10 On-Page SEO Tips to Enhance Your Google My Business Ranking

Your Google Business Profile ranking depends on more than just your Google listing. Your website plays a major role in how Google evaluates your local business.

We see this constantly: businesses obsess over their Google profile while ignoring their website, then wonder why they're stuck on page two of local results.

Here's how your website affects local rankings and what to fix.

How Website SEO Affects Local Rankings

Google's local algorithm considers three factors:

Relevance: How well you match what someone searched for

Distance: How close you are to the searcher

Prominence: How well-known and authoritative your business appears

You can't change your location. But you can significantly influence relevance and prominence through your website.

Website Changes That Improve Local Rankings

Get Your NAP Right

NAP means Name, Address, Phone number. This must be identical everywhere:

• Website header and footer
• Contact page
• Google Business Profile
• All directory listings
• Social profiles

Even small inconsistencies hurt you. "123 Queen Street" and "123 Queen St" are different to Google.

Pick one format. Use it everywhere.

Create Proper Location Pages

If you serve multiple areas, create dedicated pages for each. But don't just swap suburb names on identical content. Google sees through this and it screams "low effort."

A good location page includes:

• Genuine content about serving that area
• Local references that prove you know the area
• Specific services relevant to that location
• Embedded Google Map
• Local reviews if available

We've seen businesses jump from invisible to the top three in map results just by creating proper location pages.

Build Service-Specific Pages

One "Services" page with a bullet list wastes ranking potential.

Create individual pages for each major service. Target how people actually search:

• "Blocked drain Auckland" not "drainage services"
• "Hot water cylinder replacement" not "plumbing solutions"
• "Commercial cleaning Auckland CBD" not "cleaning services"

Each page should explain the service, include rough pricing guidance, and have a clear call to action.

Add LocalBusiness Schema

Schema markup tells Google explicitly what your business is. For local SEO, include:

• Business name, address, phone
• Opening hours
• Service areas
• Business type

This helps Google understand and display your information correctly. Test yours at Google's Rich Results Test.

Fix Your Mobile Experience

Over 60% of local searches happen on phones. If your site is slow or frustrating on mobile, you're losing both customers and ranking signals.

Check:

• Does it load in under 3 seconds on mobile?
• Can users tap phone numbers to call?
• Is text readable without zooming?
• Do forms work on small screens?

Run your site through PageSpeed Insights and fix what it flags.

Embed and Earn Reviews

Google reviews directly impact local rankings. Feature them on your website too:

• Embed Google reviews on your homepage or testimonials page
• Link to your Google profile making it easy to leave reviews
• Respond to all reviews, positive and negative

Businesses ranking in the map pack typically have significantly more reviews than those below them.

Create Local Content

Content targeting local topics signals relevance:

• Posts about local events relevant to your industry
• Guides specific to your area
• Local case studies and projects
• Community involvement

This also attracts local backlinks, which boost prominence.

Structure Internal Links Properly

How you link between pages affects how Google understands your business:

• Service pages should link to relevant location pages
• Location pages should link back to services
• Homepage should link to your main services
• Blog posts should link to relevant service pages

Optimise Your Contact Page

Your contact page should include:

• Full NAP matching your Google listing exactly
• Embedded Google Map
• Multiple contact methods
• Operating hours
• Service area description

This reinforces your location signals and often ranks for "[business name] contact" searches.

Build Website Authority

Google considers your overall website authority when ranking your local listing:

• Quality backlinks from other sites, especially local ones
• Mentions in local news and publications
• Listings on relevant directories
• Industry association memberships

A website with strong authority helps your Google Business Profile rank better.

Where to Start

If you're not sure what to tackle first:

• Audit NAP consistency across all platforms
• Create or improve location pages
• Add LocalBusiness schema
• Fix mobile speed issues
• Set up a system for getting reviews

These five changes have more impact than dozens of minor tweaks.

Measuring Progress

Track results through:

• Google Business Profile insights (views, clicks, calls)
• Search Console for local keyword rankings
• Actual enquiries and where they came from

Give changes 4-8 weeks to show results. Local SEO moves slower than other types, but compounds over time.

Need help improving your local search visibility? We do local SEO audits that show exactly what's holding your rankings back.