The simplest way to win “near me” searches
If you’ve ever searched for “sushi near me,” “dance class near me,” or “dentist near me” while standing outside your house… you already understand Local SEO better than most people who write about it.
This is Part 1 of a short series on Local SEO. Let’s start with the easiest way to get customers who are actually looking for you- using the most powerful keyword of all: “near me.”
What Google actually means by “near me”
When someone searches “kids art class near me,” Google is silently asking three questions:
Are you real?
Are you actually nearby?
Do enough people trust you?
Your website keywords matter far less here. Your Google Business Profile matters far more.
So if you do only one thing this week, do this 👇
Treat your Google Business Profile like your homepage
Most people set it up once… and forget it for years. That’s a mistake. We need to optimize the page every now and then so that our business ranks for “near me” searches.
1. Pick ONE primary category (don’t overthink it)
Choose the category that best describes what you sell—not everything you do.
Bad:
“Education, Kids Activities, Coaching, Events”
Good:
“Children’s Gymnastics Center”
or “Dance School”
or, like in the screenshot above, “Japanese Restaurant”
Google likes clarity—just like us humans 🙂
2. Your description should sound boring (that’s good)
Write a simple, factual description using location + service.
Example:
”We run kids dance and movement classes in Bethany, Portland, for ages 3–10. Classes run on weekday evenings and weekends.”
Nothing overcomplicated.
3. Add photos like you’re proving you exist
This one is wildly underrated.
Add:
Your storefront / entrance
Inside of the space
People attending classes (with permission)
Signboards with your business name
Or like the screenshot below pictures of your top-selling dishes
Why this matters:
Google uses photos as reality checks.
No photos = harder to trust = fewer “near me” impressions.
Also, photos are the biggest conversion driver for local businesses.
4. Reviews beat keywords (every single time)
For “near me” searches, reviews are ranking fuel. Like images, reviews are decision-makers.
Two important rules:
Ask every happy customer for a review (consistently)
Reply to every review (even the short ones). This is a goldmine- most businesses don’t do it
Pro tip:
When replying, casually mention your service + location.
Example:
Thanks so much! We love running weekend art classes for kids here at our centre on Bethany, Portland.
The “near me” mindset shift
Most people ask:
“How do I rank for ‘near me’?”
A better question is:
“How do I make it obvious that I’m nearby, legit, and trusted?”
If Google can answer that confidently, rankings follow.
Next week:
I’ll continue on the Local SEO bandwagon and share one more nugget you can probably implement within a week.
Until then,
optimise the one page that matters most :)
- Kabandi
Founders and Floors