What’s the difference between local and national SEO?

Local SEO targets people searching in a specific area, like web designer Cornwall, and leans heavily on your Google Business Profile, reviews and map-pack presence. National SEO targets searches with no location attached, like project management software, and is won almost entirely on content depth and backlinks. For a Cornwall business serving local customers, local SEO is far easier and far more profitable, because you are competing against a handful of nearby businesses rather than the whole country. The rule of thumb: if your customers come from within about 30 miles, focus on local. Only chase national terms once you dominate your local patch and have the authority to compete more widely.