You Googled Yourself. You're on Page 3.
Your competitor, who started 2 years after you, is position 1.
Their website looks worse. Their service isn't better. But they're getting all the clicks.
What do they know that you don't?
Three things. And none of them are complicated.
Secret #1: They Optimized Their Google Business Profile (You Didn't)
Your Google Business Profile is responsible for 46% of your local search visibility.
Most businesses set it up once and forget it. That's a mistake.
What Winners Do:
Complete every field
- Business description (use keywords naturally)
- Services with descriptions
- Products if applicable
- Attributes (wheelchair accessible, etc.)
Post weekly
Google Business has posts. Nobody uses them. That's why they work.
- Offers: "20% off this week only"
- Updates: "New service available"
- Events: "Join us Saturday"
Photos. Lots of photos.
Businesses with 100+ photos get 520% more calls than those with fewer.
Upload:
- Interior shots
- Exterior shots
- Team photos
- Product/service photos
- Customer photos (with permission)
Answer every question
The Q&A section is a ranking factor. Seed it yourself with common questions.
Secret #2: They Have NAP Consistency (You Don't)
NAP = Name, Address, Phone Number
Google cross-references your NAP across the internet. If it's inconsistent, you look untrustworthy.
Where Your NAP Needs to Match EXACTLY:
- Google Business Profile
- Website header and footer
- Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- Industry directories
- Chamber of Commerce
- BBB
"Pacific Pulse Growth Lab" ≠ "Pacific Pulse LLC"
"Suite 100" ≠ "Ste 100"
"(808) 555-1234" ≠ "808-555-1234"
Every variation hurts you.
The Fix:
- Google your business name
- Click every result
- Update NAP to match exactly
- Takes 2 hours. Worth 10 positions.
Secret #3: They Get Reviews (You Hope for Them)
We covered reviews in another post. But here's the local SEO angle:
Google prioritizes businesses with:
- More reviews
- More recent reviews
- Higher star ratings
- Reviews with keywords
"Great massage" is fine.
"Great deep tissue massage for lower back pain in Honolulu" is SEO gold.
How to Get Keyword-Rich Reviews:
Don't ask "Can you leave us a review?"
Ask "Could you mention what service you got and what you liked about it?"
Now they naturally include keywords.
The Audit You Need to Do Today
Step 1: Search Your Main Keyword
"[Service] + [City]" - Example: "massage therapy honolulu"
Where are you? Where are competitors?
Step 2: Look at Position 1's Profile
- How complete is it?
- How many photos?
- How many reviews?
- How often do they post?
Step 3: Count Your Gap
They have 200 photos. You have 12. Gap = 188 photos needed.
They have 150 reviews. You have 30. Gap = 120 reviews needed.
Step 4: Close the Gap
This isn't magic. It's math.
The 90-Day Local SEO Sprint
Month 1: Foundation
- Complete Google Business Profile 100%
- Fix NAP everywhere
- Add 50 photos
Month 2: Reviews
- Implement review system
- Get 30+ new reviews
- Respond to all existing reviews
Month 3: Content
- Weekly Google posts
- Add 30 more photos
- Get 30 more reviews
Result: Position 1-3 for your main keywords.
It's Not Complicated. It's Just Work.
Your competitor isn't a genius. They're just consistent.
They post weekly. You don't.
They ask for reviews. You hope.
They update their profile. You forgot the password.
Want us to do your local SEO? We'll audit, optimize, and manage the whole thing.
