Local SEO Checklist for Small Businesses
A quick, practical overview of the local SEO steps we use at Cider House Media when building or auditing websites for small, service-based businesses that depend on local clientele.
These recommendations focus on visibility in Google Search and Google Maps — the places your nearby customers are already looking.
1. Local Foundations
- Create or claim your Google Business Profile (GBP) and verify ownership.
- Add consistent Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) information across your website, GBP, and social media.
- Use a local phone number and physical address when possible.
- Select accurate business categories and add detailed service areas in your GBP.
- Encourage customers to leave authentic Google reviews regularly.
2. On-Page Optimization
- Include your city and state in page titles, meta descriptions, and H1 headings (e.g., “Web Design in Easthampton, MA”).
- Mention nearby towns or service areas naturally within your content.
- Embed a Google Map on your contact page for trust and relevance.
- Use descriptive alt text on photos (e.g., “Easthampton web design studio homepage layout”).
- Link internally between your service pages, location pages, and blog posts.
3. Content Strategy
- Write content that reflects local life and business context — highlight neighborhoods, community events, or regional details.
- Add case studies or testimonials from real local clients.
- Use blog posts to answer common regional questions (e.g., “How to choose a web designer in Western Massachusetts”).
- Include at least one outbound link to a credible local organization, chamber of commerce, or nonprofit.
- Ensure your site loads in under 3 seconds and passes mobile usability tests.
- Use HTTPS, fix broken links, and update plugins regularly.
- Create and submit your XML Sitemap and robots.txt to Google Search Console.
- Implement schema markup for your business (LocalBusiness, Organization, or Service schema).
- Compress and name images with local context (e.g.,
northampton-web-design-team.jpg).
5. Ongoing Local SEO
- Post regularly to your Google Business Profile — updates, new photos, project highlights, and seasonal offers.
- Build local backlinks through real relationships:
- Partner with complementary businesses (for example, a plumber linking to a local electrician, roofer, or contractor).
- Exchange “Recommended Local Partner” links in a short paragraph on each other’s websites.
- Sponsor youth sports teams, charity events, or community organizations — these often include sponsor links on local .org or .gov sites.
- Contribute to local news outlets or blogs when you complete noteworthy projects.
- Add your business to reputable local directories (chamber of commerce, tourism boards, local business associations, and niche directories related to your trade).
- Check and update your NAP listings quarterly for consistency.
- Monitor keyword rankings and traffic for your “service + city” combinations.
- Keep collecting reviews — respond to every one, including the positive ones, to show engagement.
- Periodically audit your backlinks to make sure they remain relevant and local.
Prepared by Cider House Media