Make your business easier to find with clear service pages, useful local information, and a website people can use. Here is a practical starting checklist.
Here’s how to fix that without hiring a big expensive agency.
Step 1: Claim Your Google Business Profile
This is the single most impactful thing you can do:
- Go to business.google.com
- Claim or create your listing
- Fill in EVERY field: hours, services, photos, description
- Add your products/services with prices
- Get reviews from happy customers
Impact: This alone can triple your local search visibility.
Step 2: Optimise Your Website
Essential pages every small business needs:
- Homepage: Clear value proposition, services, CTA
- About page: Your story, team, credentials
- Services page: Detailed descriptions with prices
- Contact page: Phone, email, address, map, form
- Blog: Regular helpful content (1–2 posts per month)
On-page SEO basics:
- Title tags: “Best [Service] in [City] | [Business Name]”
- Meta descriptions: Compelling 150-character summaries
- Headings: Use H1, H2, H3 in a logical hierarchy
- Images: Compress to WebP, add alt text
- Schema markup: LocalBusiness JSON-LD
Step 3: Get Reviews
| Platform | Priority | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews | #1 | Directly affects local rankings |
| #2 | Social proof + discoverability | |
| Industry-specific (Yelp, TripAdvisor) | #3 | Niche authority |
How to get more reviews:
- Ask after every positive interaction
- Send follow-up emails with a direct review link
- Respond to every review (positive AND negative)
- Never buy fake reviews — Google penalises this
Step 4: Create Local Content
Write about topics your customers search for:
- “Best [service] in [city]”
- “How much does [service] cost in [city]?”
- “[Service] tips for [audience]”
- “How to choose a [service provider] in [city]”
Step 5: Monitor & Improve
Free tools to track progress:
- Google Search Console: See what searches you appear for
- Google Analytics: Track website visitors and behaviour
- Google Business Profile Insights: Local search performance
My SEO Services for Small Businesses
I help small businesses get found on Google with affordable, results-driven SEO. Starting from $199 for an SEO audit to $599/month for ongoing SEO + content:
- Complete website SEO audit
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- Keyword research for your industry
- Content strategy and writing
- Monthly performance reports
👉 View my SEO packages — affordable plans designed for small businesses.
Where to start
Pick the part of this guide that addresses your current problem. Make one change, check the result, and decide what to do next. If you need help applying it to a Django website or app, tell me about your project.