Sometimes, all it takes is one frustrated Google Maps search for "best sourdough near me" to remind us just how tragically invisible some excellent local businesses are. They’re baking, tailoring, brewing, glazing, carving — and yet, online, they may as well be ghosts with good Wi-Fi.

Sure, companies like owdt.com - an SEO company in Houston - can steer you right if you want accomplished hands to do the work for you, but there are also things you can do for yourself too

Local SEO isn’t the dark art it's made out to be. You don’t need an incantation, a degree in computer science, or a teenager fluent in TikTok algorithms. You need a plan, a bit of consistency, and a mild caffeine dependency. Here’s how local shops can rise up the rankings and (ideally) rake in more sales without selling their soul to the algorithm.

Get on Google’s Good Side

Google Business Profile. That’s the golden goose. If you don’t have one, pause reading and go set it up — really, now. Google wants to give searchers immediately useful information, and nothing screams “I exist!” louder than a fully-optimised GBP (that’s the cool abbreviation).

Fill in every field. Every. Field. Add photos, your correct opening hours (don't lie — we’ve all been betrayed by “Open” signs turned dark), your services, and a real description. Keywords help, but write for humans, not algorithms. If it reads like a ransom note cobbled from marketing buzzwords, rewrite it.

NAP Consistency is Not a Hipster Band

Your Name, Address, and Phone number — or NAP — must be identical wherever they appear online. Not “St. John’s Antiques” here and “Saint Johns Antique Emporium” there. Google hates confusion. It sulks. It drops you in the rankings.

Audit your listings across directories. If you’re in Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook, and various shadowy business directories from 2003, make sure they all match your actual info. There’s no room for spontaneity here. Think of it as SEO’s version of wearing matching socks.

Local Content That Isn’t Boring

If your blog makes people long for the dentist’s chair, rewrite it. You’re a local business — act local. Write about your neighbourhood. Spotlight your staff (unless they're in witness protection), sponsor a school event and blog about it, or interview the weird guy who walks a parrot around town.

Google loves local relevance. If you’re in Reading and mention Reading in your content — ideally without sounding like a broken satnav — it helps. Don’t keyword-stuff. Mentioning your town once every 50 words will make your site unreadable, and your readers mildly furious.

Online Reviews: The New Word of Mouth

People trust reviews like they trust their neighbour’s unsolicited Netflix recommendations — cautiously, but consistently. Having a healthy spread of recent, positive reviews can boost your local rankings and your actual credibility. If your last review was from 2019 and simply says "meh", you're not exactly radiating reliability.

Ask your happy customers for reviews. You don’t need to beg — just nudge. A sign at the counter, a polite follow-up email, or a QR code on the receipt can all work. Respond to them too — especially the bad ones. Don’t start a flame war, just be human. A calm, reasoned reply to a 1-star review does more for your reputation than a thousand 5-star ones from people named “DefinitelyNotYourCousin93”.

Local Links Aren’t Just for Politicians

Backlinks from respected local websites give Google warm fuzzies. Think local chambers of commerce, neighbourhood blogs, local news sites, and even event pages. These links act like little nods of approval from your community, except they're digital and harder to frame.

Sponsor a local event, join a business association, or write a guest post for a local magazine’s site (real or imagined). If you’ve been mentioned but not linked, reach out and ask — politely. No one likes an aggressive link beggar.

Mobile Optimisation: Because People Have Thumbs

More than half of local searches happen on mobile. If your site takes longer to load than a Victorian steam engine, you're losing sales. Google notices. Customers notice. The only one who doesn’t notice is you, because you're on desktop.

Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Buttons should be tappable by real human thumbs, not engineered for microscopic precision. Your menu shouldn’t look like a dropdown from the Da Vinci Code. Test it. Borrow your nan’s phone. If she can’t find your contact page, fix it.

Shop Local, Rank Global (Well, Sort Of)

SEO isn’t glamorous. No one’s ever made a blockbuster about meta descriptions and title tags — although we’d all watch Fast and the Curiously Indexed. But for local shops, these tactics matter. They lift you from digital obscurity into the feed-scrolling consciousness of real-life buyers.

You don’t need to chase every trend. Stick to the basics. Show up in searches, look good on screens, and let your customers do a bit of the shouting for you. One day, when someone nearby Googles your product, you might just be the reason they put on trousers and leave the house.

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