How to Get Your Business Found Online in Highland, Illinois
Highland, Illinois, is a tight-knit community of about 10,000 people. Its economy runs on local manufacturing, agriculture, and small Main Street shops. But here’s the problem: when someone in Highland searches “pizza near me” or “plumber in Highland,” most local businesses never show up on the first page of Google. If you own a business here, you’re likely losing customers to bigger chains or businesses in nearby towns like Edwardsville or Breese. Why? Because Google doesn’t know you exist—or it doesn’t trust you enough to show you first.
Why Most Highland Businesses Don’t Show Up on Google
Google ranks businesses based on three things: relevance, distance, and authority. Relevance means you have the right keywords on your website. Distance means you’re physically near the searcher. Authority means Google believes you’re a trusted, legitimate business. Most small businesses in Highland struggle with authority. They might have a website and a Google listing, but they haven’t done the simple things that signal to Google, “Hey, this business is real and worth showing.”
4 Things You Can Do This Week
1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. This is free. Go to Google Business Profile, claim your business, and fill out every field: your address, phone number, hours, and services. Add photos of your storefront, your team, and your products. If you’re a restaurant, add your menu. If you’re a contractor, add photos of finished jobs. Google rewards complete profiles.
2. Ask for reviews—and respond to them. Reviews are like gold for local rankings. Ask every happy customer to leave a review on Google. Don’t be shy. A simple “If you had a good experience, would you mind leaving a quick review?” works. Then, reply to every review—good or bad. Thank people for kind words. For negative reviews, apologize and offer to make it right. This shows Google you’re active and care.
3. Make your website mobile-friendly. Most people search on their phones. If your website is hard to read or slow to load on a phone, Google won’t show it. You can test your site for free using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. If it fails, ask your web developer to fix it, or switch to a modern template.
4. Use local keywords on your site. Don’t just say “we sell pizza.” Say “we serve pizza in Highland, Illinois, near the town square.” Write a page called “Plumbing Services in Highland, IL” or “Best Coffee in Highland.” Include your town name naturally in headings and text. This helps Google connect you to local searches.
What Are Backlinks? (And Why They Matter)
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. Think of them like word-of-mouth referrals. If a trusted website—like the Highland News Leader or a local Chamber of Commerce page—links to your site, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. The more quality backlinks you have, the more Google trusts you. And the more it trusts you, the higher you rank. Most small businesses have zero backlinks, which is why they stay buried on page 10.
That’s where BacklinkUSA.com comes in. We publish articles about local businesses on high-authority websites, helping you earn those trust-building backlinks. If you want to get found online in Highland, start with the tips above—and let us handle the rest.