2Q Solutions
Minnesota businesses should improve their Google Business Profile (GBP), website speed, local keywords, and conversion tracking to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
But what exactly you need to work on depends on the kind of business you have or what your goals are. We’re www.mattersolutions.com, and we’ve helped hundreds of Minnesota businesses figure out what they should fix first through our digital marketing services.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- What SEO means for Minnesota businesses
- What different business types should improve based on their situation
- How to measure SEO success using website analytics and traffic patterns
Read on to learn how to put your SEO tasks in the right order.
What Is SEO Minnesota for Businesses?
SEO for Minnesota businesses means optimizing your website to rank higher on Google and other search engines for local searches in MN.
Here’s what we mean by that. Suppose your basement floods at 2 AM, and you need a plumber now. What do you do? You grab your phone and type “emergency plumber near me.” The businesses at the top of those results get your call, and that’s SEO doing its job.
And this isn’t a nice-to-have thing anymore. According to Google via the Search Engine Roundtable, nearly half of all Google searches have local intent. It means people look for businesses near them. So, if you run an HVAC company and don’t appear for “furnace repair Minneapolis,” someone else is getting that customer.
What goes into SEO, though? A few things.
For starters, your website needs to load fast and work on phones without frustrating people. Also, your content should answer real questions people type into Google. Plus, you must set up your Google Business Profile (that’s the box showing your hours and reviews on Google Maps).
Pro tip: Compare your mobile and desktop rankings separately because Google evaluates them differently.
What SEO Areas Should Different Minnesota Businesses Improve?
Minnesota businesses should improve different SEO areas based on their current situation, industry type, and specific business goals.
But the thing is, not every business needs to fix the same things. For instance, a brand-new bakery opening in Edina has different SEO priorities than a 15-year-old law firm in Rochester with an outdated website.
Here’s what Minnesota businesses should focus on based on their types:
- New Businesses: You should set up your Google Business Profile first with the correct name and address. Then build a simple website that works on phones and uses keywords your customers actually type into Google when they need what you sell.
- Outdated Websites: It’s important to fix your site speed before anything else because Google punishes slow sites. We recommend going through old pages and updating them with better keywords and meta descriptions. Also, don’t forget to use schema markup because it helps search engines read your business information faster.
- Service Area Businesses: One of the best things you can do to get more local customers is to use precise terms like “furnace repair South Minneapolis.” One HVAC company we know leads locally by doing this and maintaining consistent listings across Yelp and other sites.
- Retail Stores: If you want better results, fully complete your Google Business Profile with real photos, accurate hours, and fresh reviews. Then write about specific products people can find at your St. Paul or Bloomington location to pull in foot traffic from nearby searches.
- Professional Services: Get backlinks from your state bar association, dental board, or local chamber. Besides, you should answer the questions clients always ask you in blog posts (like how long Minnesota divorces take). This kind of clear content marketing strengthens trust, especially when you show your credentials and years of experience.
- Low Traffic Businesses: When you’ve done everything but are still not getting much traffic, it’s possible that something’s blocking Google from reading your site properly. Check Google Search Console for errors and broken links, and fix them fast. Plus, look at what keywords your competitors rank for that you’re completely missing right now.
- Traffic Without Conversions: Your content might not match what people are really looking for. If someone searches “roof repair cost” and only finds a contact form, they’ll leave quickly. We suggest using heat maps to identify where visitors bounce, then fixing those pages first to strengthen your overall search performance.
With the right steps in the right order, you can make steady progress and gain clearer strategic insights into what truly improves your results.
How Do You Measure SEO Success?
You measure SEO success by tracking Google Business Profile metrics, organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, and conversion rates from search engines.
Most Minnesota business owners ask us, “How do I know if my SEO strategies are actually working?” after a few months of search engine optimization work. It’s a fair question, especially when you’re putting time and money into something that doesn’t show instant results like paid ads do.
Let’s see how you’ll know if your SEO efforts are paying off.
Google Business Profile for Local SEO Insights
Check how many people find your business through local search results each week. You can find this information on your profile dashboard. It shows phone calls, direction requests, and website clicks broken down by day (great for catching early signs of demand changes).
That number is important because local searches often lead to quicker conversions, like people who are ready to buy or hire. So, if someone searches “plumber near me” and calls you from your Google profile, that’s a qualified lead you can track and connect to your business objectives.
You should monitor review growth too because more recent reviews push you higher in local map rankings. Just watch how people engage with your posted content (photos of completed jobs, updates about new services, and seasonal promotions). That’s it.
Website Analytics and Traffic Patterns for SEO Strategies
A lot of people obsessively check their numbers every day, but it’s a bad approach because daily numbers jump around too much to mean anything useful. Rather, pull up your Google Analytics and look at organic search traffic month over month.
From working with Minnesota businesses, we’ve seen that keyword rankings will bounce around at first, but you have to watch for upward trends over 60 to 90 days.
Plus, remember to compare how many form fills, or calls come from people who found you on Google, versus those who clicked an ad. That shows you what your SEO investment is actually returning in revenue and not just traffic.
Pro tip: Track leads from organic search separately from paid campaigns. This way, you can see the actual return on investment (ROI).
Get Professional SEO Services for Better Results
SEO is an ongoing process, and Minnesota businesses that stay visible treat it as part of their marketing. You just need to start with the basics that fit where your business is today and adjust your strategy from there onward.
But you don’t have to figure this out alone. We at Matter Solutions work with Minnesota companies to find the issues blocking visibility and show exactly how to improve. Get in touch with us for a consultation.
