Local SEO services so people nearby find you
Your Google Business Profile, pages for each town or area, reviews and the same contact details everywhere. For businesses that customers visit, or that go out to customers: garages, clinics, studios, shops.
When someone searches for “tyre fitting near me” or “nail salon Clapham”, Google shows a map and a handful of businesses. Who makes that list depends on more than the website.
Who this is for
when it fits
- Customers come to you in person, or you travel to them within a town or region.
- On Google Maps you sit below competitors, or your profile is only half filled in.
- You have several locations, and each one needs its own visibility.
when not now
- You sell online across the whole country and your address does not matter. Then you need regular SEO.
- There is no real address or service area. Google suspends made-up addresses, and the risk is not worth it.
- You have no reviews and are not ready to ask customers for them.
What we do step by step
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01
Google Business Profile
Categories, services, service area, opening hours, photos, attributes. We also check for duplicate profiles.
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02
Location pages
A page for each branch or service area with the address, how to get there, terms and contact details. Only where there is something specific to say.
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03
Reviews
We set up a simple way to ask for a review after a purchase and help you reply, including to negative ones.
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04
Consistent details
Business name, address and phone number should match on the site, in the profile, in directories and on social media.
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05
Measurement
Calls, direction requests and clicks from the profile, plus impressions for local searches in Search Console.
THE QUESTIONS
WE HEAR MOST.
What do local SEO services include?
Work on visibility for searches tied to a place: a town, a neighbourhood or the words “near me”. It covers your Google Business Profile, location pages on the site, reviews and consistent contact details across every source.
Can I manage with a Maps profile and no website?
For some searches, yes, but a website strengthens the profile: Google sees the address, services and prices confirmed by a second source. People also often open the site to check prices before they call.
How much do local SEO services cost?
It depends on the number of locations and services and on the state of your profile and site. One location is a smaller job than a chain. We propose the scope after a review and agree it in writing.
How quickly will I get to the top of the map?
We do not promise that. Your position on the map depends on how far the searcher is from you, the competitors nearby and the number and quality of your reviews. We show what has changed in impressions and actions from your profile.
Other directions
Sound like
your task?
Send your website address, a link to your Google Business Profile and the towns or areas you serve. We will reply in writing with what to fix first.
Local SEO: how the map works and where to start
Local SEO services are for businesses with an address or a service area: garages, dental practices, salons, studios, restaurants, trades that come out to customers. Their customers search with a town, a neighbourhood or “near me”, and Google answers with a map of a few businesses first and the ordinary results below it. Three things get you onto that map, and they need to back each other up: your Google Business Profile, your website and your reviews.
How Google decides who appears on the map
Google explains it plainly: relevance to the search, distance and how prominent the business is. You cannot change distance, which is why the same business ranks higher for someone two streets away than for someone across town. Relevance comes from the categories, services and description in your profile. Prominence comes from reviews, mentions of the business elsewhere and the website itself.
The practical conclusion: a half-finished profile loses to a complete one even when the business is closer. What you can check in your own profile is covered in our article on auditing your Google Business Profile.
How the work runs
- Review. We look at your profile, your site and the competitors Google shows for your main searches in the area you serve. We also look for duplicate profiles and old listings with a different address or phone number.
- Profile. Primary and secondary categories, services, service area, opening hours, photos, attributes. If customers do not come to you and you go to them, the address is hidden and a service area is set, as Google’s guidelines require.
- Website. Service pages should show the address or the areas you cover, how to reach you, prices or what they depend on, and how to book. With several locations, each gets its own page with its own content. Ten area pages where only the place name changes do harm: Google treats them as duplicates.
- Reviews. We agree when and how to ask for a review and help with replies, including to negative ones.
- Details. We check that name, address and phone number match on the site, in the profile, in directories and on social media.
- Measurement. Calls, direction requests and clicks from the profile, plus impressions for local searches in Search Console.
If the review already shows technical problems with the site, for example service pages that are not indexed, start with a technical SEO audit. Otherwise the profile leans on a site that Google cannot see.
What drives the price
We price the work, not the number of directories to submit to. The factors:
- the number of locations or service areas, since each needs its own profile and possibly its own page;
- the number of services and categories;
- the state of the profile: verified or not, any duplicates, any suspension;
- whether there is a website and who edits it, us or your developer;
- the languages your customers use when they search.
We propose a scope after the review and agree it in writing.
Who it suits and who it does not
It suits businesses that people visit or call out to their home: healthcare, beauty, car services, repairs, tutoring and training studios, restaurants, showrooms. It is especially useful for chains where some branches show up on the map and others do not.
It does not suit businesses that sell nationwide, where the address means nothing to the customer; that calls for SEO in the broader sense. Nor does it suit a virtual office or a co-working address without staff on site. Google’s guidelines do not allow such addresses on a profile, and the risk of suspension is not worth it.
What to ask a local SEO agency, and common mistakes
A sensible local SEO agency starts with your profile, site and reviews, not with a list of hundreds of directories. Ask what will be done first, who changes the site and which numbers you will see each month. Good local SEO services report calls, direction requests and clicks from the profile against the same period last year, not a screenshot of “position one” taken outside your own front door, since map positions shift with every searcher’s location. Whoever does the work, avoid these mistakes:
- Adding keywords to the business name in the profile. It breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Buying reviews or asking friends to post several in one day. Google removes suspicious reviews and can restrict the profile.
- Changing the phone number or address on the site and forgetting the profile and directories.
- Keeping two profiles for one location after a move or a change of owner.
- Leaving reviews unanswered for months. Someone choosing between two businesses on the same street notices.
Next step
Write to us via the contact page with your website address, a link to your Google Business Profile, the towns or areas you serve and the number of locations. If you know about duplicate profiles or old addresses in directories, mention those too. We will reply in writing with what to fix first.