What happened
A user in r/localseo asked about fast-growth tactics for local SEO, and the responses showed something interesting: there are no shortcuts. The things that actually work are the basics that most businesses ignore.
Why are businesses still looking for magic bullets?
Here’s what’s actually happening: while you’re searching for “killer tactics” or “growth hacks,” your competitors are quietly winning by getting the basics right. And those basics? They’re sitting right under your nose.
The biggest problem isn’t that local SEO is complicated – it’s that most business websites are a mess. Your site structure probably confuses both visitors and Google. If someone lands on your homepage looking for gutter cleaning in Aurora, they shouldn’t need a treasure map to find it.
Location-specific landing pages work because Google literally matches “[service] [location]” searches to pages that say exactly that. You’re not gaming the system; you’re just being clear about what you offer and where.
And your Google Business Profile? It’s doing more heavy lifting for your business visibility than any fancy SEO trickery ever will. Not optimizing it is like having a storefront with no sign.
Our take
Most business owners overthink local SEO. They chase backlinks (links from other websites to yours) or obsess over technical details while ignoring what actually gets results: a website that works for both humans and search engines.
Start with these two questions: Can someone land on my website and immediately understand what I do and where I serve? Is my Google Business Profile complete with photos, hours, and regular updates?
Schema markup (code that helps search engines understand your content) makes a difference, especially when combined with that clean site structure. Adding blog content about local issues – not generic advice – builds trust and helps you increase online presence with people actually searching for help in your area.
The “People Also Ask” section on Google? If you can get featured there by answering common questions well, you’ll see traffic. Reviews and proper GBP categories are proven things that just work.
There’s no magic bullet here. The businesses winning at local SEO are simply doing the basic work consistently. Skip the shortcuts and build something solid.