“Getting found on Google” sounds like a dark art, but for a local business it comes down to a handful of things done consistently. Here’s what actually matters, and what you can safely ignore.
1. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
This is the free listing that appears in the map and the panel on the right. It’s the biggest single lever for local search, and it’s free. Fill in every field: services, areas covered, hours, photos, and your website link. Keep it accurate.
2. Have a fast website that says what you do and where
Google can only rank you for “electrician in Bakewell” if your site clearly says you’re an electrician who works in Bakewell. That means:
- Plain, specific wording: your trade, your services, your towns, in normal English.
- Speed: slow sites get pushed down, and most of your visitors are on a phone. We explain why on our SEO & AI page.
- Clean, well-structured pages: proper headings and a sensible layout so Google understands you.
If your current site is slow or vague, that’s holding you back. A quick free website check will tell you.
3. Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere
Google trusts businesses whose details match across the web. Your website, your Google Business Profile, Facebook, any directories, same business name, same phone, same address, character for character. Mismatches confuse Google and cost you rankings.
4. Earn genuine reviews
Reviews on your Google profile are both a ranking factor and the thing customers read first. Ask happy customers to leave one, make it easy by sending the link, and reply to them. Don’t fake them, it’s obvious and against the rules.
5. Be specific about the areas you serve
A single page saying “we cover the local area” is weak. Pages that name the actual towns, Matlock, Bakewell, Chesterfield, and speak to each genuinely help you show up for those searches. (That’s exactly why we build location pages for the areas you work in.)
What you can ignore
- Stuffing keywords until your text reads like a robot wrote it. Google penalises it and customers hate it.
- Buying backlinks from dodgy sites. At best a waste of money, at worst a penalty.
- Chasing every new “trick.” The fundamentals above beat gimmicks every time.
The catch: this is ongoing
Local SEO isn’t “set and forget.” Profiles need updating, reviews need asking for, and your site needs to stay fast and current. If you’d rather not manage all that, it’s the kind of thing a done-for-you service handles as part of the monthly price, we build every site to be found on Google from day one, and increasingly by AI assistants too.
Want to see how your business could look, built to be found? Get a free preview.