Local SEO Checklist for Vermont & New Hampshire Small Businesses

If you run a small business in Vermont or New Hampshire, local SEO is the single most important marketing investment you can make. When someone searches “best plumber in Brattleboro” or “dentist near Keene NH,” you want to be the business they find.

This checklist covers everything you need to dominate local search in the VT/NH market. Work through it systematically and you’ll see results within 30-90 days.

Google Business Profile (The Foundation)

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the cornerstone of local SEO. It powers your appearance in Google Maps and the local 3-pack that shows up at the top of local searches.

1. Claim and Verify Your Profile

If you haven’t claimed your GBP listing, do it now at business.google.com. Google will send a postcard or call to verify your address. This is step zero — nothing else works without it.

2. Complete Every Field

Fill out 100% of your profile:

• Business name (exact legal name, no keyword stuffing)
• Address (exact match across all listings)
• Phone number (local number, not toll-free)
• Website URL
• Business hours (including holiday hours)
• Business category (primary + secondary categories)
• Service area (if you serve customers at their location)
• Business description (750 characters, mention your city and services)

3. Add Photos Monthly

Businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks. Add:

• Exterior photos (so customers recognize your building)
• Interior photos (shows your work environment)
• Team photos (builds trust and personality)
• Work examples (before/after, completed projects)
• Upload 3-5 new photos every month

4. Collect and Respond to Reviews

Reviews are the #1 factor in local pack rankings. Aim for:

• Ask every happy customer for a review (have a simple process)
• Respond to every review within 24-48 hours — positive and negative
• Never pay for or fake reviews (Google will penalize you)
• Target 5+ new reviews per month
• For Vermont and New Hampshire businesses, local review volume matters even more since the markets are smaller

5. Post Weekly Updates

Google Posts keep your profile active and signal freshness:

• Share offers, events, or updates weekly
• Include a photo and a call-to-action link
• Mention your service area naturally (e.g., “Now serving Windham County”)
• Posts expire after 7 days, so consistency matters

Website Optimization

6. Optimize Title Tags with Location

Every page should have a unique title tag that includes your service and location:

• Good: “Plumbing Services in Brattleboro VT | Smith Plumbing”
• Bad: “Home | Smith Plumbing”

7. Create Location-Specific Landing Pages

If you serve multiple towns, create a dedicated page for each:

• /brattleboro-vt-plumbing
• /keene-nh-plumbing
• /jaffrey-nh-plumbing

Each page should have unique content about that area — not just the city name swapped out. Mention local landmarks, neighborhoods, and specific challenges that area faces.

8. Add Schema Markup

Structured data helps search engines understand your business. At minimum, add:

• LocalBusiness schema with your name, address, phone, hours
• Service schema for each service you offer
• FAQ schema if you have an FAQ section
• BreadcrumbList schema for navigation structure

9. Optimize for Mobile

Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile. Your site must:

• Load in under 3 seconds on mobile
• Have tap-friendly buttons and navigation
• Display phone numbers as clickable links
• Show your address with a map link

10. Include NAP on Every Page

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. Include it in your footer and on your contact page. Make sure it exactly matches your Google Business Profile — character for character.

Citations & Directories

11. Build Core Citations

Get listed on the major directories with consistent NAP:

• Google Business Profile
• Yelp
• Facebook Business
• Apple Maps
• Bing Places
• Better Business Bureau
• Yellow Pages / YP.com

12. Get Listed on VT/NH-Specific Directories

Local directories carry extra weight for Vermont and New Hampshire businesses:

• Vermont Chamber of Commerce directory
• New Hampshire Business Review directory
• Local town chamber directories (Brattleboro, Keene, etc.)
• Vermont.com business directory
• VisitNH.gov tourism directory (for hospitality businesses)
• Regional business associations

13. Claim Industry-Specific Listings

Depending on your business:

• Home services: HomeAdvisor, Angi, Houzz, Thumbtack
• Restaurants: TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Yelp
• Healthcare: Healthgrades, WebMD, Zocdoc
• Legal: Avvo, FindLaw, Justia
• Automotive: CarFax, RepairPal

14. Audit Existing Citations

Use a tool like Moz Local or BrightLocal to find inconsistent listings. Even small differences (St. vs Street, Suite 100 vs #100) can hurt your rankings. Fix every inconsistency.

Content Strategy

15. Start a Blog

Publish at least 2 posts per month targeting local search queries:

• “How to [solve common problem] in [your city]”
• “Best [your service] tips for [season] in Vermont”
• “[Your city] guide to [topic related to your business]”

Content builds topical authority and gives Google more pages to rank.

16. Create Local Content

Write about your community to build local relevance:

• Local event sponsorships or participation
• Community involvement stories
• Local market insights specific to VT/NH
• Seasonal content (winter preparation, fall foliage tourism, etc.)

17. Target “Near Me” Variations

People search differently than you might think. Target variations like:

• “[service] near me”
• “[service] in [city]”
• “[service] [city] [state]”
• “best [service] [city]”
• “[service] open now”

18. Answer Local Questions

Create FAQ content that addresses questions specific to your area:

• “How much does [service] cost in Vermont?”
• “Do I need a permit for [service] in [city]?”
• “What’s the best time of year for [service] in New Hampshire?”

Link Building

19. Get Local Backlinks

Links from local websites are gold for local SEO:

• Sponsor local events, sports teams, or nonprofits
• Join your local chamber of commerce
• Partner with complementary local businesses
• Get featured in local news (Brattleboro Reformer, Keene Sentinel, etc.)
• Contribute to local blogs or publications

20. Build Relationships with Local Media

Vermont and New Hampshire have strong local media. Build relationships with:

• Local newspaper reporters who cover business
• Regional business journals
• Local bloggers and influencers
• Community Facebook groups (participate genuinely, don’t just promote)

Reviews & Reputation

21. Create a Review Generation System

Don’t leave reviews to chance. Build a simple system:

1. Identify your happiest customers (after project completion)
2. Send a personal email or text with a direct link to your Google review page
3. Make it easy — provide the exact link, not just “find us on Google”
4. Follow up once if they haven’t reviewed within a week
5. Thank them publicly when they do

22. Monitor Your Online Reputation

Set up Google Alerts for your business name. Respond to reviews on all platforms within 48 hours. Address negative reviews professionally — your response is as much for future customers as it is for the reviewer.

Technical SEO

23. Fix Core Web Vitals

Google uses page experience as a ranking factor. Check yours at PageSpeed Insights:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Under 2.5 seconds
• FID (First Input Delay): Under 100 milliseconds
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Under 0.1

24. Ensure HTTPS

Your entire site should be served over HTTPS. If you still see “http://” in your URL bar, fix this immediately. It’s a direct ranking factor and a trust signal for visitors.

25. Submit Your Sitemap

Make sure Google can find all your pages:

1. Generate an XML sitemap
2. Submit it in Google Search Console
3. Check for crawl errors monthly
4. Fix any pages that aren’t being indexed

Implementation Priority

If you’re starting from scratch, here’s the order we recommend:

Week 1: Items 1-5 (Google Business Profile) Week 2: Items 6-10 (Website basics) Week 3: Items 11-14 (Citations) Month 2: Items 15-18 (Content) Month 3: Items 19-22 (Links & reviews) Ongoing: Items 23-25 (Technical maintenance)

Need Help?

Local SEO for Vermont and New Hampshire businesses is what we do every day at BearGorilla. If this checklist feels overwhelming, or if you want expert execution instead of doing it yourself, schedule a free local SEO audit. We’ll analyze your current visibility, identify the biggest opportunities, and give you a clear roadmap.

You can also check out our SEO services page to see how we help small businesses across the region dominate local search.