Local SEO basics every small business should know.
You do not need to become an SEO expert. You need to understand a handful of things that actually move the needle for a local business. Here they are.
April 2026 · By Lucas Seifert
Start with your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the single highest-leverage thing you can do for local search visibility. It is what shows up in the map pack when someone searches “plumber near me” or “best coffee shop in [city].”
Set it up completely. Business name, address, phone number, website, hours, category, photos, and a short description. Fill in every field. Google rewards completeness. If you already have one, audit it. Outdated info, missing photos, and no responses to reviews all hurt your ranking.
Use the right local keywords on your website
A local business website should mention the city and region naturally throughout the content. Not stuffed in awkwardly, just used the way you would actually talk about where you serve customers.
“We serve small businesses in Platteville, WI and the surrounding area” is more useful to Google than nothing. Your page title, your H1, your meta description, and your body copy should all make clear where you operate.
Think about how your customers search. Not “web design,” but “web designer Platteville WI.” Not “dentist,” but “dentist near Dodgeville WI.” Build your pages around those phrases.
Schema markup: worth doing, not worth overthinking
Schema markup is structured data you add to your site that tells Google exactly what your business is: name, address, phone, hours, type of service. It does not directly boost rankings in a huge way, but it helps Google understand your site faster and can get you rich snippets in search results.
The minimum you should have is LocalBusiness schema on your homepage with your NAP (name, address, phone) and business type. If you have a developer building your site, they should handle this. If you are using a builder, most have a plugin or built-in tool for it.
Reviews matter more than most people think
The number of reviews and the recency of reviews are both signals Google uses for local rankings. A business with 50 reviews ranks better than a business with 5, all else being equal.
The simplest system: after every completed job or satisfied customer, ask for a Google review. Send them the direct link so it takes ten seconds. Most people who had a good experience will leave one if you make it easy.
Responding to reviews also matters. It signals to Google that the business is active. It also signals to potential customers that you care about what people think.
NAP consistency
NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. Your NAP should be identical everywhere it appears online: your website, your Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, local directories. Even small inconsistencies (Street vs St, different phone formats) can confuse Google.
Do a quick audit: search your business name and see what comes up. Check that the address and phone match everywhere. Fix anything that is off.
Your website is still the foundation
All of this works better when the website itself is solid. Fast loading, mobile-friendly, well-structured, with clear local signals in the content. A good Google Business Profile pointing to a bad website still loses customers. The website is where trust is built or lost.