How to Get Your Business Found Online in Excelsior, Minnesota
If you run a business in Excelsior, you already know it’s a special place. With just over 2,200 residents and a downtown that draws visitors from all over the metro area, your customers come from a mix of locals, day-trippers, and people looking for a lakeside meal or a unique gift. The economy here leans heavily on small retail shops, restaurants, and service businesses—everything from coffee roasters to auto repair shops. But there’s a problem: even if you have the best shop on Lake Street, if people can’t find you on Google, they’ll go somewhere else.
Why most Excelsior businesses don’t show up on Google
The simple reason is that Google ranks businesses based on signals it can read. Most small business owners in Excelsior don’t have time to mess with those signals. They’re busy running their business. So their website might be old, their Google listing might be incomplete, and they might not have any links pointing to their site from other places. Google sees that as a lack of trust. It’s not that you’re not a good business—it’s that Google doesn’t know you exist.
Three things you can do yourself
1. Set up and fill out your Google Business Profile. This is the free listing that shows up when someone searches “coffee shop Excelsior” or “plumber near me.” Make sure your address, phone number, hours, and category are correct. Add photos of your storefront and menu. Answer questions. Post updates. The more complete it is, the more Google trusts you.
2. Ask for reviews (and respond to them). Reviews are one of the biggest ranking signals for local businesses. After a sale, just say, “If you had a good experience, would you mind leaving a quick review on Google?” And when someone does, reply—even if it’s just “Thanks, Susan.” It shows Google you’re active.
3. Make your website work on phones. Most people search on their phone while they’re standing outside your shop or sitting at a red light. If your site takes too long to load or the text is too small to read, they’ll leave. Google notices that and drops your ranking. A simple mobile-friendly site is better than none.
4. Use local words on your website. Don’t just say “we sell pies.” Say “handmade pies in Excelsior, Minnesota, near Lake Minnetonka.” Those local words help Google connect you to people searching in your area.
What are backlinks and why do they matter?
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. Think of them like a recommendation. If the Excelsior Chamber of Commerce website links to your business, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. The more quality recommendations you have from places people trust, the higher you’ll rank. But getting those links can be hard if you don’t have time to ask around.
That’s where we come in. At BacklinkUSA.com, we publish articles about local businesses like yours on high-authority websites. Those articles include a link back to your site. It’s a simple, honest way to help Google see you as a trusted business in Excelsior—without you having to do the legwork yourself.