Local SEO and Google Guide for Small Businesses

When someone nearby searches for what you do, you want to be one of the businesses they see. Local SEO is how that happens: a complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews, useful pages and a website Google can read easily.

This guide brings together our plain-English articles on local search, in a sensible order. Start with the basics, then work through your Google Business Profile, reviews, content and the technical checks.

Start with the basics

How local search works and what to focus on first.

Local SEO for Melbourne’s South East: How to Get Found by Customers Near YouIf you run a business in Melbourne's South East - Pakenham, Berwick, Cranbourne, Officer, Narre Warren, or anywhere along the corridor - your next…Read the guide Do You Need “AI SEO”? What Google Actually Says About AI AnswersBusinesses across Melbourne's south east are being sold monthly AI SEO packages. Google's own documentation says no special optimisation is required - here is what actually decides whether an assistant…Read the guide Local SEO Companies Near Me: How to Compare QuotesCompare local SEO proposals by the work, evidence and account access included. A practical guide for business owners across Melbourne's south-east.Read the guide

Your Google Business Profile

Set up, maintain and keep improving your listing.

Own Your Google Business Profile: A Step-by-Step Setup GuideBefore someone visits your website, calls your business, or drives to your door, there is a very good chance they will meet you first…Read the guide Google Business Profile Posts: What to Share and How OftenPosts appear on your Business Profile right where customers compare options. What they are, what to share, how to write them and how often to post.Read the guide Local Business Directories: Which Ones Matter and WhyWhich directory listings are worth your time, why consistent business details matter more than volume, and how to avoid paying for listings that do nothing.Read the guide

Reviews

Earn more reviews and respond well to all of them.

How to Get More Google Reviews Without Breaking the RulesPractical ways to get more Google reviews from happy customers, and what Google and the ACCC say you must not do, from incentives to review gating.Read the guide How to Collect and Use Customer Testimonials (the Right Way)Specific, genuine testimonials win customers. How to collect them, what makes them convincing, where to use them and what the ACCC expects.Read the guide

Content and keywords

Pages and posts that match what customers search for.

How to Structure a Service Page That Ranks and ConvertsService pages do the heavy lifting on most small business websites. A section-by-section structure that helps customers find you and gives them a reason to get in touch.Read the guide

Technical SEO

Help Google crawl and understand your website.

Google Search Console for Beginners: A Small Business GuideHow to set up Google Search Console and use the reports that matter most for a small business, from search queries and indexing to security alerts, with a monthly routine.Read the guide Why Is My Website Slow? What Core Web Vitals Actually MeasureGoogle measures website speed with three numbers: LCP, INP and CLS. Here is what each one means, where the scores come from, and what to fix first.Read the guide

More guides on this topic are on the way. They are added here as soon as they are published.