I've audited over 100 local business websites. Here are the 5 things I see killing rankings almost every time:

1. Your Google Business Profile is incomplete.

Most businesses fill in their name, address, and phone number — then stop. You're leaving free traffic on the table. Fill out EVERY field: services, business description, attributes, Q&A. Add photos weekly.

2. You have zero reviews (or don't respond to them).

Google uses review signals for local pack rankings. If your competitor has 87 reviews and you have 4, you're invisible. Ask every client. Respond to every review — yes, the bad ones too.

3. Your website isn't optimized for local keywords.

"Plumber" isn't a keyword strategy. "Emergency plumber in [your city]" is. You need city-specific pages, service pages, and content that matches how people actually search.

4. No local citations or they're inconsistent.

Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) needs to be identical across every directory — Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, industry sites. One wrong phone number can tank your visibility.

5. You're not tracking anything.

If you don't know your rankings, traffic sources, or which keywords drive calls, you're flying blind. Set up Google Search Console and track your local pack position weekly.

Fix these 5 things and you'll be ahead of 90% of local businesses. Or let us handle it — that's what Pipeline SEO does.