How to Improve Your Google Rankings and Get More Customers Finding You

If your business is not showing up on the first page of Google, you are almost certainly losing enquiries to competitors who are. Google holds over 90% of the UK search market, which means the vast majority of your potential customers are starting their search there, whether they are looking for a local tradesperson, a…

Published by DBS Digital on Sep 3, 2026

The fastest route to better rankings is not a secret tactic. It is a clear sequence of fixes: make sure Google can crawl and trust your site, target the right keywords, publish useful content that answers real questions, and build authority through links and local signals.

Quick Summary

Start with the pages that can win enquiries, not the ones with the most traffic.
Fix technical problems first if Google cannot crawl, index, or trust the site properly.
Target long-tail keywords that match what customers actually search for.
Strengthen service pages, Google Business Profile, and internal links before chasing backlinks.
Track rankings alongside leads, not in isolation.

This guide focuses on the actions most likely to translate into real enquiries and revenue, not just numbers on a dashboard.

Understand What Google Is Actually Looking For

Before you start making changes, it helps to understand the three core signals Google uses to decide where to rank your website.

Relevance – does your content match what the person searched for?
Authority – does Google trust your website enough to recommend it?
Experience – does your website deliver a fast, easy-to-use experience once someone clicks through?

On top of these, Google places significant weight on what it calls E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. In plain terms, Google wants to see that real, knowledgeable people are behind your website, and that your content reflects genuine expertise rather than filler written to game the algorithm.

Every action in this guide connects back to one or more of these signals. Keep that in mind as you work through them.

Target Keywords Your Customers Are Actually Searching For

One of the most common mistakes small businesses make is targeting keywords that are far too competitive. Trying to rank for a broad term like “accountant” or “plumber” puts you up against national directories and established brands with years of SEO investment behind them. You are unlikely to win that fight quickly.

The smarter approach is to focus on long-tail, locally specific keywords. These are longer phrases that your ideal customers actually type into Google, such as “accountant for small businesses in Lincoln” or “emergency plumber Grimsby.” They attract fewer searches overall, but the people searching are much closer to making a decision, which means they convert into enquiries at a higher rate.

How to find the right keywords

You do not need expensive software to get started. Try these free methods:

Type your main service into Google and look at the “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” sections at the bottom of the results page. These show you real queries your customers are using.
Use Google Search Console (free) to see which search terms are already bringing people to your site. You may find opportunities you have not yet optimised for.
Think like your customer. What problem are they trying to solve? What would they type if they had never heard of your business?

Once you have identified your target keywords, use them naturally in your page titles, headings, and body content. Avoid keyword stuffing as Google’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to penalise it.

Create Content That Proves Your Expertise

Google’s algorithm has changed significantly over the past few years. Publishing content purely to tick an SEO box no longer works. What Google rewards in 2026 is content that demonstrates genuine knowledge and provides real value to the reader.

For a small business, this is actually an advantage. You know your industry, your customers, and your local area better than any large national competitor. The key is to let that expertise show in your content.

What makes content rank well

Match search intent. Before writing anything, search your target keyword and look at what Google is already ranking. Is it blog posts, service pages, or FAQs? Match the format that Google is rewarding.
Answer specific questions. Use your blog to address the exact questions your customers ask you. A funeral director writing about “what to do in the first 24 hours after a bereavement” will attract highly relevant traffic and build enormous trust with their audience.
Write for people, not search engines. Clear, plain language that gets to the point performs better than dense, keyword-heavy prose. Keep paragraphs short and use headings to make content easy to scan.
Keep content updated. Outdated information signals to Google that your site is not actively maintained. Review key pages at least once a year.

If you have a blog, make sure it is doing SEO work for you. Our guide on 11 ways to optimise your blog for SEO covers the specific on-page changes that make the biggest difference.

Fix the Technical Issues That Hold Rankings Back

Your website could have outstanding content and still fail to rank if there are underlying technical problems preventing Google from crawling, indexing, or trusting it. Technical SEO does not need to be complicated, but the basics must be in place.

The technical checklist every small business should run through

HTTPS. If your website still shows “http://” rather than “https://”, Google flags it as not secure. This damages both rankings and visitor trust. Contact your hosting provider to get an SSL certificate installed.
Mobile friendliness. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily looks at the mobile version of your site when deciding where to rank it. If your site is difficult to use on a phone, your rankings will suffer.
Page speed. Slow websites frustrate users and are penalised by Google. Check your site for free using Google PageSpeed Insights and work through the issues it flags. Common culprits include large uncompressed images and unnecessary code.
Core Web Vitals. These are Google’s specific speed and usability metrics. The three to focus on are: how fast your main content loads (LCP, aim for under 2.5 seconds), how quickly the page responds to interaction (INP, aim for under 200ms), and how stable the page is while loading (CLS, aim for under 0.1).
Clean URLs. Descriptive URLs like /seo-services-lincolnshire tell Google and users exactly what a page is about. Generic URLs like /page?id=123 do not.
No broken links. Internal links that lead to error pages waste Google’s crawl budget and create a poor experience for visitors.

If you want a deeper look at what is holding your site back technically, our technical SEO services include a full audit that identifies and prioritises every issue.

Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local Visibility

For most UK small businesses, local SEO is the fastest route to more enquiries. When someone searches “accountant near me” or “web design agency Lincolnshire,” Google shows a map pack at the top of the results, featuring three local businesses. Appearing there can generate more leads than a standard page one organic ranking.

The foundation of local SEO is your Google Business Profile (GBP). It is free, it is powerful, and a surprising number of businesses either have not claimed it or have left it incomplete.

Getting the most from your Google Business Profile

Claim and verify your listing if you have not already done so.
Complete every section including your business category, description, opening hours, phone number, and website URL. Incomplete profiles rank lower.
Keep your NAP consistent. Your Name, Address, and Phone number must be identical across your website, your GBP, and any directory listings such as Yell or Thomson Local. Inconsistencies confuse Google and erode trust.
Add photos regularly. Businesses with photos receive significantly more clicks and direction requests than those without.
Collect and respond to reviews. The quantity and recency of your Google reviews are a significant local ranking signal. Ask satisfied customers to leave a review and respond professionally to every one, positive or negative.
Post updates. Treat your GBP like a social media profile. Regular posts about offers, news, or services signal to Google that your business is active.

For a step-by-step breakdown, read our guide on optimising your Google Business Profile.

Build Backlinks That Actually Move the Needle

Backlinks, which are links from other websites pointing to yours, remain one of Google’s strongest ranking signals. They act as votes of confidence. When a reputable website links to yours, Google interprets it as a signal that your content is worth recommending.

The critical point here is quality over quantity. One link from a respected local news outlet or an industry trade body is worth more than 100 links from low-quality directories. In fact, links from spammy or irrelevant sites can actively harm your rankings.

Practical ways to earn quality backlinks as a small business

Get listed in legitimate UK directories. Yell, Thomson Local, and your local Chamber of Commerce are good starting points. Make sure your NAP details are consistent across all of them.
Seek local press coverage. Regional newspapers and business journals often cover local business news. A new product launch, a charity partnership, or a milestone anniversary can all generate coverage with a link back to your site.
Pursue supplier and partner links. If you work with other businesses, ask whether they would add you to their website as a recommended partner or supplier.
Create content worth linking to. Original data, detailed how-to guides, and useful local resources naturally attract links from other websites that reference them.
Guest posting. Contributing an expert article to a reputable industry blog or local business publication builds both links and brand authority.

Our off-page SEO services cover link building, Google Business Profile management, and directory optimisation as part of a structured approach to building your site’s authority.

Track Your Progress and Keep Improving

SEO is not a one-time task. Rankings shift, competitors make changes, and Google updates its algorithm regularly. The businesses that sustain strong rankings are the ones that monitor their performance and adapt.

Key takeaway: You cannot improve what you do not measure. Set up tracking before you start making changes so you have a clear baseline to compare against.

The metrics worth tracking monthly

Organic traffic via Google Analytics 4. Is the number of visitors arriving from search increasing over time?
Keyword rankings via Google Search Console. Which queries are bringing people to your site, and are your target keywords moving in the right direction?
Click-through rate (CTR). If your page is appearing in search results but people are not clicking, your title tag or meta description may need work.
Core Web Vitals. Check these in Google Search Console under the “Experience” section. Failing scores are flagged and need attention.
Conversion rate. Ultimately, rankings only matter if they lead to enquiries or sales. Track how many of your organic visitors are taking the action you want them to take.

Review these figures at least once a month. Look for patterns: which pages are gaining traction, which keywords are close to page one (positions 5-15 are often the quickest wins), and where traffic is dropping off.

Understanding how long this process takes is just as important as knowing what to do. Our article on how long SEO takes to work sets realistic expectations so you can plan accordingly.

Where to Start if You Are Feeling Overwhelmed

If you have read this guide and are not sure where to begin, here is a simple priority order based on what tends to deliver the fastest results for small businesses.

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. This is free and can move the needle on local visibility within weeks.
Fix any technical issues flagged by Google PageSpeed Insights. Speed and mobile usability have a direct impact on rankings.
Identify two or three long-tail keywords and optimise your key service pages around them. Focus on the pages most likely to generate enquiries.
Publish one piece of genuinely useful content per month. Answer a question your customers regularly ask you. Consistency matters more than volume.
Build a handful of quality local backlinks. Start with directories, then work on press and partnerships.

You do not need to do everything at once. SEO is a long-term investment, and the compounding effect of consistent effort is far more valuable than a burst of activity followed by months of inaction.

If you would rather have an expert team handle this for you, or if you want a clear picture of where your site stands right now, our SEO services are designed to deliver measurable results for businesses across the UK. Get in touch and we will take a look at what is holding your rankings back.