What does MyBizGrade check?

We analyze your website speed, SEO tags, Google reviews, social media presence, and accessibility. Each area gets its own score and letter grade.

How is the grade calculated?

Each category is scored from 0 to 100 based on real data from your site. The overall grade is a weighted average across all five categories.

Yes, the full audit and grade are completely free. You can upgrade to a Pro report with copy-paste fixes for $39 if you want help improving.

What's in the Pro report?

You get a priority action plan, copy-paste ready fixes for every issue, time estimates, and a downloadable PDF. It tells you exactly what to change and how.

How long does the audit take?

Most audits finish in under 30 seconds. Complex sites with many pages may take up to a minute.

Do you store my data?

We store your audit results so you can revisit your report. We never sell your data or share it with third parties.

How often should I check my grade?

We recommend running a new audit every month. Your online presence changes as you update your site, get new reviews, and post on social media.

MyBizGrade was built by a small team of developers who wanted to make online presence auditing simple and affordable for small businesses.

Local SEO for Small Business: A Beginner's Guide

# Local SEO for Small Business: A Beginner's Guide Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your online presence so your business appears when people in your area search for your services. When someone types "dentist near me" or "best pizza in Austin," local SEO determines which businesses show up. If you serve customers in a specific geographic area, local SEO is the most cost-effective marketing you do. It brings customers to your door at the exact moment they need what you sell. This guide breaks down local SEO into plain language. No technical jargon. No expensive tools required. Everything here works for businesses of any size. ## How Local Search Works When someone searches for a local service, Google displays results in three sections: **The Map Pack (Local 3-Pack):** Three business listings with a map at the top of results. These get 44% of all clicks. Appearing here is the primary goal of local SEO. **Organic Results:** Traditional website listings below the map pack. These earn clicks from people scrolling past the map. **Paid Ads:** Sponsored listings at the top. These cost money per click and are not part of SEO. Google decides which businesses appear in the map pack based on three factors: 1. **Relevance:** How well your business matches the search query 2. **Distance:** How close your business is to the searcher 3. **Prominence:** How well-known and trusted your business is online You control relevance and prominence through local SEO. Distance depends on the customer's location, which you do not control. ## Step 1: Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile Google Business Profile (GBP) is the foundation of local SEO. Without a claimed, verified, and optimized GBP, you will not appear in the map pack. **Claim your profile** at business.google.com. Search for your business. If it exists, claim it. If not, create it. Complete the verification process. **Optimize every field:** - Choose the most specific primary category. "Italian Restaurant" beats "Restaurant." - Add all relevant secondary categories - Write a 750-character description using your services and location - Upload 10+ photos of your business, team, and work - Set accurate hours including holidays - Add all services and products with descriptions - Enable messaging if you respond quickly - Post updates weekly A fully completed GBP listing receives up to 7x more engagement than an incomplete one. ## Step 2: Build and Manage Your Reviews Reviews are the second most important local ranking factor. Google weighs review quantity, average rating, and recency. **Get more reviews:** - Create a direct review link from your GBP dashboard - Ask customers after positive interactions - Send follow-up texts or emails with the review link - Place QR codes at your checkout area **Manage your reviews:** - Respond to every review, positive and negative - Thank reviewers by name - Address complaints professionally - Never buy fake reviews or offer incentives Aim for a consistent flow of new reviews each month. A business getting 5 reviews per month outranks one getting 50 reviews once and then nothing for a year. ## Step 3: Fix Your NAP Consistency NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Your NAP must be identical across every website where your business appears. Inconsistencies hurt your rankings. If your website says "123 Main St" but Yelp says "123 Main Street" and your GBP says "123 Main St, Suite 100," Google loses confidence in your data. **Audit your NAP:** - Search for your business name on Google - Check your website, GBP, Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and industry directories - Note any differences in name, address, or phone number - Update every listing to match exactly Pick one format and use it everywhere. Include or exclude "Suite," "St" vs "Street," and other variations consistently. ## Step 4: Build Local Citations Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. They signal to Google your business is legitimate and established. **Priority citations (list your business on these first):** 1. Google Business Profile 2. Apple Maps (mapsconnect.apple.com) 3. Bing Places (bingplaces.com) 4. Yelp 5. Facebook Business Page 6. Yellow Pages (yp.com) 7. Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) 8. Your local Chamber of Commerce 9. Industry-specific directories 10. Nextdoor **Second-tier citations:** - Foursquare - Angi (formerly Angie's List) - Thumbtack - MapQuest - CitySearch - Local newspaper or community websites List your business on 15-20 quality directories. Quality matters more than quantity. A listing on your city's Chamber of Commerce website carries more weight than a listing on a random directory nobody visits. ## Step 5: Optimize Your Website for Local Search Your website needs to signal your location and services to Google. **Title tags:** Include your city and primary service in the title tag of your homepage and service pages. "Emergency Plumber in Denver, CO | ABC Plumbing" is clear and keyword-rich. **Meta descriptions:** Mention your location and key services. Write compelling descriptions encouraging clicks from search results. **Header tags:** Use H1 and H2 headings containing local keywords. "Plumbing Services in Denver" as an H1 tells Google exactly what the page is about. **Content:** Write naturally about your services and area. Mention neighborhoods, landmarks, and nearby cities you serve. This helps Google understand your service area. **Contact page:** Include your full NAP, an embedded Google Map, driving directions from major landmarks, and your service area details. **Schema markup:** Add LocalBusiness structured data to your website. This code helps Google understand your business type, location, hours, and contact information. Your web developer adds this in minutes. ## Step 6: Create Location-Specific Content If you serve multiple cities or neighborhoods, create dedicated pages for each location. A plumber serving Denver, Aurora, and Lakewood benefits from three separate pages optimized for each city. Each location page should include: - Services offered in the area - The specific address or service area - Customer testimonials from the area - Relevant local information - Unique content (not copied between pages) Do not create thin, duplicate pages with only the city name swapped out. Google detects and penalizes this practice. Write genuine content for each location. ## Step 7: Earn Local Backlinks Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to yours. Local backlinks from businesses, organizations, and publications in your area strengthen your local SEO. **Ways to earn local backlinks:** - Sponsor a local event, charity, or sports team (they link to sponsors) - Join your local Chamber of Commerce - Get featured in local news or blogs - Partner with complementary businesses for cross-promotion - Write guest posts for local publications - Host community events and promote them online - Offer expertise to local journalists through HARO (helpareporter.com) One link from your city's newspaper website carries more local SEO value than 50 links from random blogs. ## Step 8: Optimize for Mobile Most local searches happen on mobile devices. "Near me" searches are almost exclusively mobile. Your website must work perfectly on phones. **Mobile essentials:** - Loads in under 3 seconds on cellular connections - Text readable without zooming - Buttons large enough to tap - Click-to-call phone number - Easy-to-use forms - No horizontal scrolling Test your site on your own phone regularly. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test provides a detailed analysis. ## Step 9: Use Google Posts Google Posts are updates you publish directly to your Google Business Profile. They appear in your listing when people search for your business. Post weekly. Share: - Special offers or promotions - New services or products - Events - Tips related to your industry - Behind-the-scenes content Each post stays visible for seven days. Consistent posting signals to Google your business is active and engaged. ## Step 10: Monitor and Measure Track your local SEO progress with free tools: **Google Business Profile Insights:** Shows how people find your listing, what actions they take, and how your photos perform. **Google Search Console:** Reveals which search queries bring people to your website, your average position, and click-through rates. **Google Analytics:** Tracks website visitors, their behavior, and conversions. Review these metrics monthly. Look for trends in search visibility, website visits from local queries, and actions like phone calls and direction requests. ## Common Local SEO Mistakes to Avoid **Using a P.O. Box or virtual office address.** Google requires a real business location. Using a fake address risks suspension. **Stuffing keywords in your business name.** Adding "Best Plumber Denver" to your actual business name violates Google's guidelines. **Ignoring negative reviews.** Unanswered negative reviews hurt your reputation and signal poor customer service. **Inconsistent NAP information.** Every mismatch between your listings weakens your local signals. **Neglecting your website.** GBP optimization alone is not enough. Your website reinforces your local relevance. **Creating fake listings.** Multiple GBP listings for the same business at different addresses leads to suspension. ## Get Your Local SEO Score GradeMyBiz analyzes your Google Business Profile, website, reviews, listings, and competitive positioning. See your local SEO strengths and weaknesses in seconds. [Get your free local SEO grade at GradeMyBiz](https://grademybiz.vercel.app) ## For more on this topic, read [Business Directory Listings: Which Ones Actually Matter](/blog/business-directory-listings-matter). For more on this topic, read [How to Write Meta Descriptions That Get Clicks](/blog/how-to-write-meta-descriptions).Your First Week Plan Local SEO takes time to show results, but you start building momentum today: **Day 1:** Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile **Day 2:** Audit and fix your NAP across existing listings **Day 3:** Create your direct review link and ask 5 happy customers for reviews **Day 4:** List your business on Apple Maps, Bing Places, and Yelp **Day 5:** Update your website title tags and meta descriptions with local keywords **Day 6:** Add your full NAP and Google Map to your contact page **Day 7:** Write your first Google Post Repeat weekly: post on GBP, request reviews, and add one new citation. Within three months, you will see measurable improvement in your local search visibility. [Grade your local SEO for free](https://grademybiz.vercel.app)