You don't need to be an SEO genius to outrank your local competitors — you just need to avoid the mistakes most of them are making. After auditing dozens of small business websites, the same problems come up again and again. Fix these ten and you'll already be ahead.
1. Not Targeting Local Keywords
Trying to rank for "plumber" instead of "plumber in [your city]" is a losing battle. Local modifiers turn impossible keywords into winnable ones — the foundation of every Local SEO strategy.
2. Ignoring Your Google Business Profile
For local businesses, an incomplete or unclaimed Google Business Profile is the single biggest missed opportunity. Work through our profile optimisation checklist.
3. A Slow Website
Speed is a ranking factor and a conversion factor. If your mobile score is under 70, that's hurting you — see the speed guide.
4. Thin or Duplicate Content
Pages with a sentence or two, or text copied from suppliers, give Google nothing to rank. Each important page needs substantial, original content.
5. No Clear Keyword Per Page
Having five pages all targeting the same term makes them compete with each other. One keyword, one page — as covered in the on-page SEO checklist.
6. No Reviews Strategy
Reviews drive both rankings and trust, yet most businesses never systematically ask. Fix that with our guide to getting more Google reviews.
7. Inconsistent NAP
Different versions of your name, address, or phone number across directories confuse Google and suppress rankings. Make them identical everywhere.
8. Not Mobile-Friendly
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. A broken mobile experience hurts you everywhere — build mobile-first.
9. No Internal Linking
Pages with no internal links are islands. Linking your content together helps Google crawl and understand your site, and keeps visitors engaged longer.
10. Ignoring the Data
Without Google Search Console and analytics, you're guessing. These free tools show exactly what's working and what's broken. Fix the basics, measure, and improve — or let us audit it for you. Book a free call.
- Target local keywords and fully optimise your Google Business Profile
- Fix speed, thin content, and mobile issues — they hurt rankings directly
- Build a reviews system and keep your NAP consistent everywhere
- Link your content internally and target one keyword per page
- Don't quit at month two — and use Search Console to guide decisions