Local SEO: Getting Found in Columbus

What’s the hottest topic for small businesses in Columbus? Local SEO. Many believe it’s just about posting nonstop on social media or getting more Yelp reviews. While those tactics help, there’s more to it.

Whether you’re in Powell, Upper Arlington, Westerville, or right here in Columbus, your SEO is always on and should never be slept on as a small business.

So, if you want to climb the rankings in your sleep (like we did) and appear in not only local searches but also answer engines like ChatGPT or Bing Copilot, here’s how to get started.

1. Build a Review Program That Works

The more authentic reviews you have, the better. After every sale or service delivery, ask for feedback right away, especially from happy customers. If they had a bad experience, connect with them and address their issues before they become a negative review later. Automation should be used to intercept both positive and negative reviews.

One suggestion for improving reviews? Suggest keywords for customers to include that capture your primary business, services, and location. Search engines now analyze both sentiment and keyword relevance, which helps associate your brand with the right keywords in Columbus.

2. Fix Your Technical SEO

To be found locally, your site must be discoverable and functional to search engines. That means your schema markup, metadata, and site speed all need to be on point. Ensure your site functions flawlessly on mobile devices as well. Search engines prioritize accessibility and performance, and when all else is equal, they are the difference maker to outrank your competitors.

3. Understand Your Columbus Audience

Before writing another blog post or publishing another ad, you must have a solid local SEO strategy in place. Start by asking yourself:

Who are your ideal customers in Columbus?
What are they searching for, and why?
Are their searches informational or transactional?
How much search volume exists for those keywords?
How competitive are those terms?

If you don’t have answers to these questions, your marketing dollars could be going to waste. A Columbus marketing agency can help you uncover these insights and confirm that your SEO investment will be put to good use.

4. Write Local Content That Converts

Reviews are powerful, but content is what builds local visibility. Publishing blog posts that mention nearby communities, such as Dublin, Gahanna, or Hilliard, helps expand your reach. Each post should showcase your expertise while meeting Google’s E-E-A-T standards: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

Pro tip: include phrases like “near me” or “near Columbus” in your content to increase visibility in hyperlocal searches.

5. Optimize for Both Bing and Google

Everyone knows about Google Search Console. But don’t ignore Bing! Many businesses are unaware that Bing powers search in Microsoft Edge and answers in ChatGPT. To be visible across these platforms, focus on SEO and answer engine optimization (AEO), while keeping these in mind:

Meta titles should be under 60 characters.
Meta descriptions should be under 160 characters.
Alt tags should be on every image.
Schema markup that matches your content type must be used.
Open Graph data that is optimized for social platforms.

You’ll also need to periodically review Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to identify and resolve crawl errors, 404 errors, and slow-loading pages. After all, one broken page could cost you multiple leads in Columbus.

6. Use AI Tools Carefully

AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help brainstorm ideas and proofread content. However, don’t rely on them to write full articles. Search engines are trained to detect AI-generated content and penalize domains with low-quality text. In other words, utilize AI as a creative partner, not as a copywriter. Please note that GenAI abuse can result in your domain being removed from indexing.

7. Earn Quality Backlinks

Emphasis on the earn. Backlinks are crucial for SEO and AEO. Get started by joining local organizations, chambers of commerce, and professional associations. In addition, backlinks from credible sources, such as city directories or recognized institutions in Columbus, will enhance your authority and nudge search engines to promote your brand more than your competitors.

8. Show Up Everywhere in Columbus

For us, SEO is synonymous with Show Everywhere Optimization, which means putting your brand out there. As such, if you’re sponsoring an event, speaking at a conference, or collaborating with other local businesses, be sure to share it. Post on your website, tag partners on social media, and mention the neighborhoods you serve. Promoting and increasing your local exposure enhances digital credibility and improves your search engine ranking.

9. Stay Active on Social Media

Your social media presence signals to search engines that your business is active, relevant, and trustworthy. Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook can increase traffic to your site, indirectly improving your SEO. As a general rule of thumb, you should maximize social traffic and average time on site. Both are key factors in SEO ranking. Also, don’t forget about Google Posts within your Business Profile. It’s a simple yet overlooked tactic that, when done right, boosts engagement directly from search results.

10. Monitor SEO Results and Adjust

SEO isn’t something you can “set and forget.” On the contrary, search algorithms, browser updates, and user habits constantly change, which require periodic checks:

Review your analytics data.
Refine your approach accordingly.
Adapt your content to maintain strong rankings.

All of this takes time. In fact, we’ve seen our business partners take well over three months to outrank competitors on search engines and six months to outrank competitors on answer engines. Be patient!

11. Keep Your Business Listings Consistent

Your business listings (Google, Bing, Yelp, etc.) should all share identical information: name, address, phone, and even website URL. Ensure that you update your service areas and descriptions so that your Columbus customers can easily find you.

12. Avoid Shortcuts

Finally, there are no magic tricks in SEO. “Black hat SEO” and “Blue hat AEO” tactics can destroy your visibility overnight. Stay patient, be ethical, and remember, SEO and AEO are long-term problems to solve; consistent work always pays off!

The Bottom Line

If you’re ready to expand your lead generation in Columbus with local SEO, we can help! Uplancer is a marketing agency from Columbus, Ohio that specializes in helping you show up when it matters most: when your customers are using search engines and answer engines.