How to Help People Find Your Business Online in North Vancouver

Shirin Niasati

Author

Shirin Niasati is a Product Owner and Website Developer at Persisca Technologies, specializing in digital solutions.

What Is Local SEO (In Simple Words)?

Local SEO is just a fancy way of saying “helping people in your area find your business on Google.” That’s it. When someone searches for “pizza near me” or “North Vancouver plumber,” local SEO is what helps your business show up.

If you’re not doing local SEO, you’re missing out on customers who are ready to call you, walk in, or book online. These are not people just browsing. These are people who need something now and want it close by.

Why This Matters So Much for North Vancouver

North Vancouver is full of small and medium-sized businesses. From dentists and real estate agents to local shops and tradespeople. People living here want to deal with someone local. They trust local. They search local.

And let’s be honest, competition is getting stronger every day. If your business doesn’t show up on Google Maps or on the first page when someone searches, then your competition gets the job — not you.

Real Examples of Local SEO Helping in North Van

Let’s say you run a dog grooming shop on Lonsdale. Someone nearby types “dog grooming near me” on their phone. If you’ve done local SEO right, your shop shows up. If you haven’t, they’ll go to someone else — maybe even farther away.

Or maybe you’re a handyman. You want people in Lynn Valley or Deep Cove to find you first when they search for “handyman North Vancouver.”

Local SEO helps make that happen.

What Makes Local SEO Different from Regular SEO?

Good question. Regular SEO is for big stuff. It’s for people trying to show up all across Canada, or even the world.

Local SEO is just for your area. It focuses on your city, your neighborhood, your streets.

Here’s the difference:

Regular SEO: “best accountant in Canada”
Local SEO: “accountant North Vancouver” or “tax help near Lonsdale”

Local SEO helps people who are actually close to you. These people can drive to you. Or call you. Or even stop by in person.

Why Google Business Profile Is Super Important

If you don’t already have a Google Business Profile (used to be called Google My Business), stop everything and make one. It’s free.

When someone searches for something nearby, that map pack with the top 3 businesses — that’s where you want to show up. And you can’t be there unless you have this profile filled out.

You need to:

Add your address
Put your business hours
Add photos of your store or work
Get real reviews from your happy customers
Reply to those reviews too

This stuff helps more than people think.

Reviews Matter More Than You Know

When people search on Google, they read reviews. They trust them. Even if they don’t know the person, a good review feels like a personal recommendation.

You need good reviews. You need recent ones. And yes, it’s okay to ask for them.

After you finish a job or help a customer, just ask: “Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review?” That’s it. Most people are happy to help if they’re happy with your service.

What About Keywords? Do They Still Matter?

Yes, but don’t overthink it. If you’re a hair salon in North Vancouver, then your site should have words like:

Haircut North Vancouver
Hair color Lonsdale
Local hairdresser near me

Use the words that your customers actually type when looking for you. Think simple. No fancy words needed.

You can add these to your:

Website homepage
About page
Service pages
Blog posts (like this one!)

Just don’t stuff a bunch of keywords. It should still sound natural.

Don’t Forget About Your Website

Your website should make it clear:

Where you are
What you do
How people can contact you

Put your business name, address, and phone number (also called NAP) on every page. Keep it exactly the same everywhere — on your site, on your Google Business Profile, on any directories.

If your info doesn’t match across the internet, Google gets confused. And when Google gets confused, you don’t show up as much.

Is Social Media Part of Local SEO?

Kind of, yes. It helps. If you have a Facebook or Instagram page, post once in a while. Tag your location. Mention your area.

Even better, if someone checks your Instagram and sees that you’re in North Vancouver, they feel closer to you. It builds trust.

You don’t have to go viral. You just need to show that you’re local and real.

What About Ads? Are They the Same?

Nope. Ads are like a short boost. Local SEO is more like a long game.

With local SEO, once your business starts showing up, it stays up — without paying every day. With ads, the moment you stop paying, you stop showing up.

Best idea? Do both if you can. Ads can help right now. Local SEO helps for the long run.

Some Easy Things You Can Do Today

Here’s a short to-do list to get your local SEO started:

Make or claim your Google Business Profile
Add your correct address, phone number, and hours
Upload real photos of your place or your work
Ask happy customers for reviews
Reply to all reviews (even bad ones)
Use simple keywords on your website
Make sure your info matches everywhere online
Add your location to your social posts
Link to your site from local directories
Keep doing all of this regularly

To Keep in Mind

If you’re running a business in North Vancouver and want more people to walk through your door, call you, or book online, then local SEO is not optional. It’s a must.

People are already searching. The question is — will they find you or someone else?

The good news? Local SEO is not some weird mystery. It’s just about showing Google and your customers that you’re close, you’re real, and you’re ready to help.

So don’t wait. Start with the basics. And if you ever feel stuck, ask someone who does this every day (like a marketing agency that works with local businesses).