How to Get Your Business Found Online in Orono, Maine
If you run a business in Orono, you know the town well. It’s home to the University of Maine, with about 11,000 residents and a student population that swells the area each fall. The local economy leans heavily on education, retail, food services, and outdoor recreation tied to the Penobscot River and nearby trails. But here’s the problem: when someone in Orono searches for “pizza near me” or “plumber Orono,” your business might not show up on the first page of Google. And if you’re not on page one, you might as well be invisible.
Why do most small businesses in Orono struggle to get found online? It’s usually not because they’re bad at what they do. It’s because Google looks for specific signals to decide which businesses to show. Many owners haven’t set those signals up yet. The good news? You don’t need a degree in computer science to fix it. Here are four practical steps you can take yourself.
1. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile This is the single most important thing you can do. Go to google.com/business and claim your listing. Fill in your address, phone number, hours, and a short description. Add photos of your storefront, your team, and your products. Google uses this info to match your business with local searches. If your profile is blank or wrong, you’re hurting your chances.
2. Ask for reviews—and respond to them Reviews are like word-of-mouth for the internet. After a customer has a good experience, ask them to leave a review on your Google profile. Aim for at least 10 to 15. Then, take two minutes to reply to each one—thank people for kind words, and politely address any complaints. Google notices when you’re active, and it helps your ranking.
3. Make sure your website works on a phone More than half of local searches happen on a phone. If your site is hard to read or buttons are too small to tap, people will leave quickly. That tells Google your site isn’t useful. Most website builders (like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress) have mobile-friendly templates. Pick one and test it on your own phone.
4. Use local keywords on your website Think about what someone in Orono would type into Google. “Orono coffee shop” or “handyman Orono Maine.” Use those exact phrases in your website headings, in your page text, and in your image descriptions. Don’t stuff them in—just write naturally and include your town name where it fits.
What about backlinks? You might hear the term “backlinks” and think it’s complicated. It’s not. A backlink is simply a link from another website to yours. Think of it like a referral. When a trusted website—like a local news site or a chamber of commerce—links to your business, Google sees it as a sign that you’re credible. The more quality referrals you have, the higher you can rank.
At BacklinkUSA.com, we help local businesses get those referrals. We publish articles about businesses on high-authority websites so Google sees you as a trusted part of the community. If you’d like to learn more, visit BacklinkUSA.com. It’s a straightforward way to help Orono customers find you first.