A SEO and web guide for local businesses in Marbella

Where to start: the Google listing or the website

The number one question for every local business is the order. Do I build the website first or set up the listing first? The answer depends on whether you already have a physical location.

• If you already have an address and serve customers there, start with the Google listing. It's free, it goes live quickly and it can start bringing you calls and visits while you decide on the website.
• If you work from home or without premises, the website comes first. With no address to show, your website becomes your shop window and your business card.
• If you already have a website but it's abandoned, don't scrap it. It's often cheaper to rebuild it with a simple structure than to drag around years of mess.

The practical rule: start with what can bring you customers today, then build what grows your presence in the medium term. If you want the listing side in detail, we cover it in our guide to local SEO in Marbella.

What a local business website really needs

You don't need a website with animations, or a blog with twenty posts, or the look of a multinational. You need a website that answers three questions in under ten seconds: what you do, where you are and how to contact you. Everything else is secondary at first.

The difference between a website that doesn't sell and one that works shows up clearly in this comparison:

If your website doesn't tick these basics, it isn't a design problem: it's a structure problem. And that can be fixed without spending a fortune. We cover it in web design in Marbella.

The Google map: your listing and your reviews

Your Google Business Profile listing (what you see on Google Maps) is the most cost-effective tool a local business has, because it's free and it shows up right when someone searches with intent. Keeping it in good shape means:

• Complete, accurate details. Name, address, phone, opening hours, main category and website. Wrong opening hours mean missed calls.
• The right category. It's what tells Google which searches you're relevant for. If you pick a category that doesn't fit, you can become invisible to your own customers.
• Real, up-to-date photos. Your premises, your team, your work. Stock photos stand out a mile.
• Managed reviews. Asking for them consistently and replying to all of them, including the bad ones, can help you look like a serious, attentive business.

One important detail: a bad review isn't deleted, it's answered. A polite, professional reply can convince a future customer far more than twenty perfect reviews that were never answered.

Local SEO: getting found for your area and your service

Local SEO is the work of making your business appear when someone searches for your service near where you are. Google decides that order by combining three main factors:

• Relevance. How well your business matches what the person is looking for: your category, your services and the words on your website and listing.
• Distance. How close you are to the point where the search is made. That's why working your specific area matters.
• Prominence. How much presence and reputation your business has: reviews, mentions and links.

On top of that comes the conditional: nobody can guarantee you a position, because it depends on your sector and on what your competitors do. What you can do is work these factors well, consistently, to improve your chances of showing up.

Bilingual ES/EN: Marbella's trump card

Marbella has something few cities have: a huge international community of residents and visitors. Many of those customers search in English, not Spanish. If your business only exists in Spanish, you're leaving that door closed.

• An English version can open up a market you already have next door. Restaurants, estate agents, clinics and professional services feel this especially.
• It isn't about translating literally. Your service names and the way you explain them need to sound natural in both languages.
• Your Google listing also supports several languages. Describing your services in ES and EN can help you reach both audiences.

At Solaris we publish content in Spanish and English for exactly this reason: in Marbella, speaking only one language means speaking to half your customers.

Real budget: website and local SEO

There's no "request a quote and we'll surprise you" here. These are our published prices, with no small print.

A simple website can be ready in 5-7 working days if you provide the texts and images. Do the maths: if one new customer a month brings you 150€, the local SEO plan already pays for itself, and anything beyond that is pure return.

Typical mistakes for a local business in Marbella

After working with many businesses in the area, these are the mistakes we see again and again:

• Building the website and never touching it again. A stalled website is like a shop window with the shutters half down.
• A half-finished Google listing. With no photos, no updated hours and no replies to reviews, it looks like neglect.
• Not asking for reviews. A happy customer rarely leaves feedback if nobody asks.
• Publishing only in Spanish. In Marbella that means giving up half your potential customers.
• Confusing spending with investing. Paying for a result you can't measure isn't marketing, it's roulette.

Why Solaris

There are plenty of agencies in Marbella. We work differently:

• Fixed, published prices. You know what it costs before you start, and they're prices designed for local businesses, not big budgets.
• No lock-in. You stay because it works, not because a contract ties you down.
• Specialists in Costa del Sol businesses. We know the Marbella market, its international customers and its competition.
• We explain everything. You get reports and you know where your money goes, month by month.

If you want a website and a Google presence that work for you, tell us about your project and we'll give you a fixed price.