Local SEO in Brussels: how to show up on Google Maps

#The local pack and Google Maps

For a local search, Google shows a block of a few businesses next to a map (the "local pack"), followed by the usual results. Google Maps shows a longer list that follows the same logic. Google's AI-generated answers increasingly draw on business profile information too: opening hours, reviews, services. A complete profile pays off everywhere.

#How Google ranks local results

Google explains it itself: three criteria count.

#Google Business Profile: the foundation

#Create and verify your profile

#Fill in every section

• Name: your real business name, with no added keywords. Google's rules forbid it and the profile can be suspended.
• Primary category: as precise as possible ("Plumber", "Italian restaurant", "Website designer"). Add secondary categories only if they describe a real activity.
• Service area: the municipalities where you work (Schaerbeek, Evere, Ixelles, Uccle…), up to twenty areas.
• Opening hours, including public holidays and exceptional closures.
• Services or products, each with a one-line description.
• Description (750 characters maximum): what you do, for whom, where.
• Real photos: shopfront, interior, team, past work. Add new ones regularly.
• Links to your website, booking page or quote form.

#Keep the profile alive

#Customer reviews

#Getting more of them

Reviews count for ranking and, even more, for the client's decision. Ask every satisfied client for a review, at the right moment: at the end of a job, after a meal, when a quote is signed. Google gives you a short link from your profile ("Ask for reviews"): add it to your emails and invoices, or as a QR code at the counter.

#What is prohibited

• Offering a discount or a gift in exchange for a review: against Google's rules.
• Only asking happy clients, or discouraging negative reviews: also against the rules.
• Posting, buying or commissioning fake reviews: prohibited by Google and by Belgian law. Since 2022, the Code of Economic Law penalises fake reviews, and a business that displays reviews on its website must state whether and how it checks that they come from real customers.

#Replying to reviews

Reply to every review, positive or negative. Say thank you and mention the service provided. Faced with criticism, stick to the facts, acknowledge what needs acknowledging and offer to talk in private: future clients mostly read your reply. A review that breaks the rules (insults, a fake client, a competitor) can be reported to Google.

#Identical contact details everywhere

Check at least:

• your website (footer and contact page);
• Google Business Profile;
• Apple Business Connect (Maps on iPhone) and Bing Places (Bing and Copilot);
• directories: Gouden Gids / Pages d'Or (goudengids.be, pagesdor.be), Cylex, your municipality's or federation's directory;
• Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

#Your website's role in local SEO

• A complete contact page: address, phone, hours, map, service area.
• LocalBusiness structured data: name, address, GPS coordinates, hours and area, so that Google and AI assistants understand who you are and where you work.
• One page per service, with the area served in the text and the title ("Plumber in Schaerbeek and Evere").
• Pages per municipality only if you have something to say there: jobs done locally, access, specifics. Identical pages where only the town name changes are treated as spam by Google.
• Both languages in Brussels: some of your clients search in Dutch ("loodgieter Schaarbeek"). A bilingual site with real copy opens up those searches.

#Local keywords

Local searches follow a few patterns: a service plus a town or municipality ("dentist Etterbeek"), a service on its own (Google then adds the searcher's location), a question ("which restaurant is open on Sunday in Brussels"). To see which ones matter for you, look at:

• the Performance tab of your Google profile, which lists the searches that showed your profile;
• the Search Console Performance report for your website;
• Google Ads' Keyword Planner to compare volumes.

#Measuring your results

• Google profile: calls, directions, website clicks, bookings.
• Search Console: impressions and clicks on your local searches.
• Google Analytics: add tracking parameters to your profile's website link (for example ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=business-profile) to tell those visits apart.
• Your real enquiries: note where calls and quote requests come from. It is the only metric that truly counts.

#Frequently asked questions

#How long does local SEO take to show results?

A complete, verified profile can improve within a few weeks. For competitive searches in Brussels, expect 3 to 6 months of steady effort: reviews, photos, website content, local links.

#Do I need an address in Brussels to appear?

You need a real address to verify the profile, but it can stay hidden if you work at your clients' premises. Google still won't show you far from where you really are: distance remains a criterion.

#Can I appear in several municipalities?

Yes, by declaring your service area and covering those municipalities on your website, with content specific to each. Creating fake addresses or several profiles for the same business is prohibited.

#Does local SEO work for B2B?

Yes. A business client also searches "accountant Brussels" or "web agency Brussels". The method is the same; only the keywords change.

#What should I do about an unfair negative review?

Reply calmly and factually, then report it to Google if it breaks the rules (fake client, abusive language, conflict of interest). Never reply in the heat of the moment: your answer stays visible.

#How many reviews do I need?

There is no magic number. What counts: reviews that are regular, recent, detailed, and more numerous than your direct competitors'. Simply asking every client often makes the difference.