Adjusting results for a location, language, or region. Results can differ geographically without individual personalization.
In a search-results context, localization means adapting results to a location, language or region. A query can have a different useful answer depending on where it is made or which language the searcher uses. This can happen without individually personalized results.
Location is especially relevant when a person wants something nearby, but localization is broader than local business listings. Regional language, availability and the context of a query can affect which information is useful. A search for a product or service may need information appropriate to the market the customer can actually buy from.
The term also appears in website and product development, where it can mean adapting content for a market rather than merely translating words. Those uses are related but should not be confused. A business adding a translated page is making a content decision; it is not directly selecting how a search engine localizes every result.
Takeaway: Make the markets and languages your business actually serves clear. When comparing search visibility, record the search location and language instead of assuming that a result observed elsewhere represents your customers.
Example
A traveler searches for a bakery while visiting another city. Results relevant to that city can be more useful than those near the traveler’s home. Separately, a retailer serving two countries may need to explain different delivery areas or product availability on its own website. Both examples involve geographic context, but the business controls its site information rather than the engine’s entire results page.
What to check
Check that location claims and language versions are accurate for the offer. Avoid inventing offices or cloning city pages to imitate geographic coverage. A location-based ranking check should state the location it represents, not promise identical results to everyone nearby.
For more detail, see Why Google results differ.