Alameda County · West
Local SEO in Oakland, California
Local SEO is how a business shows up on the map near the people who call. For a Oakland business, that means people in Jack London Square, Temescal and across Alameda County. It starts with your Google Business Profile, the listing that shows on Maps, and a call with Offer.
Oakland at a glance
- area codes sharing one map; new lines may get either
- 510 and 341
- Source: North American Numbering Plan Administrator, 2018
How people search here
Oakland is hills and flats, and everyone knows which they live on. Down in the flats it's Craftsman bungalows, Victorians and stucco boxes around Lake Merritt, Temescal and Fruitvale. Up in Montclair and the Oakland hills it's steep driveways, retaining walls and winding streets a work truck has to plan for. The Estuary, the BART lines and the freeways carve the city into pieces that don't share much, and searchers often use the next city over, Berkeley or Alameda, as their reference point. Keep your local SEO pages neighborhood-sized, and let the Google Business Profile carry the wider service area.
Neighborhoods to name
The ones you really work in belong on your profile, your pages and your ads.
- Downtown
- Jack London Square
- Temescal
- Rockridge
- Lake Merritt
- Fruitvale
- West Oakland
- Grand Lake
- Adams Point
- Piedmont Avenue
- Montclair
- Dimond
Google ranks map results on relevance, distance and popularity (its explanation). For a business that travels to customers in Oakland, it asks for service areas, not an address:
If you don't serve customers at your business address, remove your address from your Business Profile.
Source: Google Business Profile Help
Trades we work with here
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Roofers
Repairs and replacements.
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Plumbers
Leaks, drains and water heaters.
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Electricians
Repairs, panels and installs.
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HVAC
Heating and cooling repairs.
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Garage doors
Springs, openers and doors.
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Locksmiths
Lockouts and rekeys.
How it starts
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Step 1: A call with Offer
Your first call is with Offer Ben Saadon, the founder. You talk about your business, your area and what you want more of. No pitch deck.
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Step 2: A look at where you stand
We check your Google Business Profile, your website and the searches your customers already use, and show you what we find.
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Step 3: A plan in plain words
You get a short list of what we'd do first and why, so you can decide with the full picture before anything starts.
Questions owners ask
Should I name Berkeley and Alameda if I'm based in Oakland?
Name them whenever you take jobs there. They're separate cities, and people in them look for someone who works in their town. Add them to your service area instead of opening profiles at addresses you don't use. A short note on your site about the neighborhoods you cover, such as Rockridge or Fruitvale, backs it up for customers.
Do I need an office in Oakland to show up on Maps there?
No. A business that goes to its customers can remove its address from its profile and list the areas it serves, such as Rockridge or Lake Merritt, instead. What Google doesn't accept is a P.O. box or a mailbox standing in for an office, as its rules for business profiles say.
How do we start if my business is in Oakland?
With a call with Offer Ben Saadon, the founder. Tell him about your business, whether you cover all of Alameda County or a few places like Fruitvale, and the work you want more of. He'll tell you honestly what he'd do first, whether or not we work together.
Talk to Offer about Oakland.
Tell him what's working and what isn't. You'll leave with a clearer picture either way.