Local SEO is the practice of getting your business to appear in Google searches made by people in your area. "Electrician near me." "Best café in Sheffield." "Emergency plumber Bradford." These searches have high intent — the person searching is ready to buy or book. Showing up here is worth more than almost any other form of marketing for a local business.
This is the complete checklist. Work through it section by section and you'll be ahead of 90% of small businesses in your area.
1. Google Business Profile
- Claim and verify your Google Business Profile at business.google.com
- Business name matches exactly what appears on your website and signage
- Category is set correctly (be specific — "Electrician" not "Contractor")
- Full address entered, or service area set if you're mobile/visiting
- Phone number is a local number (not a premium rate)
- Opening hours are accurate and include bank holidays
- Website URL is set and points to a working page
- At least 10 photos uploaded (exterior, interior, team, work examples)
- Description is completed with relevant keywords naturally included
- Services section filled in with individual services and prices where possible
2. Reviews strategy
- Have at least 20 Google reviews (this is the threshold where trust significantly increases)
- Review velocity is consistent — aim for 2–4 new reviews per month minimum
- You respond to every review — positive and negative
- You have a direct Google review link to share with customers
- Reviews mention your location and service type naturally (this helps ranking)
- You ask for reviews at the right moment (immediately after a positive job completion)
The most effective way to get reviews: send a WhatsApp message within 2 hours of finishing a job. "Really pleased with how that went — if you have 60 seconds, a Google review would mean a lot: [link]." Response rates are typically 40–60% compared to under 10% for email requests sent days later.
3. On-page local SEO
- Page title includes your primary service and location: "Emergency Plumber Manchester | [Business Name]"
- H1 heading includes service and location
- Meta description includes service, location, and a value proposition
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is consistent across your site, Google Business Profile, and all directories
- Embed a Google Map on your contact page
- Create individual pages for each key service area or town you cover
- Footer includes your full address and local phone number
- Schema markup added for LocalBusiness (helps Google understand your location and services)
4. Directory citations
Citations are mentions of your business name, address and phone number on other websites. Consistency is more important than quantity — one inconsistency across key directories can suppress your ranking.
- Yell.com — claim and complete your listing
- Bing Places — often overlooked but meaningful for B2B searches
- Apple Maps — increasingly important as iPhone users search more via Siri
- Facebook Business Page — even if you don't use social media actively
- Checkatrade, Rated People, or TrustATrader (trades businesses)
- FreeIndex, Hotfrog, Thomson Local
- Industry-specific directories relevant to your trade
5. Local content strategy
Content is the long-term multiplier. A single well-written page targeting a specific service in a specific location can generate leads for years.
- Write an individual service page for each main service you offer
- Create area pages for the key towns/postcodes you cover
- Add a case studies or recent work section with location references naturally included
- Blog about local topics, local events you've been involved in, or local industry news
- Add FAQ content to key pages — voice search queries are often phrased as questions
6. Technical foundations
- Site loads in under 3 seconds on mobile (check with Google PageSpeed Insights)
- Site is mobile-responsive and passes Google's mobile usability test
- HTTPS enabled (padlock icon in browser bar)
- No broken links or 404 errors (use Screaming Frog free version to check)
- XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
- Google Search Console set up and monitored monthly
Our Advanced SEO (+£300) package handles keyword research, full on-page optimisation, schema markup, sitemap submission, Google Search Console setup, and Google Business Profile optimisation. It covers sections 3–6 of this checklist in full. Add Advanced SEO to your build here — or read our page speed guide while you're at it.