Local SEO Basics: How to Get Your Business Found on Google

## What Is Local SEO? Local SEO is about making your business show up when people search for services in your area. When someone types "plumber near me" or "dentist in Riverton", local SEO determines which businesses appear. ## The Basics You Need to Get Right ### 1. Google Business Profile This is free and it's the single most important thing for local search. Claim your listing, fill out every field, add photos, and keep it updated. ### 2. Your Website Needs Location Info Google needs to know where you are and what you do. Include your city and state in: - Page titles - H1 headings - Meta descriptions - Footer text - Contact page ### 3. NAP Consistency NAP = Name, Address, Phone. These must be identical everywhere they appear — your website, Google Business, Yelp, Facebook, and any other directories. ### 4. Reviews Matter Google reviews directly influence local rankings. Ask satisfied customers to leave a review. Respond to every review, good or bad. ### 5. Mobile-Friendly Is Required Google uses mobile-first indexing. If your site doesn't work well on phones, your rankings suffer. ## What About Paid Search? Google Ads can get you to the top of results instantly, but you pay for every click. SEO takes longer but delivers consistent organic traffic over time. The best approach? Do both, but make sure your organic foundation is solid first. ## Advanced Local SEO Once the basics are covered, you can go further: - Create location-specific pages for each area you serve - Build local backlinks from community sites - Publish content about your service area - Optimize for voice search ("Hey Google, find a...") ## Need Help? We build websites with [local SEO baked in](/services). Every site we create includes proper title tags, meta descriptions, mobile optimization, and location targeting. Check your current standing with a [free website audit](/free-audit), or [get a quote](/get-quote) for a site built to rank.