How to Get Your Business Found Online in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is a town that runs on local energy. With a population hovering around 98,000, it’s home to the University of Kansas, a thriving arts scene, and a mix of independent shops, restaurants, and service businesses that give the city its character. Whether you run a coffee shop on Massachusetts Street, a landscaping company serving the surrounding Douglas County neighborhoods, or a law firm helping KU students and families, your customers are searching for you online. But if you’re like most small business owners in Lawrence, you’ve probably noticed that when people search for what you offer, your website doesn’t show up on the first page of Google.
Why does that happen? It’s not because your business isn’t good. It’s because Google doesn’t know you exist yet. Most small business owners in Lawrence spend their time running their business, not optimizing their website. You might have a Facebook page, a basic website, and a Google Business Profile that you set up once and forgot about. That’s not enough. Google ranks businesses based on signals—things like reviews, website speed, and mentions from other sites. If you’re missing any of those signals, you’re invisible.
Here are four things you can do yourself to start showing up.
1. Fix your Google Business Profile. This is the free listing that shows up when someone searches for your business name or category. Make sure your hours, phone number, and address are correct. Add photos of your storefront, your team, and your work. Post updates once a week—like a special offer or a photo of a recent job. Google rewards businesses that keep their profile active.
2. Ask for reviews. Reviews are one of the strongest signals Google uses. After you finish a job or serve a customer, send a quick text or email asking them to leave a review on your Google Business Profile. Don’t offer anything in return—just ask. Even five or ten new reviews can make a big difference.
3. Make your website mobile-friendly. Most people in Lawrence search on their phones. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, or if text is hard to read on a small screen, people will leave. Google notices that and drops your ranking. Use a tool like Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test to check.
4. Use local keywords on your site. When you write about your services, include the name of your town and neighborhood. Instead of “we offer plumbing repairs,” write “we offer plumbing repairs in Lawrence, Kansas, including the Old West Lawrence area.” This helps Google connect your business to local searches.
Now, about backlinks. That’s a term you might have heard but never understood. A backlink is simply when another website links to your site. Think of it like a referral. If a trusted source—like the Lawrence Journal-World, a local blog, or a community event page—links to your business, Google sees that as a sign that your site is trustworthy and worth showing to more people. The more quality backlinks you have, the higher you rank.
That’s where BacklinkUSA.com comes in. We publish articles about businesses like yours on high-authority websites, which creates those valuable backlinks and helps you climb Google’s search results. If you want to get found by more customers in Lawrence without spending hours on SEO, we can help.