This post is intended to be a genuinely helpful SEO guide for small businesses. I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a business owner with little or no knowledge of SEO and make it relevant to 2025 so it takes into account AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Also, when I say small businesses, I'm thinking of tradespeople, kitchen designers, window and door companies, even funeral directors. These are all service based companies that need a steady stream of new customers from Google, Bing and ChatGPT.
At a glance, this guide will cover
- What are the SEO basics?
- How to build an SEO friendly website
- How to make sure you show up in Local SEO listings (Google maps)
- How to make sure ChatGPT recommends your business
So let's look at some of the SEO basics that you can implement straightaway.
What are the SEO Basics?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) boils down to two key principles: relevancy and authority.
Relevancy
Relevancy means making sure your website content matches exactly what your ideal customers are searching for. If you’re a kitchen designer in Cornwall, and someone types “modern kitchen design Cornwall” into Google or Bing, your site should make it crystal clear that’s exactly what you do, where you do it, and why you’re the best choice.
This starts with keyword research. Essentially, finding out what people are actually typing into search engines. The good news? AI tools like ChatGPT can now do much of the heavy lifting for you.
With the right prompts, it can generate keyword lists, suggest blog topics, and even draft web copy that you can then refine into your own voice and style. It takes much of the guess work out of writing copy. But, as with many things you get out what you put in. So take the time to refine this copy and keep asking Chat GPT how to improve it.
Authority
Authority is how trusted you are by search engines. Google, Bing, and even AI assistants like ChatGPT look for signs that your business is reputable, established, and worth recommending. This trust is built in three main ways:
Backlinks – Other reputable websites linking to yours. Think of these as digital votes of confidence. For a local tradesperson, that might mean being listed on high-quality directories, featured in local press articles, or partnering with suppliers who link to your site.
Reviews – Customer feedback on platforms like Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, and Yelp. Search engines increasingly treat positive, genuine reviews as a sign you’re doing good work.
Content quality – If you’re producing useful, accurate, and up-to-date content, you’re far more likely to be trusted and recommended. And in 2025, “useful” means content that actually helps the reader take action—not just filler for search engines.
How to Build an SEO-Friendly Website
If your website is the digital shopfront for your business, SEO is the sign outside that helps people find you. A good-looking website is great, but if it’s slow, confusing, or poorly set up for search engines, you’re effectively hiding that shop down a dark alley.
The good news? You don’t have to be a tech wizard to get it right. Here’s what matters most:
Make it easy for search engines to read
Search engines “scan” your site a bit like a librarian cataloguing books. They need clear titles, well-organised pages, and relevant words to know what your site is about. That means:
- Every page should have a descriptive title (e.g. Bespoke Kitchen Design in Cornwall rather than Home).
- Use headings (H1, H2, etc.) to break up your content logically.
- Make sure each page focuses on one main topic or service.
Keep it fast
A slow site turns visitors away—and search engines notice. Most website builders now handle the heavy lifting here, but you can help by:
- Using optimised images (big, high-resolution photos can be compressed without losing quality).
- Avoiding too many fancy animations or pop-ups.
- Keeping your design clean and simple.
Mobile first
Most people will see your site on their phone, so it must look good and work well on small screens. Always check how it appears on mobile before publishing.
4. Choose the right platform for you
This is where a lot of small businesses overcomplicate things. The best platform depends on your needs, budget, and technical comfort level:
- Wix – Very beginner-friendly. Drag-and-drop builder, built-in SEO tools, and enough flexibility for most small service-based businesses.
- Squarespace – Similar to Wix but with more design-focused templates. Great if aesthetics matter a lot, but can be a bit less intuitive for beginners.
- HubSpot – Ideal if you want your website to integrate tightly with email marketing, CRM, and customer tracking. Often used by growing businesses that want to track leads closely.
- WordPress – The industry giant, but beware—it can be a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It’s incredibly powerful, but for a small business without a web developer, it can quickly become overcomplicated. If you’re just starting out, it might be more hassle than it’s worth.
Make it easy to update
An SEO-friendly site isn’t static. You’ll want to add case studies, blog posts, and new services over time. Choose a platform you feel comfortable updating yourself, otherwise, small changes will mean calling (and paying) a developer.
Use AI to speed things up
AI tools like ChatGPT can help you create draft web copy, generate ideas for service pages, and even suggest keywords. You’ll still want to review and tweak the content so it feels authentic to you, but AI can save hours in the setup process.
If you get these basics right, you’ll have a solid foundation to build on and you won’t be wrestling with complicated tech every time you need to update your site.
How to Make Sure You Show Up in Local SEO Listings (Google Maps)
If you’re a local business—whether you fit kitchens, fix boilers, or install windows—you must show up when people in your area search for your services. This is where Local SEO comes in, and your biggest weapon here is Google Business Profile.
When set up properly, your profile helps you appear in the “map pack”. This is the box with a map and three local listings you often see at the top of Google results. For many service businesses, this is where most local leads come from. Bing also has something similar.
Here’s how to do it right:
1. Claim and verify your Google Business Profile
- Go to business.google.com
- Add your business name, address, phone number, and website.
- Choose the most relevant categories for your business (e.g. Kitchen Remodeler, Plumber, Window Installation Service).
- Google will send you a postcard or email to verify you own the business.
2. Keep your details consistent everywhere
Search engines compare your details across the web. If your address is “123 High Street” in one place and “123 High St” in another, it can hurt your rankings. Always use the same name, address, and phone number (known as NAP) on your website, social profiles, and directories.
3. Add high-quality photos
People want to see your work. Upload pictures of finished projects, your team, your vans, and your logo. Photos make your listing more appealing and can increase click-through rates.
4. Collect and respond to reviews
- Ask happy customers to leave a Google review—send them the link directly to make it easy.
- Respond to every review, good or bad. It shows you care and helps build trust.
- More genuine reviews = higher chance of appearing in the map pack.
5. Post updates regularly
Your Google Business Profile lets you publish short updates—think recent projects, special offers, or seasonal tips. These can help you stay active in Google’s eyes and give potential customers a reason to choose you.
6. Use local keywords on your website
Even though the map listing is separate from your website, the two work together. If your site clearly mentions your service area—“We install kitchens across Cornwall”—Google is more likely to match you to relevant local searches.
"Bing also has its own equivalent — Bing Places for Business — and it’s worth setting that up too. With AI assistants like ChatGPT pulling in data from multiple sources, having complete and consistent information across Google, Bing, and other trusted directories will help you get found more often."
How to Make Sure ChatGPT Recommends Your Business
2025 has seen a big change. People aren’t just asking Google or Bing for recommendations anymore.
They're asking AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini. And, instead of showing a list of ten blue links, these tools often give just one or two answers. You want to be in those answers.
While you can’t pay to be recommended by ChatGPT, you can improve your chances by making your business the most credible, relevant, and visible option in your niche.
Here’s how:
Get your online information right and consistent
AI assistants pull data from all over the web—Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp, Trustpilot, local directories, even your own website. If your name, address, phone number, and service details are inconsistent, you risk being ignored. Keep it identical everywhere.
Build your authority with reviews and mentions
The AI models behind these assistants are trained on publicly available information. That means online reviews, news stories, and social media mentions all help build your profile. The more people are saying good things about you online, the more likely AI will see you as a trusted recommendation.
Create genuinely helpful, structured content
When ChatGPT answers a user’s question—say, “Who’s the best kitchen installer in Cornwall?”—it looks for trustworthy sources that clearly answer the question. If your website has detailed service pages, case studies, FAQs, and local project examples, you’re giving AI exactly what it needs to connect the dots between a query and your business.
Be present on multiple platforms
Don’t just focus on Google. AI pulls from Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook, LinkedIn, local news sites, and niche trade directories. The more “evidence” you exist as a reputable local business, the higher your chances of being recommended.
Use AI to optimise your own content
Tools like ChatGPT can help you draft content that answers common customer questions in plain English. For example:
- “What’s the difference between triple and double glazing?”
- “How much does a fitted kitchen cost in Cornwall?”
By answering these in detail on your website or social media, you increase the chances an AI will find and use your content when responding to a similar question.
Keep your reputation clean
AI doesn’t just look for positive signals — it also looks for red flags. Poor reviews, unanswered complaints, or outdated business information can all hurt your chances. Make reputation management part of your ongoing marketing strategy.
Final Thoughts
SEO in 2025 has moved on a lot. It's not just about Google rankings. It’s about making your business the most obvious and trustworthy choice no matter where people (or AI) are looking.
Start with the basics: a clear, fast, mobile-friendly website, a fully optimised Google Business Profile, and consistent information everywhere online. Then steadily build your trust and authority with reviews, useful content, and local visibility.
Do that, and you’ll be in a strong position to get found — by real people searching on Google, by local customers checking Google Maps, and by AI assistants recommending the best businesses in your area.
However, I know this is a lot to take in so if you need some help in getting started, I'm here to help. Whether you just need a kick-start or ongoing support, feel free to reach out and we can find a way to work together.
