Most small businesses that rank poorly on Google are missing the basics. The basics are not exciting, and they work. Do them in this order.
Where do I start?
Start with your Google Business Profile, because it is what shows up on Google Maps and in the local results above the regular links. Fill in every field: the right primary category, your services with prices, hours, photos of real work, and a description that says what you do and where. A half-filled profile loses to a complete one down the street. Is a Google Business Profile worth it walks through the setup.
What are the steps, in order?
- Finish your Google Business Profile. Every field, every service, real photos.
- Make your listings agree. Your business name, address, and phone number should be written the same way on Google, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the directories in your trade. Old addresses and old phone numbers confuse Google about who you are.
- Get reviews and reply to them. Ask happy customers in person, then send the link the same day. Reply to every review, good and bad, in a sentence or two.
- Give each service its own page, with a price. One page that lists twelve services ranks for none of them. "Water heater replacement in Minneapolis" with a price range ranks for water heater replacement.
- Answer the questions people ask. How much, how long, do I need X or Y. Put the answer in the first sentence. These pages also get quoted by ChatGPT and Google's AI answers.
- Make the site fast on a phone. Big images and slow page builders cost you. Open your site on your phone on cellular data and time it.
- Set up Google Search Console. It is free. It shows which searches you show up for, which pages Google has found, and what is broken.
How long until I see a change?
Profile and listing fixes can show up in the local results within weeks. New pages take longer, often a few months. My own appraisal firm, Lukes & Lukes, went from a new LLC to its first call in 90 days on a domain with no history.
What should I not buy?
- Guaranteed first-page rankings. Nobody can guarantee them.
- Bulk directory submissions. Hundreds of junk listings do nothing, and some make your listings disagree.
- Fake reviews or review gating. Google removes them and can suspend the profile.
- A monthly SEO retainer with no report you can read. Ask what they will do each month and what number they will show you.
- Keyword-stuffed blog posts. A page should answer a question a customer asks. A page written for a robot gets skipped by people and by Google.
Do I need a new website to rank better?
Not always. Many sites need service pages and answers added, and the rest can stay. If the site is slow, hides the phone number, or cannot be edited, does my small business need a new website has the test.
What does help cost?
A one-hour check-up is $150: I look at your profile, listings, and site, and tell you what to fix first. A Google Business Profile done properly is $600. Answer pages come with a website from $1,500. Many owners take the check-up list and do the rest themselves. The AI search page has the full menu.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.