How to Get Your Business Found Online in Lakewood, California
Lakewood is a tight-knit city of about 80,000 people, sitting right in the middle of one of the busiest parts of Los Angeles County. The local economy runs on small businesses — auto repair shops, dental offices, Mexican restaurants, hair salons, and family-run retail stores. With the Lakewood Center Mall nearby and major freeways like the 405 and 605 cutting through, there’s plenty of foot traffic and drive-by customers. But here’s the problem: most people in Lakewood now search for a business on their phone before they ever walk in the door. If you don’t show up on Google, you’re invisible.
Why most Lakewood businesses struggle on Google
It’s not because your service isn’t good. It’s because Google picks winners based on a few simple signals — and most small business owners never set those signals up. You might have a website from 2012, no Google Business Profile, or just a handful of reviews. Meanwhile, the competitor down the street has 50 reviews and a profile that’s fully filled out. Google sees that and shows them first. It’s that straightforward.
Three things you can do today
1. Claim and fill out your Google Business Profile. This is free. Go to Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), claim your listing, and fill out every field. Your address, phone number, hours, services, and photos. If you’re a plumber in Lakewood, say “Plumber serving Lakewood and Long Beach.” Be specific. Google matches your profile to what people type in.
2. Ask for reviews — and respond to them. After you finish a job or a sale, politely ask the customer to leave a Google review. Send them a direct link. Reply to every review, even the bad ones. Google watches how you handle feedback. More reviews + thoughtful replies = higher ranking.
3. Make your website work on a phone. Most searches happen on a phone. If your site is hard to read or slow to load on a mobile device, people bounce. Google notices. Use a simple, modern template that adjusts to any screen size.
Local keywords matter more than you think
When someone types “best tacos in Lakewood” or “Lakewood dentist,” you want your business to show up. That means your website should use those exact phrases. Don’t write “we serve the greater Los Angeles area.” Write “we serve families in Lakewood, California.” Put your city name in your page titles, your headings, and your services descriptions.
What are backlinks — and why do they matter?
A backlink is simply another website linking to yours. Think of it like a referral. If the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce links to your business, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. The more trustworthy sites that link to you, the more Google trusts you. And trust equals a higher ranking.
That’s where BacklinkUSA.com comes in. We publish articles about local businesses on high-authority websites — news sites, industry blogs, and community pages — so Google sees your name mentioned in places that matter. It’s a simple way to build the kind of online reputation that gets you found.