How to Get Your Business Found Online in Asheville, North Carolina
If you run a business in Asheville, you already know the local scene. You’ve got the Blue Ridge Parkway traffic, the craft breweries, the art galleries, and a tourism economy that keeps things buzzing year-round. But here’s the problem: even though thousands of people are searching for “coffee shop downtown Asheville” or “Asheville pet sitter” every day, most local businesses never show up on the first page of Google. They’re invisible to the very customers walking around with their phones.
Why? Because Google picks winners based on a few simple things that most small business owners overlook. Let’s fix that.
1. Claim and fill out your Google Business Profile
This is the single easiest thing you can do. Go to Google, search for your business name, and claim the listing. Then fill out every field: address, phone number, hours, website, and photos. Add a short description that includes what you do and where you are — like “family-owned bakery in West Asheville.” Google rewards complete profiles with better rankings.
2. Ask for reviews (and respond to them)
Reviews are like votes. The more you have, the more Google trusts you. After a sale or service, send a simple text or email asking for a review. Don’t offer discounts or freebies in exchange — that’s against Google’s rules. When you get a review, reply to it. Thank people for kind words, and address complaints politely. This shows Google you’re active and care about customers.
3. Make sure your website works on a phone
Most people in Asheville search on their phones while walking downtown or sitting in a coffee shop. If your site is slow, hard to read, or buttons don’t work on a small screen, visitors leave. Google notices this and drops your ranking. Use a tool like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check. If your site isn’t mobile-ready, ask your web developer to fix it.
4. Use local keywords naturally
Think about what your customers actually type into Google. Not “premium pet care services” — more like “dog walker near downtown Asheville.” Sprinkle these phrases into your website text, your Google Profile, and your social media posts. Keep it natural, not forced. If you run a hardware store, say “plumbing supplies in South Asheville” instead of “high-quality plumbing solutions.”
What about backlinks?
You might hear this term and think it’s technical. It’s not. A backlink is simply when another website links to yours. Think of it like a referral. If the Asheville Chamber of Commerce links to your bakery’s site, Google sees that as a sign you’re trustworthy. The more good websites that link to you, the higher you can rank.
That’s where BacklinkUSA.com comes in. We publish articles about local businesses on high-authority websites — like news sites and business directories — so those sites link back to you. It’s a simple way to earn Google’s trust and get found by more customers in Asheville.