What to Fix First on Your Local Site (If You Only Have 1 Hour)
Not ready to “do SEO,” but still want your website to show up better?
Good. You don’t need to overhaul everything.
If you’ve got an hour, here’s what to focus on first.
These are the changes that make the biggest difference fastest—especially for local service businesses.
1. Fix Your Homepage Title Tag
This is the blue clickable link that shows up in Google search results.
Make sure it clearly says:
[Service] in [City] | Your Business Name
Examples:
- Spray Foam Insulation in Albany | Upstate Foam Pros
- Pet Grooming in Troy, NY | The Wash House
- Electricians in Schenectady | Redline Electric Co.
You can usually edit this in your SEO plugin (like Rank Math or Yoast).
If you only fix one thing today—make it this.
2. Rewrite Your Homepage Headline (H1)
It should match your service + city.
No slogans. No welcome messages.
Just clarity.
“Professional Spray Foam Insulation in Albany, NY”
“Reliable Pet Grooming in Troy, NY”
If someone can land on your homepage and know what you offer and where—you’ve done your job.
3. Submit Your Site to Google
If you haven’t already, go to Google Search Console and:
- Add your site
- Submit your homepage URL
- Request indexing
This tells Google your site exists (many business owners forget this step entirely).
4. Claim or Update Your Google Business Profile
Go to google.com/business and make sure:
- Your listing is claimed
- Your hours, phone, and categories are correct
- Your business name matches your site
- You upload at least 1–2 real photos
Bonus: Ask one happy customer to leave a review this week.
5. Add Your City and Service to Your Footer
Most sites hide the good stuff at the top and bottom.
Help Google out—drop a short sentence in your footer like:
Proudly serving Albany, NY and the Capital Region with residential spray foam insulation.
It’s a small thing. But small things stack.
TL;DR: Your 1-Hour Fix List
- Update your homepage title tag
- Write a real H1
- Submit your site to Google
- Claim your business profile
- Add city/service to your footer
That’s it. You can do it on your lunch break.
