Our first client was Creston Group, a company with three quite different services under one roof: tax and accounting, employment placement, and PSW care. I rebuilt their website, and the SEO work that followed started with a question that applies to almost any local business: when someone searches for what you do, why would Google pick you?
I have only just started that SEO work, so I have no ranking results to show you. What I can share is the checklist I am working through, in the order I think it matters.
Fix the website before anything else
No amount of SEO rescues a slow, confusing site. Open yours on a phone, on mobile data. If it takes more than a few seconds, or you cannot find the phone number without hunting, stop there and fix that first. Everything below works better on a site that loads fast and is clear.
One page per service
This was the biggest decision on the Creston rebuild. Three services meant three audiences who want different things, so each division got its own path instead of everything sharing one page. A page that tries to rank for ten services usually ranks for none. Give each service its own page with a clear title, a plain description of what you do, who it is for and how to get in touch.
Google Business Profile
For local searches this is often the first thing people see. Claim it, verify it, pick the most accurate main category and fill in everything: services, hours, photos, a link to your site. Then keep it alive. An abandoned profile looks worse than none.
Keep your details identical everywhere
Business name, address and phone number should read the same on your site, your profile and any directory. It sounds boring because it is, and it is also one of the easiest things to get wrong.
Titles and descriptions
These are your advert in the results. Put the service in the title, say something a person would actually want to click, and do not stuff keywords. If you would not click it yourself, rewrite it.
Reviews, honestly earned
Ask real customers, soon after you have helped them, with a direct link so it takes ten seconds. Do not buy reviews or write your own. Customers can tell, and it breaks the rules of the platforms.
Measure the thing that pays you
Connect Search Console and analytics, but watch calls and form enquiries more closely than rankings. A page that ranks and brings no enquiries is a problem to fix, not a win.
If you do only three things this week: complete your Google Business Profile, give each core service its own page, and test your site on a phone. For help, see our SEO services or send us a message.