What Is Local SEO? A Simple Guide to Attracting More Customers Online
Running a small business means you’re always looking for ways to bring in more customers. You’ve probably heard about SEO, but what does it actually mean for your business? And more importantly, how can it help you get a steady stream of customers without breaking the bank?
Let’s break down local SEO in simple terms and show you exactly how it can become your most reliable source of new customers.
Think of local SEO as making your business easy to find online when people in your area search for what you offer.
When someone near you searches “plumber near me” or “best pizza in [your city],” local SEO is what determines whether your business shows up first or gets buried on page three (where nobody looks).
Local SEO focuses on three main areas:
The goal is simple: when potential customers search for services like yours, you want to be one of the first businesses they see.
| Marketing Method | Average Cost Per Lead | Time to See Results | Targeting Accuracy | Long-term Value |
| Local SEO | $50-100 | 3-6 months | High (Intent-based) | Compounds over time |
| Google Ads | $100-300 | Immediate | Medium | Stops when you stop paying |
| Facebook Ads | $75-200 | 1-2 weeks | Medium | Requires constant budget |
| Direct Mail | $200-500 | 2-4 weeks | Low | One-time impact |
| Radio/TV | $300-800 | Varies | Very Low | Short-term awareness |
Note: Costs vary by industry and location. Local SEO provides the best long-term ROI.
Here’s the thing about search engines like Google – they want to show people the most helpful, relevant results. Your job is to prove that your business is exactly what local customers are looking for.
This happens through a process that looks at several factors:
Your Website Content: Google reads your website to understand what services you offer and where you’re located. If you’re a dentist in Portland, your website needs to clearly communicate both of those facts.
Your Google Business Profile: This is often the first thing customers see when they find your business online. It includes your address, phone number, hours, photos, and customer reviews.
Online Reviews and Mentions: When people talk about your business online – whether through reviews, social media posts, or mentions on other websites – it signals to Google that you’re an active, legitimate business.
Technical Website Elements: Behind the scenes, your website needs to be structured in a way that search engines can easily read and understand.
Website Optimization (30%) + Google Business Profile (25%) + Online Reviews (20%) + Local Citations (15%) + Content Marketing (10%) = Local SEO SuccessGetting started with local SEO doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s a step-by-step approach that works:
Before you start changing anything on your website, you need to understand what terms your customers use when they’re looking for businesses like yours.
Don’t assume you know – actually research it. Someone looking for a house painter might search for “painters near me,” “house painting services,” or “exterior painting contractors.” Each of these represents a potential customer finding your business.
| Industry | High-Intent Keywords | Monthly Searches* | Competition Level |
| Plumbing | “emergency plumber near me” | 8,100 | High |
| “24 hour plumber [city]” | 2,900 | Medium | |
| Dentistry | “dentist near me” | 74,000 | High |
| “teeth cleaning [city]” | 1,600 | Low | |
| Restaurants | “best pizza [city]” | 5,400 | Medium |
| “restaurants open now” | 12,100 | High | |
| Hair Salons | “hair salon near me” | 27,100 | High |
| “hair color specialist [city]” | 880 | Low |
*Average monthly searches in mid-sized cities (100k-500k population)
Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or even just typing into Google and seeing what comes up can give you ideas for the terms your customers actually use.
Look at the businesses that currently show up when you search for your services in your area. What are they doing on their websites? What kind of content are they creating? How are their Google Business Profiles set up?
You’re not copying them – you’re understanding what’s already working in your market so you can do it better.
Now comes the actual work of making your online presence better:
Website Optimization: Make sure your website clearly states what you do and where you’re located. Include your target keywords naturally in your content, page titles, and descriptions.
Google Business Profile: Complete every section of your profile. Add photos, respond to reviews, post updates, and make sure all your information is accurate and consistent.
Content Creation: Regularly create helpful content that your customers would actually want to read. This could be blog posts, social media updates, or videos that showcase your expertise.
| Element | Completion Rate Impact | Action Required |
| ✅ Business Name, Address, Phone | +15% visibility | Ensure 100% accuracy |
| ✅ Business Hours (including holidays) | +10% visibility | Update seasonally |
| ✅ Business Categories | +12% visibility | Choose primary + 5 secondary |
| ✅ High-quality photos (10+) | +8% visibility | Upload monthly |
| ✅ Regular posts (2-3/week) | +6% visibility | Share updates, offers, news |
| ✅ Customer Q&A responses | +5% visibility | Monitor and respond weekly |
| ✅ Review responses (all reviews) | +7% visibility | Respond within 24 hours |
Total Potential Visibility Increase: 63%
Here’s something most business owners don’t realize: when someone searches for local services, Google often shows a map with three businesses highlighted at the top. This is called the “Local Pack,” and getting into those top three spots can transform your business.
| Position | Percentage of Clicks | Monthly Potential (1000 searches) |
| 1 | 33% | 330 clicks |
| 2 | 24% | 240 clicks |
| 3 | 18% | 180 clicks |
| 4-10 | 25% | 25 clicks each |
The top 3 positions get 75% of all clicks!
These three businesses get the majority of clicks from local searches. If you’re not in the top three, you’re missing out on a huge number of potential customers every single day.
Getting into the top three requires:
The businesses that consistently show up in the top three aren’t necessarily the biggest or oldest – they’re the ones that have done the work to optimize their online presence.
| Month | Focus Area | Expected Results | Key Metrics |
| Month 1-2 | Foundation Setup | Profile completion, initial optimization | Google Business Profile score: 80%+ |
| Month 3-4 | Content & Reviews | Improved local rankings | 5+ new reviews, 2-3 keyword improvements |
| Month 5-6 | Authority Building | Consistent top 10 rankings | 50% increase in map views |
| Month 7-12 | Optimization & Growth | Top 3 local pack positions | 200%+ increase in website traffic |
| Year 2+ | Market Domination | Sustained #1-3 rankings | Steady lead flow, reduced marketing costs |
While you can certainly start working on SEO yourself, there’s a reason many successful businesses work with SEO professionals.
At Scale and Grow, we’ve seen how the right approach to local SEO can completely change a business’s trajectory. We focus on both the content side (what customers see) and the technical side (how search engines understand your website).
This means:
The technical aspects – things like website speed, mobile optimization, and proper site structure – often require specialized knowledge to get right.
| Approach | Initial Investment | Monthly Time Investment | 6-Month Results | 12-Month ROI |
| DIY Approach | $200 (tools) | 15-20 hours | 20-30% improvement | 150-200% |
| Professional | $2,000-5,000 | 2-3 hours (oversight) | 100-200% improvement | 400-800% |
| Hybrid Approach | $1,000-2,000 | 8-10 hours | 60-120% improvement | 300-500% |
ROI calculated based on average local business seeing $50-100 revenue per website visitor
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is treating SEO as a one-time project. The businesses that see the best results from SEO are the ones that consistently create helpful content for their customers.
Week 1-4: 📝 Content Creation → Building foundation
Week 5-12: 📈 Initial Rankings → Google starts noticing
Week 13-24: 🎯 Targeted Traffic → Qualified leads increase
Week 25-52: 🏆 Authority Status → Dominate local search
Year 2+: 💰 Compound Growth → Reduced marketing costsThis doesn’t mean you need to write a blog post every day. It means regularly sharing your expertise in ways that help potential customers. This could be:
Every piece of helpful content you create is another opportunity for potential customers to find your business online.
| Week | Content Type | Topic Ideas | SEO Benefit |
| Week 1 | Educational Blog Post | “How to [solve common problem]” | Target long-tail keywords |
| Week 2 | Before/After Showcase | Recent project photos + story | Build trust, local relevance |
| Week 3 | FAQ Video/Post | Answer 3-5 common questions | Capture voice search queries |
| Week 4 | Local Community Focus | Local event, partnership, news | Strengthen local authority |
Monthly Goal: 4 pieces of content = 48 pieces per year = Significant SEO boost
Here’s the honest truth about SEO: it’s not a quick fix. But that’s actually good news.
Because SEO takes time to build momentum, businesses that stick with it consistently see compounding results. The work you do this month helps your rankings next month, which helps even more the month after that.
Month 1: 🌱 (10 visitors)
Month 3: 🌿 (50 visitors)
Month 6: 🌳 (200 visitors)
Month 12: 🏞️ (800 visitors)
Month 24: 🌲🌲🌲 (2000+ visitors)Think of SEO as compound interest for your business. The early investments might seem small, but they build on each other over time to create significant results.
Most businesses start seeing improvements in their local search visibility within 3-6 months of consistent SEO work. But the businesses that really succeed with SEO are the ones that view it as a long-term investment rather than a short-term marketing campaign.
| Priority | Action Item | Time Required | Impact Level |
| HIGH | Claim & optimize Google Business Profile | 2 hours | Immediate |
| HIGH | Add location + services to website | 1 hour | High |
| MEDIUM | Create first 3 blog posts | 6 hours | Medium |
| MEDIUM | Set up review collection system | 3 hours | High |
| LOW | Social media optimization | 2 hours | Low |
Total time investment: 14 hours for foundation setup
Local SEO isn’t magic – it’s a systematic approach to making your business more visible to the customers who are already looking for what you offer.
Start with the basics: make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate, create a website that clearly explains what you do and where you’re located, and begin regularly creating helpful content for your customers.
Remember, every day you wait is another day your competitors might be getting customers who could have found your business instead.
The businesses that win with local SEO aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets – they’re the ones that consistently do the work to serve their customers better online.
Don’t let another potential customer slip away to your competition. The businesses that start their local SEO journey today will be the ones dominating search results tomorrow.
Contact Scale and Grow today and let’s create a local SEO strategy that brings you consistent, qualified leads every month.