BrightLocal for small businesses

Local SEO for small businesses comprises the optimization of your website, Google Business Profile, online reviews, and a number of other entities, all with the intent to rank more effectively for local queries in Google searches.

If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry, we’re here to help. Read our “What is local SEO?” guide for more detail.

There’s no quick fix to get your small business ranking. You’ll need to spend some time working on your local SEO strategy, among other things. Get familiar with local ranking factors, but be confident in the knowledge that, locally, you have a good chance of ranking against potentially much bigger competitors.

We’ve put together a local SEO checklist to get you started. To see how you’re doing, we also have a Local Rank Tracker and Local Search Grid.

First, check out our local SEO guides, then learn the benefits of local SEO and go on from there. Once you’re familiar with the concept, try our guides for Google Business Profile, local citations, and review management.

We also have BrightLocal Academy to help you become a local SEO expert. It’s completely free, too!

Any business that requires a local presence will benefit from local SEO. This includes businesses with a brick-and-mortar store, and service-area businesses. Some of the businesses that rely heavily on local SEO are medical services, tradespeople like plumbers and electricians, law offices, hospitality businesses, and real estate companies or individuals, to name just a few.

Citations are an important foundation for any local business. Building citations can help give you a solid footing to rank in local search, especially when used in conjunction with other factors, like reviews and Google Business Profile.