When someone in your neighborhood looks for a business or service like yours, you want to be sure that your small business:

Is included. You know what they say about the lottery: “You can’t win if you don’t play.” This is the same with local search. Make sure your business is listed on Google Places, Yelp, Manta and other top business directories so that when search engines crawl the web, they find and include your business in search results.

Is listed correctly. Many business owners add their business listings to directories and then forget about them. But if you move, open a new location, expand your hours or make other changes over time, customers might not be able to find you even if your business is the top search result. Make sure all your listing info is updated so search engines can find your up-to-date location and contact information.

Is a top result. As you know from personal experience, customers tend to click on one of the first few results returned in a web search. The above tips will help you rise in the ranks. You can further help your search ranking by having a mobile-friendly version of your website.

You’ll also want to add a few local keywords to your website and your business listing—think of words customers using “near me” searches are likely to use, such as the name of your neighborhood or city, and your industry. For example, you might write: “Emerald City Painters is the biggest interior and exterior professional house painting company in Seattle, Washington, serving Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Ballard, Magnolia, Cascade and the University District.”