🔎Local SEO and Your Google Business Profile

What Local SEO Means

When someone searches "coffee near me" or "plumber in town", Google shows a map with a few businesses. Local SEO is everything you do to appear there. Google mostly looks at three things: how relevant your business is to the search, how close you are, and how well known and well reviewed you are.

Claim and Complete Your Google Business Profile

1. Search for your business on Google and claim it, or create a profile at business.google.com.
2. Verify it (by postcard, phone, email or video, depending on what Google offers).
3. Choose the most specific primary category, then add a few secondary ones.
4. Fill in hours, holiday hours, phone, website, services, products and attributes.
5. Write a description that says what you do and where, in plain words.
6. Upload at least ten real photos: outside, inside, team and your work.

Keep Your Name, Address and Phone Identical Everywhere

Google trusts businesses whose name, address and phone number match across the web. Use the exact same format on your website, social profiles, your city listing on this platform and other directories. Fix old addresses and phone numbers wherever you find them.

Keep It Fresh

• Post an update, offer or event to your profile every week or two.
• Add new photos every month.
• Answer questions in the Questions and Answers section.
• Reply to every review.

Help Your Website Help You

• Put your town and neighborhood in page titles and headings, naturally.
• Create a page for each main service.
• Make sure it loads fast and works well on phones.
• Embed a map and list your full address and hours on the contact page.

Earn Local Links and Mentions

Links from other local sites tell Google you are part of the community. Join the chamber of commerce, sponsor a team or event, get listed on your city's platform, and partner with nearby businesses who can mention you.