Own the map in your town.

01The three things Google uses to rank local businesses

Google says local results are based on three things: relevance (how well your business matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (how well-known and well-reviewed you are).

You can’t move your address, but you can control relevance and prominence, and that’s where every local SEO effort should focus. A well-built profile and strong reviews can outrank a closer competitor who neglects theirs.

02A Google Business Profile, done completely

Your Business Profile is often the first thing customers see, before your website. Most are half-finished. I set the right primary and secondary categories (the single biggest relevance lever), list every service, write a description that matches how people search, and fill in hours, attributes, service areas and booking links.

Then keep it active: real photos of your work and team, regular posts, answered questions, and products or services kept current. An active profile signals to Google, and to customers, that you’re open and busy.

03Turn happy customers into reviews

Reviews drive both rankings and clicks. The businesses that win have a system: asking at the right moment, making it one tap to leave a review, and responding to every review (good or bad) thoughtfully and fast.

I set up that system with simple text and email requests and review links, plus response templates you can adapt. No fake reviews, no gating. Just consistently asking the customers you already make happy.

04Consistent citations everywhere

Your business name, address and phone number (NAP) appear on dozens of directories: Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Facebook, the BBB, industry sites and data aggregators. Inconsistencies, like an old address or a different phone number, erode Google’s confidence in your listing.

I audit and clean up your citations, which matters even more if you’ve moved, rebranded or changed numbers.

05Service-area pages that aren’t spam

To rank in towns beyond your address, your website needs to show you genuinely serve them. That doesn’t mean copy-pasting one page fifty times with the city name swapped. Google sees through that.

Each area page should be useful on its own: the services you offer there, projects you’ve done nearby, local details, reviews from customers in that town, and clear directions on how to reach you.

06See exactly where you rank, block by block

Local rankings change depending on where the searcher is standing. I use map-grid tracking, checking your rank from dozens of points across your service area, so you can see where you dominate, where you fade, and whether the work is expanding your reach month after month.