Rank Higher Locally: 30-Minute SEO Course for Small Business

Your Google Business Profile is the single most important factor in whether your business shows up in local search results.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to quickly optimize your profile so Google clearly understands what you do, where you’re located, and when to show your business to potential customers.

We’ll walk through the key sections of your profile—including categories, services, business description, and hours—and show you exactly what to update for better visibility.

Most businesses leave these areas incomplete or set up incorrectly. Fixing them is one of the fastest ways to improve your rankings.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Identify gaps and missed opportunities in your current profile

• Optimize the most important fields for local rankings

• Make simple updates that can immediately improve your visibility

Reviews are one of the biggest drivers of local rankings—and one of the biggest factors customers use to choose a business.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how reviews impact your visibility on Google and what actually matters: volume, recency, and your overall rating.

We’ll also cover simple, practical ways to consistently generate more 5-star reviews without overcomplicating the process.

Most businesses don’t have a system for getting reviews. Once you do, it becomes one of the most powerful (and easiest) ways to grow.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Understand how reviews influence your rankings and customer decisions

• Identify what makes a strong review profile

• Implement a simple system to generate more 5-star reviews

Photos and videos are one of the most overlooked ways to improve your visibility on Google—and build trust with potential customers.

In this lesson, you’ll see how adding real, consistent visual content to your Google Business Profile can signal relevance, increase engagement, and help your business stand out in local search results.

We’ll walk through what types of photos and videos to upload, how often to add them, and where they appear across Google.

Most businesses rarely update their visuals—giving you an easy opportunity to get ahead.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Understand how photos and videos impact local rankings and engagement

• Identify the best types of content to upload

• Start adding consistent visual updates to improve your visibility

Most businesses set up their Google Business Profile once—and then never touch it again. That’s a missed opportunity.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how posting regular updates (offers, events, product highlights, and announcements) helps signal to Google that your business is active and relevant.

We’ll walk through where to post, what to post, and how often—so you can stay visible without spending a lot of time.

This is one of the easiest ways to keep your profile fresh and give customers a reason to choose you.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Understand how regular updates impact visibility and engagement

• Create simple posts that keep your profile active

• Build a quick habit to stay consistent without overthinking it

If you want to rank for a specific service or product, you need a dedicated page for it—your homepage alone isn’t enough.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create focused pages that match what your customers are actually searching for, like “dog grooming in Denver” or “equipment rental near me.”

We’ll walk through what a strong page looks like, what to include, and how to structure it so Google clearly understands what you offer and when to show your business.

Most websites try to rank everything on one page. Breaking things out properly is one of the fastest ways to improve your visibility.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Understand why dedicated pages are critical for local rankings

• Identify what pages your business should have

• Structure a page that is optimized for both Google and your customers

You don’t need to create dozens of new pages to rank for more searches—you can expand the ones you already have.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how adding a simple FAQ section to your pages helps you show up for more of the questions your customers are already searching on Google.

We’ll walk through how to find real questions (using Google autocomplete and common customer inquiries) and how to add them to your pages in a way that improves visibility.

This is one of the easiest ways to capture more search traffic without a lot of extra work.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Identify the questions your customers are searching for

• Add effective FAQ sections to your pages

• Increase your chances of ranking for more long-tail searches

Getting traffic is only half the battle—your website also needs to turn visitors into customers.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to make simple changes that increase calls, visits, and sales once people land on your site.

We’ll walk through what a high-converting local website looks like, including clear headlines, strong calls-to-action, and making it easy for customers to contact or find you.

Most websites focus only on ranking, but small improvements in conversion can make a big difference in results.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Identify common issues that hurt conversions

• Improve key elements like headlines, calls-to-action, and contact visibility

• Turn more of your website visitors into real customers

Your business doesn’t just need to exist on Google—it needs to be consistently listed across the web.

In this lesson, you’ll learn why directories like Yelp, Facebook, and Bing still play an important role in local SEO, and how they help reinforce your business information for better rankings.

We’ll walk through what “consistency” means (your name, address, and phone number) and how small mismatches can hurt your visibility.

This is a simple but powerful way to build trust with both Google and your customers.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Understand how directory listings impact local rankings

• Identify and fix inconsistencies in your business information

• Strengthen your online presence across key platforms

Local SEO isn’t something you set once and forget—it works best when you stay consistent.

In this final lesson, you’ll learn a simple monthly routine you can follow in just 10 minutes to maintain and improve your rankings over time.

We’ll walk through a quick checklist—asking for reviews, adding photos, posting updates, and checking your information—so you always stay active and relevant in Google’s eyes.

This is what turns everything you’ve learned in this course into long-term results.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

• Follow a simple monthly routine to keep improving your rankings

• Stay consistent without spending a lot of time

• Build momentum that leads to more visibility and more customers

If you want to improve your local SEO, having the right tools makes a big difference.

In this video, I break down three of my go-to tools for local businesses: BrightLocal, Whitespark, and LocalFalcon.

These tools help you track rankings, manage citations, and understand how your business is performing in Google Maps—so you can make smarter decisions and improve your visibility.

If you’re serious about showing up in local search, these are a great place to start.