The #1 mistake I see local businesses make: they build a website but never make sure people can find

Been doing local SEO and web design for a while now, and I keep seeing the same pattern play out with small businesses:

They spend a few thousand dollars on a nice-looking website... and then nothing happens. No leads, no calls, no bookings. They assume the website is "done" and move on.

Here's the thing - a website without Local SEO is like opening a store with no sign, no directions, and no listing on the map. It exists, but nobody's finding it.

A few things I've noticed that actually move the needle for local businesses:

1. SEO fundamentals need to be built in from day one
Not bolted on later. Site structure, page speed, mobile responsiveness, proper heading hierarchy, schema markup - all of this is way easier (and cheaper) to get right during the build than to retrofit six months later.

2. Google Business Profile is doing more work than people realize
I've seen GBP optimization alone outperform paid ads for local lead gen - especially for service businesses (clinics, law firms, HVAC, real estate, etc.). Categories, service areas, photos, review response cadence, posts - most businesses set it up once and never touch it again.

3. Advanced SEO is a different phase entirely
This is for businesses that already have visibility and want to dominate a niche, not just show up. Content strategy, backlinks, competitor gap analysis, local citations at scale - this is the long game.

Curious what others here have seen - for those of you running local businesses or working in this space, what's been the biggest lever for you? Website quality, GBP, reviews, paid ads, something else entirely? Trying to get a broader read on what's actually working right now, not just in theory.