A practical local SEO checklist to help customers find you (and choose you) on Google
These days, almost every buying decision starts with a search. In fact, 98% of consumers use the internet to find information about local businesses, and 46% of all Google searches have local intent. The stakes are real, too: 76% of people who search for something “near me” on their phone visit a business within 24 hours. But here’s the catch. Very few searchers ever scroll past the first page of results, so if your business isn’t showing up there, those calls and visits are going to your competitors. The good news? Local search visibility comes down to a handful of fundamentals you can control. Here’s where to focus.
1. Get Your Business Information Right, Everywhere
Google cross-checks your business details across the web, and inconsistencies chip away at both trust and rankings. For every location, make sure you:
- Keep your name, address, and phone number identical across Google, your website, and online directories
- Confirm your hours, email addresses, and any secondary phone numbers are accurate
- List every service you offer, add a short description of each location, and upload high-quality photos
2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is often the first impression a customer gets of your business, and sometimes the only one. Businesses with complete profiles get about 70% more location visits than those with incomplete ones. Here’s how to make yours work harder:
- Claim your profile and fill out every section, including your business categories and attributes
- Write a complete “from the business” description and publish Google posts weekly
- Upload fresh photos regularly, answer customer questions, add your products and services, and turn on messaging
3. Make Reviews Your Competitive Advantage
When someone searches for the “best” business nearby, Google looks at how many reviews you have and how good they are. Your customers do the same: 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and most won’t consider one rated below 4 stars. So build your reputation on purpose:
- Ask every customer for a review, ideally through an automated, consistent process
- Keep an eye on new reviews and respond quickly, especially to the negative ones
- Resolve issues in-store before they turn into bad reviews, watch for recurring complaints, and report any spam
4. Tune Up Your Website
Your website backs up everything your profile promises. Cover the essentials:
- Content: clear, current Homepage, About, Contact, and FAQ pages; a separate page for each location and each key service or product; a reviews page or embedded reviews; and a unique title tag (50 to 60 characters) and meta description (about 160 characters) on every page
- Technical: mobile-friendly design, fast load speed, secure HTTPS, proper redirects and canonical URLs, consistent header tags, and short, readable URLs
- Extras: compressed images with alt text, videos with transcripts, social media links, and mentions of your community involvement like sponsorships and charity events
5. Publish Content Your Customers Are Searching For
Write down the top 20 to 30 questions your customers actually ask, then turn the answers into pages and posts. Great topics include your services, staff spotlights, events, FAQs, loyalty programs, awards, and community involvement. Fresh, relevant content shows Google that your business is active and knows its stuff.