If your business depends on local customers, you need to show up when people nearby search for what you do.
Whether you run a café, a salon, a law office or a dog grooming shop, people are already searching for businesses like yours. The question is whether they’re finding you.
What is SEO, exactly?
SEO stands for search engine optimization: making your website easier to find on Google and other search engines. When someone searches “coffee shop near me” or “best accountant in Somerville,” SEO is what helps your business appear. Local SEO focuses on searches in your area, so you reach nearby people who are ready to buy.
These are the local SEO steps that make the biggest difference for small businesses.
1. Set up and fill out your Google Business Profile
For local search, your Google Business Profile matters more than anything else. It’s what shows up when people search for your name or for services “near me.” If it’s incomplete or out of date, you’re missing customers.
What to do:
- Claim and verify your listing
- Fill in every detail: address, phone, hours, website, services
- Pick categories that match what you actually do
- Add good photos of your space, your team and your work
- Ask happy customers for reviews
Treat it like your storefront window, and keep it current.
2. Use the place names people search for
Your website should use your customers’ words, and that includes where they are.
How:
- Use Google Keyword Planner or a similar tool to see what people in your area search for
- Include your city or neighborhood in page titles, descriptions and copy
- Write the way people search: “plumber in Quincy,” “florist in Jamaica Plain”
- Don’t skip longer, more specific searches like “affordable dog groomer in Brighton”
The more specific you are, the easier it is for the right people to find you.
3. Get listed in the right directories
A citation is any online mention of your business name, address and phone number. When those details match everywhere, Google trusts them more.
Where to get listed:
- Major directories like Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and TripAdvisor
- Industry sites, like OpenTable for restaurants or Houzz for home services
- Local directories and your chamber of commerce
Use exactly the same name, address and phone format every time.
4. Write for people in your area
Search engines favor pages that are useful to local searchers, so let your content reflect your community.
Ideas:
- Posts about local events or neighborhood news
- A page for each area you serve (“Landscaping in Newton”)
- Testimonials from local customers
- Guides like “How to choose a wedding venue in Boston”
5. Collect reviews and show them off
Reviews help you rank in local results, and they’re what new customers read before calling. Google favors businesses with a steady flow of good reviews.
How to get more:
- Send a follow-up text or email after a job or purchase
- Include a direct link to your Google review page
- Reply to every review, including the not-so-great ones
- Feature your best reviews on your website and social accounts
6. Make your site work on phones
Most local searches happen on a phone. If your site is awkward there, people leave, and your rankings suffer too.
Must-haves:
- A layout that adjusts to any screen
- Fast pages (compress images, cut extra code)
- Contact details right on the homepage
- Tap-to-call and map buttons
Make it easy for someone to find you and reach you while they’re out.
7. Earn links from local sites
Links from trusted local websites help both your credibility and your visibility in search.
How to get them:
- Partner with other local businesses and link to each other
- Sponsor a local event or nonprofit and ask to be listed on their site
- Write a guest post for a local blog or publication
- Publish something useful that people nearby will want to share
The short version
For a small business that serves a local area, local SEO is how new customers find you. Start with your Google Business Profile and reviews. Those two do the most.
For the rest of the basics, work through the small-business SEO checklist.
Want help with your local SEO? Our SEO Audit shows what’s holding you back, or book a free 20-minute call to talk it through.
