An island with clear edges
Richmond sits on Lulu Island and Sea Island, between the north and south arms of the Fraser River. To get in or out, you cross a bridge or go through the tunnel.
That shape helps local businesses. Google Maps leans on distance, and for most Richmond searchers the closest businesses are Richmond businesses. Fewer competitors spill in from neighbouring cities than in a place like Burnaby or Surrey.
But Richmond itself is big enough that the map still shifts. City Centre around No. 3 Road and the Canada Line is one market. Steveston at the south end is another. Ironwood, Hamilton, Bridgeport, Terra Nova, Broadmoor and the farmland out east each pull up their own top 3.
Who I work with in Richmond
Trades: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, renovation, roofing.
Auto repair, collision and detailing.
Logistics, warehousing and industrial services near the river and the airport.
Restaurants, cafes and shops in City Centre and Steveston.
Cleaning, moving, pest control and home services.
Clinics, dentists, tutors and professional offices.
If your customers find you on Google Maps, you’re who I work with.
What I do for Richmond businesses
Your Google Business Profile
The right primary category, a complete services list, a description that tells Richmond customers exactly what you do and where, and new photos and posts every week. That’s Google Business Profile optimization, and it’s always step one.
Your reviews
In a city this size, the businesses at the top of the map usually have plenty of reviews. A steady flow of fresh, real reviews is how a newer or quieter business catches up. Here’s the review system.
Your listings
Your name, address and phone, exactly the same on Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp and the Canadian directories. If your business name is written different ways in different places, including spacing, abbreviations or translated versions, that gets standardized too. That’s local citation building.
Then your website: “Richmond” in your title tag and H1, your details in the footer, schema, and a full page for each main service.
Steveston is its own market
If you’re in Steveston, you already know it doesn’t feel like the rest of Richmond. Visitors come for the waterfront and the village, and locals treat it like a small town.
That shows up in search. People type “Steveston” a lot. A Steveston business should make sure its profile, website and listings make that connection obvious, while still covering Richmond as a whole.
The same goes the other way. A City Centre business probably won’t win Steveston searches without real reasons to, and that’s fine. Win where you are first.
Get the local details right
The small details that help Google place a Richmond business:
One exact version of your business name, address and phone, used everywhere. Unit numbers, spacing and abbreviations included.
A service area that matches the parts of Richmond you cover, plus any nearby areas you genuinely serve.
Service pages that mention Steveston, City Centre or the neighbourhoods you work in most, where it reads naturally.
Photos from real Richmond jobs and your actual storefront or vehicles.
Listings with the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the directories local customers use.
If your customers search in more than one language, your website can reflect that. Your Google business name still stays one consistent version.
What Richmond customers search for, season by season
Richmond is flat, low and wet for much of the year. The rainy months bring roof leaks, drainage problems, window repairs and mould remediation. Cold snaps bring furnace and plumbing emergencies. Spring and summer bring landscaping, fencing, painting and air conditioning, and the summer weekends bring crowds to Steveston and the night market, which means busy restaurants, cafes and shops.
Your posts and photos follow the same calendar, so your profile is talking about what Richmond is searching for at that moment.
The first 90 days
Week 1: heatmap across Richmond and a breakdown of the top 3 near you.
Weeks 2 to 4: your Google Business Profile.
Weeks 5 to 8: your website.
Weeks 9 and 10: citations.
Weeks 11 and 12: fresh heatmap and full review.
A short email every Friday: what got done and what’s next.
The guarantee: top 3 on Google Maps for your agreed main keyword in your agreed target area within 90 days, or I keep working for free until you’re there. One business per industry per area.
Working with me
I’m based in the Fraser Valley. The work happens on your profile, your website and your listings, so we work by phone and email.
I also work south of the river in Delta and north in Vancouver.
Questions Richmond business owners ask
Will Vancouver businesses outrank me in Richmond?
Near the bridges it can happen, especially if their profiles are much stronger. For most of Richmond, being on the island is an advantage. A complete profile and steady reviews make the most of it.
I’m in Steveston. Should I target Steveston or Richmond?
Both, with Steveston front and centre. Your profile and website should make it clear you’re in Steveston, and your service area can cover the rest of Richmond.
My business name appears in two languages. Is that a problem?
It’s common in Richmond. What matters is consistency. Pick the exact name on your Google profile and use that same version everywhere else.
Do I need a separate page for each neighbourhood?
Not to start. Strong service pages come first. A neighbourhood page only makes sense if it’s a big part of your work and there’s something real to say about it.
How long does it take?
The guarantee is top 3 for your agreed main keyword in your agreed target area within 90 days. Profile changes often show up sooner.
What do I need to give you?
Access to your Google Business Profile and website, photos of your work every week, and a habit of asking every customer for a review.
What does it cost?
It depends on your trade and how competitive your part of Richmond is. You get a flat price on the strategy call before you commit to anything.
See where you rank in Richmond
Book a free strategy call. I’ll show you where you sit on the map across Richmond and what it’ll take to reach the top 3.