writing.
No shortcuts
What nobody can promise in local SEO.
Google states plainly that there is no way to request or pay for a better position on the map. So be wary of anyone promising:
- guaranteed first place on Google Maps;
- addresses in several neighborhoods without a real office there;
- review packages or business names stuffed with keywords.
These practices may work for a while, but the bill usually arrives as a profile suspension. Legitimate local SEO is slower and more solid. For search beyond the neighborhood, see full-service SEO.
Keep going
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile costs nothing. What you pay for, when you hire someone, is the work of optimizing, posting, replying to reviews and handling the website's local SEO.
How much does Business Profile management cost?
According to ranges published in Oct/2026, monthly profile-only management costs R$ 400 to R$ 1,200, and a local SEO package with profile, website, content and local links R$ 800 to R$ 2,500 per month (2S Digital). One-time optimization for small businesses costs R$ 250 to R$ 1,500. These are Brazilian market references, not ArcWords prices.
Can first place on Google Maps be guaranteed?
No. Google itself says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Position depends on relevance, the searcher's distance and the business's prominence. Be wary of anyone guaranteeing a position.
Do I need a physical address to appear on Maps?
The Business Profile is for businesses that serve customers in person, at their own address or by going to them. Businesses that serve at the customer's location can set a service area and hide the address. Online-only businesses without in-person service aren't eligible.
Can I buy reviews?
No. Fake or paid reviews violate Google's policies and can lead to review removal or profile suspension. The legitimate work is asking real customers for reviews and replying to all of them, including negative ones.
How long does it take to see local SEO results?
Fixes to the profile and website can take effect within weeks. Gaining prominence in competitive searches takes months of consistency with reviews, photos, posts and website. The monthly report shows what changed.
Next step
Let's talk about your company's local SEO.
Send us your business name as it appears on Google and the searches you want to be found for. The proposal comes after the audit.