SEO
Local SEO for service businesses, without the jargon
Local SEO is how a business shows up when someone nearby searches for what it does. Searches like "boiler repair Stockport" or "physio near me" usually come from someone who needs help soon.
This post explains where those searches show you, what each place depends on and what to do first.
Where a local search can show you
Type a job and a town into Google and you'll see more than a list of links. A business can appear in one of these places and be missing from the others.
The map
The map shows a few local businesses with their reviews and phone numbers. Your Google Business Profile decides most of what appears here.
The results below the map
These are the normal search results. For a search with a town in it, a page about that town often does best.
"Near me" searches
These have no town in them, so Google uses where the person is. Your profile and pages need to agree on the areas you cover.
AI answers
Google's AI answers, and tools like ChatGPT, often name local businesses. They draw on clear pages that say what you do and where.
Your Google Business Profile
This is the free listing that appears on the map. For many local searches, it's the first thing a customer sees.
- Choose the main category that best matches your work, then add others that fit.
- Set your service areas to the places you cover.
- Add your services, opening hours and phone number, and keep them up to date.
- Add real photos of your work, your van or your premises.
- Make sure the name, address and phone number match your website exactly.
A page for each town
If you work in several towns, each one can have its own page. Someone searching for your service in Wigan wants to see that you work in Wigan.
A town page should be written for that town, not copied from another with the name swapped. Mention the nearby areas you cover, the kind of jobs you do there and any local details that are true.
Check the searches first. A town with no one searching for your service doesn't need a page yet.
Reviews
Reviews help you on the map, and they help customers choose you once they find you.
- Ask every customer, soon after the job, while they're happy.
- Make it easy, with a direct link to leave a review.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and in your own words.
- Never buy reviews or offer a reward for leaving one. It breaks Google's rules.
Keep your details the same everywhere
Your business probably appears in more places than your website. Directories, social profiles and review sites all list your details.
When the name, address and phone number match everywhere, Google and AI tools can be more sure they're all the same business. When they don't, it's harder to trust any of them.
What to do first
If you're starting from scratch, this is the order we'd go in.
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile.
- Make sure your website has a clear page for each main service.
- Add town pages for the places that bring in the most work.
- Start asking every customer for a review.
- Tidy up your details on the main directories.
How long it takes and what it costs
Local SEO isn't instant. Some changes, like fixing your profile, can help fairly quickly. Others, like town pages, build up over months.
Our local SEO starts with a free SEO audit. That shows where you appear now, what's missing and where to start. The monthly cost then depends mainly on how many towns you cover.