Local SEO basics: be found by people nearby

When someone searches for something "near me", they are usually ready to act. For businesses people visit in person — venues, studios, stays, shops — those searches are often worth more than any other traffic. These four foundations come before anything clever.

1. A complete business profile

Claim and complete your business profile on the major map and search platforms. Choose the most accurate primary category, add real photos, keep opening hours current, and use the description to say plainly what you do and for whom.

2. Consistent details everywhere

Your business name, address and phone number should match exactly across your website, profiles and directories. Inconsistencies make it harder for search engines to be confident that every listing is the same business.

3. Reviews, asked for and answered

Ask happy customers for a review at the moment they're happiest, and make it easy with a direct link. Reply to reviews — the good and the difficult — briefly and in a human voice. How you respond is read by every future customer.

4. Pages that match how people search

If you serve more than one area or offer distinct services, give each its own page with genuinely useful, specific content. One thin page per suburb doesn't help anyone; one clear page per real service or location does.

Get these right and measure the results in calls, direction requests and enquiries — not just rankings.