Almost half of all Google searches have local intent, and in a destination like Puerto Vallarta the share is even higher: someone just landed, pulls out their phone and types "restaurant near me" or "dentist in Vallarta". Local SEO is the work that decides whether your business shows up at that moment — or the one across the street does.
It is not won with the same recipe as traditional SEO. What counts here is your Google Business Profile, physical proximity, consistent business data across directories, the volume and freshness of your reviews, and having real pages by area and by service on your site. That is exactly what I work on.