Someone in McMinnville needs what you sell. They pull out their phone and Google it.
Do you show up? Or does your competitor?
That's what local SEO is about. And honestly, it's not that complicated—most businesses just never do the basics.
The One Thing That Matters Most
Your Google Business Profile. That's it. If you do nothing else, do this.
It's free. It's what shows up in the map results when people search. And most local businesses either haven't claimed theirs or set it up wrong.
Go do this right now:
- 1Go to business.google.com
- 2Claim your listing (or create one)
- 3Fill out every single field
- 4Add real photos—at least 10
- 5Pick the right category (be specific)
- 6Add your hours and update them for holidays
That's the foundation. Without this, nothing else matters.
The Consistency Problem
Here's something that trips up a lot of businesses: your name, address, and phone number need to be exactly the same everywhere.
Your website says "123 Main Street" but your Facebook says "123 Main St"? Google sees that as two different businesses. It hurts your rankings.
Check your listings on Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, the Chamber of Commerce site, anywhere your business appears. Make them all match. Exactly.
Reviews: The Right Way
Reviews matter. A lot. But you can't fake them—Google catches that stuff.
What actually works:
- Ask happy customers directly. Most will say yes if you just ask
- Send a follow-up email with a direct link to leave a review
- Put a QR code on your receipts or counter
- Respond to every review, including the bad ones (professionally)
Steady is better than sudden. Getting 1-2 reviews per month looks natural. Getting 20 in one week looks suspicious.
Your Website Needs to Tell Google Where You Are
Google can't read your mind. Your website needs to clearly say where you are and what you do.
**On your homepage:**
- Your city in the title
- Your location mentioned early in the text
- A Google Map embedded
- Your address in the footer
If you serve multiple areas, make separate pages. "Web Design McMinnville" and "Web Design Newberg" can both rank—but only if you have pages targeting each.
Getting Other Sites to Link to You
When other local websites link to yours, Google sees you as more legitimate. More connected to the community.
Some ways to make that happen:
- Join the Chamber of Commerce
- Sponsor local events or sports teams
- Get mentioned in the News-Register
- Partner with other local businesses
- Host events that get listed on community calendars
This takes time, but it compounds. Every quality local link makes the next one easier.
Mistakes I See All the Time
Not being mobile-friendly. Over 60% of local searches happen on phones. If your site doesn't work on mobile, you're invisible to most searchers.
Wrong business category. If you're a winery but you picked "Restaurant," you won't show up when people search for wineries. Be specific.
Keyword stuffing. "Best McMinnville Oregon wine tasting McMinnville wine" reads like garbage and Google penalizes it. Write like a human.
Ignoring negative reviews. A professional response to criticism shows you care. Arguing or ignoring looks terrible.
How Long This Takes
I'm going to be honest with you: SEO isn't instant.
- Google Business improvements: 2-4 weeks
- Website ranking improvements: 3-6 months
- Significant traffic growth: 6-12 months
The businesses that start now will be dominating local search next year. The ones that keep waiting will keep being invisible.
Want an Honest Assessment?
We do local SEO for Yamhill County businesses. If you want to know where you stand—what's working, what's broken, what to prioritize—reach out.
Free audit, no pitch. We'll tell you the truth about your situation, even if that truth is "you're actually doing fine, don't pay anyone for this."
That's how we operate.
