SEO has been overcomplicated by an industry that profits from confusion. For a local business, there are five things that matter. Everything else is noise.
1. Google Business Profile
This is the single most important thing for local search visibility, and it is free. Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) controls what shows up in the map pack — those three businesses that appear at the top of local searches with the map.
What to do: - Claim and verify your profile if you have not already - Fill out every single field (hours, services, description, attributes) - Add 20+ photos (exterior, interior, team, work examples) - Choose the right primary and secondary categories - Keep your hours accurate, especially for holidays - Add posts weekly (updates, offers, events)
Common mistake: Setting it up once and never touching it again. Google favors active, updated profiles. Post weekly. Add new photos monthly. Respond to every review.
2. Reviews
Google reviews are the second most important ranking factor for local search. More importantly, they directly influence whether someone clicks on your listing or your competitor's.
What to do: - Ask every happy customer for a review (in person, via text, via email) - Make it easy — send them a direct link to your Google review page - Respond to every review, positive and negative - Never buy fake reviews (Google is very good at detecting them)
The goal: More reviews than your top 3 competitors, with a higher average rating. If your top competitor has 47 reviews at 4.6 stars, you need 50+ reviews at 4.7+ stars.
3. Your Website Content
Google needs to understand what you do and where you do it. Your website content tells Google this.
What to do: - Have a separate page for each major service you offer - Include your city and service area on every page (naturally, not stuffed) - Write a genuine About page that mentions your location and history - Create a dedicated page for each location if you serve multiple areas - Use proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3) - Include your business name, address, and phone number on every page
Common mistake: Having a single "Services" page that lists everything. Google ranks pages, not websites. A dedicated "Kitchen Remodeling in Austin, TX" page will rank for that search. A bullet point on a generic services page will not.
4. Technical Basics
Your website needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and properly structured for Google to rank it well.
What to do: - Page load time under 2.5 seconds (test at PageSpeed Insights) - Mobile responsive (test at Google Mobile-Friendly Test) - SSL certificate (HTTPS, not HTTP) - XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console - Local business schema markup (structured data that tells Google your address, hours, etc.)
Common mistake: Ignoring page speed. A slow website is penalized in Google's rankings AND loses visitors. Double penalty.
5. Consistent Citations
A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Google cross-references these to verify your business information.
What to do: - Ensure your NAP is identical everywhere: Google, Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, industry directories - Use the exact same format (if your Google listing says "123 Main Street," do not put "123 Main St." elsewhere) - Claim listings on the top 20 directories for your industry
Common mistake: Having different phone numbers or addresses across directories. Inconsistency tells Google your information is unreliable.
That Is It
Five things. Google Business Profile, reviews, website content, technical basics, consistent citations. Master these five and you will outrank 80% of your local competitors. Everything else — backlink building, content marketing, social media signals — is icing on the cake.
Ted handles items 3 and 4 automatically when building your website. The Grow plan adds ongoing content creation that strengthens your rankings every month.
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