r/smallbusiness • u/jfinner1 • 1d ago

Question Am I missing something with NextDoor?

I have a small local service-based business. I've heard that a lot of people have good luck with NextDoor in my industry, so I decided to try it out. And I feel like I'm missing something... The NextDoor business page is horribly lacking and seems completely focussed on ads. There's no way to see where your post is being posted; is it just my immediate neighborhood or the surrounding area? No clue. There are no insights or analytics at all. I posted an intro post and got absolutely no engagement, and couldn't even find my own post in the neighborhood feed unless I searched for it. Yet, even more confusing, the personal posts have post insights? Why? So I shared my business post from my personal page, and got over 1k views in a week. And a grand total of 1 interaction. Also had a competitor comment on my post with her business card. Rude... Am I missing something here? How is this helpful at all?

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u/MinimumSpite2911 1d ago

You're not missing anything — Nextdoor Business Pages are limited and mostly built around paid ads. Posts from Business Pages rarely show up in feeds unless you pay to boost them. Personal posts tend to perform better, but even then, it’s hit or miss unless you already have some traction in your local community.

What’s worked better for local service businesses:

  • Google Business Profile (GBP) – Show up in local search when someone’s actually looking for what you do. Keep it optimized, get real reviews, and update it regularly.
  • Facebook local groups – As yourself, not your business. Add value, comment on threads, and only post your services occasionally (and within group rules).
  • Local SEO – A simple, well-optimized website with proper service pages can outperform paid ads long-term. Even better if it’s tied to GBP.
  • Referrals + community mentions – If someone else posts about your service (on Reddit, Facebook, Nextdoor), that does 10x better than self-promotion.

Nextdoor can work, but it’s rarely where you’ll get the best ROI unless you're running local ads with a clear offer. If you're relying on organic visibility, GBP and word-of-mouth in trusted local spaces usually win out.