How to Get Your Business Found Online in Scarborough, Maine
If you run a business in Scarborough, you know it’s a great place to be. With over 20,000 residents and a mix of old farms, new subdivisions, and busy retail corridors along Route 1, the town has its own economy. You’ve got seafood spots, real estate agents, plumbers, landscapers, and boutique shops all competing for the same customers. But here’s the problem: most small businesses in Scarborough are invisible on Google. And that’s costing them customers.
Why? Because Google doesn’t know you exist unless you tell it. Many business owners assume that if they have a website or a Facebook page, people will find them. But Google works differently. It looks for signals—like how many reviews you have, how fast your site loads, and whether other websites mention you. If those signals are weak, you’ll end up on page two or three of search results. And let’s be honest: nobody clicks page two.
Here are four things you can do yourself to fix that.
1. Set up and optimize your Google Business Profile. This is the single most important step. Go to Google and search for your own business. If you don’t see a box on the right side with your address, hours, and phone number, you haven’t claimed your profile. Fill it out completely. Add photos of your storefront, your team, and your work. Choose the right categories (e.g., “Plumber” not “Contractor”). And make sure your address matches exactly what’s on your website.
2. Ask for reviews—and respond to them. Google pays attention to how many reviews you have and how recent they are. After a good job, ask your customer to leave a review. Send them a direct link to your Google profile. And here’s the trick: reply to every single review, even the bad ones. A simple “Thanks for your feedback, we’ll work on that” shows Google you’re active.
3. Make your website work on a phone. Most people in Scarborough search for businesses on their phones while they’re out and about. If your site is slow or hard to read on a small screen, Google will rank you lower. Use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check. If it fails, ask your web developer to fix it.
4. Use local keywords on your site. When you write about your services, mention Scarborough. Not just in your address, but in your page titles and descriptions. For example, instead of “We offer HVAC repair,” say “HVAC repair in Scarborough, Maine.” It sounds simple, but most businesses don’t do it.
Now, you might hear about “backlinks” and wonder what they are. A backlink is simply when another website links to yours. Think of it like a referral. If the *Portland Press Herald* or a local blog mentions your business and links to your site, Google sees that as a sign you’re trustworthy. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher you can rank. But getting them is hard—you have to convince other sites to link to you.
That’s where BacklinkUSA.com comes in. We publish articles about local businesses on high-authority websites, so you get those valuable backlinks without having to beg or barter. It’s a straightforward way to help Google notice you. If you want more customers finding you in Scarborough, it’s worth a look.