Free Ways to Increase Google Search Ranking: a Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide to Local SEO

Want to get your website on the front page of Google?

This step-by-step guide walks you through 10 proven SEO strategies, like keywording and backlinking, that can increase your search ranking using only grit and free SEO tools. No budget? No problem.

Trying to rank on Google feels like playing Monopoly against tech billionaires and government agencies. The house rules keep changing, the game feels rigged, and someone has already built hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place! But don’t worry. You don’t have to bribe anyone or spend a small fortune. You just need some good digital marketing tips and a solid SEO strategy. Let’s talk about search engine optimization! Here’s how to get your small business website seen online without paying for ads.

Search engines like Google work by crawling and indexing content across the internet using bots called spiders. These bots evaluate each web page’s content and structure to determine what it’s about and how trustworthy it is, and they rank it based on over 200 factors, including keyword relevance, backlinks, and user engagement. The higher a page ranks, the more visible a site is to people searching for those services. Here is a beginner-friendly roadmap of free ways to boost local SEO and show up in Google search results (with only mild existential rage).

1. Website Metadata (Title, Description, etc.)

Your website’s title and description are the first impression your page makes. That metadata is the first thing users will see when you show up in Google search results. The title tag tells search engines the main focus of the page, and the meta description summarizes the content. Both directly affect click-through rates. A higher click-through rate sends positive signals to Google’s algorithm, suggesting that the result is useful and deserves a better position. Optimizing this metadata is one of the easiest ways to boost local SEO without technical skills.

Good internal metadata also helps Google determine relevancy, so it’s essential to place primary keywords early in both the title and the meta description. For example, if a page is about wedding photography in Charleston, the title should read something like “Charleston Wedding Photography” rather than just “Home” or “Gallery.” If you’re not sure where to begin, ask any free AI chatbot to generate the title and metadata HTML tags for you. Don’t pay someone!

2. SEO Keyword Web Copy

Keywords are the language of Google bots, so web pages must reflect that language clearly. Free SEO tools like Ubersuggest, Keywords Everywhere, Google Keyword Planner, and Answer the Public can help you choose keyword phrases that people actually search for. Google assesses how often and where terms appear on the page. Placing keywords in the URL, title tag, first paragraph, subheadings, alt text, and meta description helps search engines confidently classify the page. Within the main body of the content, keywords should appear naturally two or three times for shorter pages and up to five or six times for long-form content.

Website pages should be created for each individual service that you offer and for each service area that you cover. If someone offers pet grooming and boarding in Charleston and Summerville, each city AND service should have its own page. This allows those pages to rank individually for searches like “Charleston pet grooming” and “Summerville dog grooming.” URL structures should also reflect keywords. Instead of “site.com/page1,” use “site.com/summerville-pet-grooming.”

Keyword use in webcopy should be purposeful. Avoid “stuffing” — inserting keywords randomly and excessively in a way that is distracting and obvious to users. Place keywords in the first 100 words of the copy, in headers, in at least one image alt text, and naturally throughout the content. Keywords should appear 3–4 times in shorter content, but for long-form content (2000+ words), as many as 6–8 times may be appropriate.

Website keywording and backlink building in particular should be massive, ongoing efforts to ensure that whenever someone types in a search phrase that is relevant to your business, they find your small business website. Keep making keyword-targeting website mirror pages until you can’t think of anymore, and never stop posting on social media and blogs with links to your site. Every mirror page and backlink is another chance to boost local SEO and increase Google search ranking. That’s how small businesses boost local SEO without paying for ads.

3. Backlink and Citation Building

Search engines measure authority by analyzing how many reputable sites link to a page and how consistent business information is across directories. Backlinks from authoritative sources act like endorsements, while citations help verify business legitimacy for local SEO. Every link to your site makes it rank higher in search results, and the effect is even greater for high-authority sources like the Better Business Bureau’s directory, which can definitely help you rank higher in search results and even make the front page of Google listings.

Effective backlink strategies include guest posting on related blogs, commenting on relevant high-traffic articles with links when allowed, and partnering with others for cross-promotion. Blogging regularly also builds linking opportunities. You can also use media connection tools like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Qwoted to answer journalist queries that often result in backlinks from high-authority media outlets.

Producing value-added content, such as articles that address FAQs, provide how-to guides (or digital marketing tips!), or share newsworthy insights, allows a website to attract links (and customer clicks) organically. You can also link to your business within the article, such as “10 Fun Affordable Things to do in Michigan” if you run a penny arcade in Detroit. Blogs serve as fresh content magnets for both search engines and users, and incorporating internal links from blog posts to service pages creates content clusters that reinforce your authority on a subject.

Citations can also be built on free business directory platforms such as Yelp, Facebook Business, BBB, Hotfrog, Nextdoor, MapQuest, Waze, Foursquare, Manta, Alignable, Bing Places, YellowPages, ShowMeLocal, Ezlocal, Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, GigSalad, TripAdvisor, and TrustPilot. While some of these offer paid services, they all have a free tier and only cost a few minutes of your time. You can use Google or ChatGPT to find industry-specific directories, such as Zocdoc for medical services or PartySlate for the entertainment industry.

You only have to set each one up once, and it lingers forever, directing clients to you. Sign up for as many as you can that are relevant to your business. Every listing is a chance to strengthen a digital footprint and build Google’s confidence in a business. Keeping listings consistent in terms of business name, address, and phone number (aka NAP consistency) helps avoid confusion during crawling and indexing.

Social media offers unlimited backlink opportunities. Sharing content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, Reddit (with care), Nextdoor, Threads, etc. helps amplify reach. Every time content is posted with a link to a website, it creates another pathway for both users and search engines. Posts can be adapted to each platform’s strengths. A blog post might become a carousel on Instagram, a quick video teaser on TikTok, and a thought-leadership post on LinkedIn.

This multi-platform presence drives user traffic, builds authority, and increases content lifespan and discoverability. Every link back to your small business website keeps working for you forever to help you boost local SEO, rank higher in search results, and hopefully hit the front page of Google listings.

4. Internal Linking Structure

Search engines follow internal links to discover and understand a website’s structure. Proper linking helps distribute page authority across the site and reinforces the relationship between topics. Linking blog posts to service pages helps create ‘content clusters,’ groups of related content that can signal that a site is comprehensive on a subject. A service page about “organic dog food” linked to blog posts like “5 Benefits of Organic Kibble” reinforces keyword relevance, improves SEO rankings, and boosts user perception of your credibility.

5. Image Optimization

Search engines need additional data to interpret images. File names should describe the image, and alt text should do the same for accessibility and indexing. Descriptive image titles and alt tags can help you rank in Google Image Search, which drives traffic for visual-heavy businesses like photography, art, real estate, and retail. Use descriptive alt text that includes your target keywords when it fits naturally, like ‘Charleston wedding photographer outdoor ceremony’ or ‘a handwritten list of digital marketing tips.’ This helps with both accessibility and image search rankings.

Optimized images can help you rank higher in search results, especially on mobile. Page load time is a ranking factor, and smaller files load faster. Choose modern file formats like WebP which keeps quality high and file size low, improving speed and performance. You can compress images using free tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh.app, or you can increase their resolution with AI image upscalers. They are quick and easy to use: upload your original file and download the altered one a moment later.

6. Mobile-Friendly Web Design

Google ranks your site based on how it performs on phones, not desktops, so it needs to look and work great on mobile devices. Google evaluates the mobile version of a site to determine rankings.

This is called mobile-first indexing. If a site performs poorly on phones, that will reflect in lower rankings.

Responsive design ensures the content adapts to different screen sizes. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test provides a diagnostic look at usability issues. Mobile-friendly pages have better engagement, lower bounce rates, and improved SEO.

7. Optimal Website Speed

Slow-loading sites frustrate users and push them back to search results. Google measures performance using real-time data from Chrome users, and slow pages are penalized in rankings.

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse identify delays caused by large images, uncompressed files, excessive plugins, or unoptimized JavaScript. Improvements such as caching, lazy loading, and image compression can significantly speed up performance and improve SEO. Research and implement these techniques to boost load times.

8. Improve User Experience and Bounce Rate

User behavior sends signals to search engines. A high bounce rate, where users leave the site quickly after arriving, suggests the content did not meet their expectations. Google uses engagement data to assess a page’s usefulness. Scannable content with clear headings, bullet points, logical flow, and direct calls to action reduces bounce and improves engagement. Clean layouts, intuitive navigation, and fast loading are part of delivering a positive experience. When users spend more time on your site, you rank higher in search results without paying for ads.

9. Schema Markup

Schema markup is a type of code you add to your website’s HTML that helps search engines like Google better understand what your content is about. This information, called “structured data,” gives search engines context and details about your pages. Instead of just seeing a wall of text and guessing what it means, Schema tells the search engine, “This is a review,” “This is an event,” or “This is a local business.” When Google understands this context, it can generate improved results, or “rich snippets,” which are the fancy listings you see in search with star ratings, business hours, FAQs, or even recipe steps right in the results. These listings stand out, grab interest, and get more clicks.

To implement schema markup, you don’t need to be a coding genius. Tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper walk you through the process. Start by selecting the type of content, like “Local Business” or “Article,” then paste in the URL of the page you want to mark up. The tool lets you highlight specific parts of your content and tag them (for example, identifying your business name, address, and phone number). It then generates the code you need to paste into your website’s HTML. If you use a website builder like WordPress, plugins and tools such as “Schema & Structured Data for WP” can simplify the process even more.

Schema markup types you might want to start with include LocalBusiness (for businesses with a physical or service-area presence), Product (if you sell items), Article (for blog posts), and Review (if your page includes customer reviews). Once added, you can test your implementation using Google’s Rich Results Test tool to make sure everything is correctly configured. While schema doesn’t directly impact rankings, it greatly improves click-through rates and helps Google categorize your content more precisely, which does support long-term SEO success and increase Google search ranking.

10. Google Search Console and Analytics

Free SEO tools like Google Search Console and Analytics are essential for any website serious about improving search visibility. Google Search Console allows site owners to submit a sitemap, which is a file that maps out all the URLs on your site you want Google to index. This helps the search engine crawl the site more efficiently, ensuring new and updated pages don’t fall through the cracks. Using the URL Inspection Tool, owners can manually request indexing for new content, which speeds up the process of getting that content visible in search results. Search Console also alerts users to indexing issues, mobile compatibility problems, and security vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, Google Analytics tracks what users do once they’re on the site. Bounce rate tells you how many users leave after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that the content isn’t meeting user expectations or that the site is hard to navigate. That can hurt your SEO ranking. Time on page reflects how long people are actually engaging with the material. If visitors are dropping off in under 30 seconds, it might mean your content isn’t compelling enough or your page takes too long to load.

By comparing performance metrics across different landing pages and campaigns, site owners can double down on what’s working. For instance, if traffic from Facebook converts better than traffic from Pinterest, invest more energy into Facebook promotion. These diagnostic tools give you the data needed to take action to plug the leaks in your SEO bucket.

TL;DR: Quick SEO Checklist

Optimize metadata

Use 3–4 keywords per page

Build as many backlinks as you can

Compress images

Optimize mobile performance & presentation

Use Schema markup

Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console

Track performance in Google Analytics

Good SEO is not a one-time task. It’s a continuous investment in quality, clarity, and visibility.

These methods offer free, often evergreen advertising that works. The more time you spend on it, the greater the benefit. Even the smallest business can carve out a piece of Google real estate with consistent, technically sound SEO practices. With these free methods, you don’t need deep pockets, just determination and grit. Time and continuous effort are all you need to boost your local SEO and show up in Google search results without paying for ads!

If you found this guide helpful, share it with someone trying to get their small business website noticed online. Questions? Drop them in the comments and I’ll answer. Got some great digital marketing tips of your own? Share them with the class!