Local growth glossary

A quick, plain-English reference for the terms used across local growth, SEO, and lead response. No jargon for jargon's sake — just what each one means and where to learn more.

Getting found

Local SEO — the work of getting your business to show up when nearby customers search for what you offer. See What is local SEO?

Local pack (map pack) — the boxed map plus short list of businesses Google shows at the top of local searches, usually the top three. Where most local clicks and calls come from.

SERP — "search engine results page," everything Google shows for a query: the local pack, ads, and the regular ("organic") links.

Organic results — the unpaid listings you earn through relevance and quality, as opposed to paid ads.

Relevance, distance, prominence — the three things Google uses to rank local businesses. See How Google ranks local businesses

Google Business Profile (GBP) — your free business listing on Google Search and Maps; the single most important local asset. See Why it matters

NAP — Name, Address, Phone: the core business details that must match everywhere online.

Citation — any online mention of your NAP (Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing, directories). Consistency builds trust. See What are local citations?

Keyword — a phrase someone types into search. Local keywords carry local intent ("near me," "[service] [city]"). See Local keywords & search intent

Search intent — what a searcher actually wants (ready to buy vs. researching vs. learning).

Impressions — how many times your listing or page appeared in search results.

Click-through rate (CTR) — the share of people who clicked after seeing you (clicks ÷ impressions).

Google Search Console — Google's free tool showing your website's search performance. See What is Google Search Console?

Core Web Vitals — Google's measures of website experience (loading speed, responsiveness, visual stability). See Why site speed matters

AI search visibility — whether AI tools (Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity) recommend your business. See What is AI search visibility?

Reputation

Review velocity — the steady rate at which you earn new reviews; recency matters as much as total count.

Reputation management — actively shaping what people find about you: earning reviews, responding to them, and catching problems early. See What is reputation management?

Responding & booking

Speed to lead — how fast you respond to a new inquiry; faster response wins more customers. See Why responding fast matters

AI receptionist — software that answers calls, texts, and chats 24/7 and captures the customer. See What is an AI receptionist?

Missed-call text-back — an automatic text to anyone whose call you miss, so the lead doesn't go cold. See What is missed-call text-back?

No-show — a booked customer who never arrives; deposits and reminders reduce them. See Online booking & no-shows

Deposit — a small upfront payment at booking that cuts no-shows and filters for serious customers.

Conversion — turning a prospect into a customer (a search into a call, a call into a booking).

Measuring

Local Growth Audit — a scored health-check of your entire local presence. See What is a Local Growth Audit?

Growth Score — a single 0–100 score (with a letter grade) summarizing your local health across visibility, reputation, site health, and local presence.

10DLC — the US carrier registration required before a business can send texts. See SMS compliance

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