7 website features that help local businesses get more traffic

Published on 03 September 2025

If you’ve launched a website for your local business and you’re still hearing crickets, you’re not alone.

Unfortunately, many small and medium business owners pour time and money into creating a beautiful, slick-looking website, only to discover that just having said website published isn't enough to drive results.

What often gets missed is this: if your website isn’t optimised properly to show up in local search results, appeal to the right people or convert them once they arrive, no matter how lovely it looks, it won’t be able to do its job – making sales or attracting clients.

Of course, this is where business owners often feel duped. They’ve spent all this money having their website built, for little (or no) results.

They see bigger brands dominating the search results, making them wonder why they should bother trying to compete at all.

Add in the daily demands of running a business, and it’s easy to see why making time to optimise your website feels too stressful, too technical or too overwhelming… even downright impossible.

So things stall and your website sits there stagnant and neglected.

The good news?

You don’t need to spend thousands on a website course or be a digital marketing guru to get your local website noticed.

With just a few practical tweaks and easy optimisations - often that can be done yourself - your website can go from invisible to impactful in no time.

Here we explore seven must-have elements that will help your local business website stand out to search engines, get found by the right people, bring in more traffic and start working harder for your business:

1. A clear value proposition
2. Optimised contact information
3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
4. Mobile-friendly design
5. Local reviews or testimonials
6. Strong Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
7. Fresh local content.

Why a ‘Nice’ website isn’t enough

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that simply having a website is no longer a differentiator - everyone has one.

But even a site that looks great and is designed well, doesn't mean it's going to drive traffic and conversions.

If your site isn't showing up in local Google search results or making it easy for visitors to take action once they get there, you're going to miss out on sales or bookings.

However, just a few small but strategic changes to your site’s structure, content and layout can help the right people not only find you, but choose you.

Ensure your website has these seven things, and you’ll have a website that acts as your best business ambassador: always on, always available and out there representing your business 24/7:

1. A clear, localised value proposition

While it’s easy to put in the ‘too hard basket’, including a well-thought-out value proposition is one of the most important aspects of high converting website design.

Why? Because within five seconds of landing on your homepage, people want to know what you offer, where you’re located, who you help and why they should choose your product or service.

If a visitor doesn’t understand these four basic things quickly, they’re likely to bounce back to Google to find a site that does tell them these things.

The best way to capture their attention:

• Keep your intro paragraph short. 2 – 3 succinct sentences that cover these things is enough
• Use simple, everyday language
• Use relevant keywords in your text, chosen by what people in your area are likely searching for
• Avoid clever or overly witty taglines that don’t clearly articulate what you offer.

Think of it like a sign above your office or shopfront – be clear, specific and relevant.

2. Optimised contact information

If you want your local business to show up online, it’s a no-brainer that your contact details need to be easy to find for both people and search engines.

So make sure at very least your location and phone number appear on every page - your header or footer is ideal.

This is what’s known as foundational SEO, and it’s one of the most important things you can do to boost your local SEO.

It’s also crucial to be consistent - your contact information should be exactly the same wherever it appears.

That includes on your Google Business Profile, social media accounts, business directories and any other listings. Even small discrepancies can confuse search engines and make it harder for your business to show up in local search results.

So what should you include?

• Your business name
• Your full address
• A clickable phone number (especially for mobile users)
• An embedded Google Map if you have an office or shopfront
• A list of the suburbs or local areas you service
• A link to your Google Business Profile - make sure your GBP links back to your website too.

Keeping your contact details prominent, updated and consistent across every platform helps search engines confirm your location, while also making it easier for potential customers to reach you.

3. Search engine optimisation (SEO)

SEO is a vital component to any website, as search engines rely on structure.

But while it might sound a bit on the ‘techy’ side, SEO doesn’t have to be complicated.

At its most basic, ‘on-page SEO’ simply means using headings strategically, naturally weaving in relevant keywords and writing title tags and meta descriptions that describe your page content clearly.

So start with the basics:

• Write clear headings and subheadings (also known as H1s & H2s), using keywords that your customers are likely typing into Google to find you
• Create descriptive, location-based page titles (e.g. "Electrician in Lonsdale | [Business Name]")
• Write short meta descriptions that explain what each page is about and that encourages clicks
• Link internally between relevant pages (for example, build links from your main Services page to your individual, location-based service pages).

These small changes help both users and search engines make sense of what you offer, and ensure your website gets shown to more people searching for your services.

4. Mobile-friendly design

According to Google reports, most local searches happen on mobile devices – over 60% in fact!

So if your site is slow to load, hard to read or doesn’t display properly on smaller screens, you’re losing potential customers.

To ensure your site is mobile-friendly, it should:

• Fully adapt to all screen sizes
• Use images that are optimised for speed (ie. under 1MB in size is ideal)
• Be easy to navigate, and have buttons and menus that are sized for large fingers to tap easily

If you’re unsure what your page speed is like, you can check by using free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.

It takes 30 seconds to run a report that will give you tips to help fix anything that’s slowing your page down.

5. Local reviews or testimonials

Reviews and testimonials truly are gold when it comes to growing your local business.

That’s because displaying positive reviews directly on your site helps build trust and credibility.

So don’t forget to:

• Ask happy customers to leave Google reviews
• Add positive reviews to your homepage, product and/or service pages
• Keep testimonials updated regularly, as Google sees them as a sign of relevance
• Bonus Tip: Repurpose the best ones across your social media channels too!

This social proof signals to both users and search engines that your business is active and trusted in the local area.

6. Strong calls-to-action (CTAs)

You might have outstanding content, but if your site doesn’t give your visitors any obvious next steps, they won’t take any (and will likely leave your page quickly!)

So using clear, easy-to-understand CTAs - preferably in button form - is a must. For instance, "Book a Free Quote Today" is far more effective than "Submit".

Placement is important too.

Make sure they’re in logical locations on your site, like above the fold, in menus, below products and at the bottom of pages.

How to implement effective CTAs:

• Make sure they are visible on every page
• Use clear, action-oriented text ("Book a Free Quote Today" > "Submit")
• Place them strategically on your site near key information or on key pages

Whether it's a contact form, a phone button or a booking tool, the goal is to make it easy for someone to contact you or take action from any point on your site.

7. Content that gets found

Uploading fresh, locally-relevant content gives your site ongoing SEO value, and a much better chance at being found by your ideal customer.

So consider adding a blog or FAQ section that answers questions that locals are likely to ask Google.

For example, if someone searches up "how much does a timber deck cost in McLaren Vale?" and your website has a helpful blog post on that topic, you’re far more likely to appear in results and get the click.

Not only does regularly updated content help your website rank better, but it will increase ‘dwell time’ on your site (the time people spend browsing your page) and will help position you as a go-to expert in your area.

To make your content even more effective – especially in a world where AI-driven search results are becoming more and more common, here are some tips to make your content stand out:

• Keep answers short and clear
• Use clear subheadings and bullet points where it makes sense
• Write in plain, conversational language – like you’re talking to a real human
• Optimise for question-based searches by addressing specific questions.

While the thought of creating pages and pages of long-form content might not be your cup of tea, don’t let it put you off. Even publishing one blog post per month can make a huge difference!

Remember - improving your website’s performance is a slow burn, but with a bit of work will yield results over time.

And you don’t need to do everything at once.

Make a plan to implement just one or two of the things from this list per week and build from there.

The goal isn’t perfection - it’s progress.

Every small improvement you make is one step closer to making sure your local business gets found online.

And if it all still seems a little overwhelming? Reach out to a reputable SEO expert who can help guide you through the process!

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