For business owners · Launch League blog
Is local SEO worth it for a small business?
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranPublished
The short answer
It is worth it if customers search for what you do near you and you are not showing up. It is not worth paying for a promised ranking, because nobody can sell one. You can fix your profile, website and reviews, wait a few weeks, then check calls, directions and enquiries.
The three-number check
Do not judge local SEO by where you rank. Judge it by three numbers you can see without anyone's help: calls from your Google profile, requests for directions, and enquiries where the customer says they found you on Google. If those go up over a few months, it is working.
What does local SEO actually mean?
Local SEO is making it easy for Google to match your business to someone searching nearby. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and how well known a business is. Relevance is how well your Business Profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the person searching. Prominence is how well known you are, based partly on how many sites link to you and how many reviews you have.
Two of the three you can work on. Distance you cannot, which is why "near me" searches favour whoever is closest to the person searching, not whoever spends the most.
Can you pay for a better local ranking?
Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google. Its SEO starter guide also says there are no shortcuts that rank a site first, and that following good practice does not guarantee a page is crawled, indexed or shown.
That should shape how you hire. Be wary of anyone who promises first place or a number of leads. Google's own guidance on third-party SEO advice lists promises of ranking success and uncited claims about what Google says as red flags, and tells you to treat tool metrics as estimates, not Google data.
What can you actually control?
Google lists what business owners can do: verify the business, keep information complete and current, respond to reviews, and add photos. Businesses with complete, accurate information are more likely to appear in local results, and an inaccurate profile may not show for relevant searches.
On your website, the basics are unglamorous: a clear title and description on each page, your address and phone number as real text, descriptive links, and images that load and have alt text. None of it is secret.
- Verified, complete Business Profile with the right categories.
- The same name, address and phone number everywhere.
- Real photos of your work and your premises.
- Reviews from every customer, and a reply to each.
- A website page for each main service, with the town named where it is true.
How long does it take?
Google's SEO starter guide says changes can take anywhere from hours to months to show up and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging their impact. Treat any promise of results in days with suspicion.
Plan on a quiet few months. Fix the foundation in the first few weeks, keep collecting reviews and replying, and leave it alone long enough to see whether it moved.
How do you know it is working?
Use three numbers you can see yourself. In your Business Profile's performance figures, look at calls and directions. In your own records, count enquiries where the customer says they found you on Google or on the map. Google Search Console is the source Google recommends for how you appear in Search; it is free and it comes from Google itself.
Be honest about what it cannot tell you. Rankings move around, and more views are not the same as more customers. A small increase in calls from people close by is often worth more than a big jump in impressions from people who will never visit.
When is local SEO not the answer?
If nobody searches for what you do, or your business takes referrals almost entirely, or your phone already rings more than you can answer, local SEO is not your first job. If you miss most of the calls you do get, fix that first: it is the cheapest improvement and it makes every other effort pay.
And if you are early, spend your first hours on the things that are free: a complete profile, an honest review habit and a clear website. Ask for help when you have time to use it.
Questions
Quick answers
- Can anyone guarantee a first-page ranking?
- No. Google says following good practice does not guarantee crawling, indexing or ranking, and it lists promises of ranking success as a red flag when evaluating third-party SEO advice.
- How long before I see results?
- Google says changes can take hours to months to show up and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging impact. Expect a few months before the picture is clear.
- Do I need a website, or is a Google profile enough?
- A profile helps you appear on the map and in local results. A clear website gives Google and your customers more to go on and somewhere to send people. Most local businesses are better with both.
- Does paying for ads help my local ranking?
- Google states there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. Ads are a separate thing and are not the same as local search results.
- What should I measure?
- Calls and directions from your Business Profile, enquiries where the customer says they found you on Google, and what Google Search Console shows for how you appear in Search.
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Sources: Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google · Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide · Google Search Central: Search Essentials · Google Search Central: Evaluating third-party SEO advice and tools. Coaching is not therapy, medical, legal or financial advice.