When someone in your area searches for what you do — “plumber near me,” “accountant in Stockport,” “CNC machining Manchester” — Google shows a map with three businesses underneath it. That’s the local pack, and it’s the most valuable real estate on the internet for small businesses.
Getting into that top three means your business shows up with your phone number, reviews, opening hours, and a link to your website — right at the top of the search results, before any of the regular website listings. It’s essentially free advertising to people who are actively looking for what you sell.
The question is: how do you get there? And the answer isn’t as complicated as the SEO industry would have you believe.
Start with Google Business Profile
If you do absolutely nothing else from this article, do this. Set up and properly fill out your Google Business Profile. It’s free, it takes about an hour, and it’s the single biggest factor in whether you show up in local search results.
Go to business.google.com and either claim your existing listing or create a new one. Google will ask you to verify your business — usually by sending a postcard to your address with a code on it, though sometimes they’ll let you verify by phone or email.
Once you’re verified, fill in everything. And I mean everything.
Business name — use your actual registered business name. Don’t stuff keywords in here. “Dave’s Plumbing” is fine. “Dave’s Plumbing - Best Plumber in Manchester Emergency Plumber 24/7” will get your listing suspended.
Categories — pick the most specific primary category that describes what you do. Then add secondary categories for anything else relevant. This matters more than most people realise.
Description — write a genuine description of your business. What you do, who you serve, where you’re based. Use natural language. Include your area and services, but don’t turn it into a keyword-stuffed mess.
Hours — keep these accurate. Update them for bank holidays. Google notices when your listed hours don’t match reality, and customers notice even more.
Photos — upload real photos of your business, your team, your work. At least ten to start with, and add new ones regularly. Profiles with photos get significantly more clicks than those without.
Get reviews, and actually respond to them
Reviews are the second biggest factor in local rankings, and they’re the biggest factor in whether someone actually chooses you over the other results.
The maths is straightforward: businesses with more reviews and higher ratings get more clicks. But you can’t just passively hope customers leave reviews. You need to ask.
The best time to ask is right after you’ve done a good job. Send a follow-up text or email with a direct link to your Google review page. Make it easy. The harder it is to leave a review, the fewer you’ll get.
Here’s how to get your direct review link: search for your business on Google, click your listing, and look for the “Ask for reviews” button — it gives you a short URL you can share.
Aim for a steady trickle of reviews over time rather than thirty in one week. Google’s algorithm favours recency and consistency. A business that gets two reviews a month looks healthier than one that got twenty reviews in January and nothing since.
And respond to every review. Good ones and bad ones. A simple “Thanks, Dave — glad we could help” is enough for positive reviews. For negative ones, be professional, acknowledge the issue, and offer to sort it out offline. How you handle criticism tells potential customers a lot about your business.
Sort out your citations
A citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on another website. Think Yell.com, Thomson Local, Yelp, industry directories, your local chamber of commerce.
The important thing here isn’t the number of citations — it’s consistency. Your business name, address, and phone number need to be exactly the same everywhere. Not “Unit 3, Industrial Estate” on your website and “Unit 3 Industrial Est.” on Yell. Not your mobile number on some directories and your landline on others.
Inconsistent citations confuse Google. It can’t be sure all these listings are the same business, so it’s less confident about showing you in search results.
Start by Googling your business name and checking the top ten or fifteen results. Are your details correct everywhere? If not, go through and update them. It’s tedious but it works.
The most important directories to get right are:
- Google Business Profile (obviously)
- Bing Places
- Yell.com
- Thomson Local
- Your industry-specific directories
- Your local council business directory
Put local keywords on your website
Your website itself needs to tell Google where you are and what you do. This sounds obvious, but a lot of small business websites never actually mention their location.
Your homepage title tag — the text that shows in the browser tab and in Google results — should include what you do and where. “Plumbing Services in Bolton | Dave’s Plumbing” is far more useful than just “Dave’s Plumbing | Home.”
Create content that’s relevant to your area. If you serve multiple towns, consider having a page for each one. Not thin, spammy pages — genuine content about the work you do in each area.
Make sure your address is on your website, ideally in the footer of every page. Use schema markup to help Google understand it — your web developer can add this in about ten minutes.
If you’re not sure what local keywords to target, think about what you’d type into Google if you were looking for a business like yours. That’s usually a good starting point.
What actually moves the needle
Here’s the honest truth about local SEO: it’s not complicated, but it does require consistency. The businesses that rank well locally aren’t doing anything magical. They’ve got a properly filled-out Google Business Profile, a steady stream of reviews, consistent citations, and a website that clearly states what they do and where.
The biggest mistake people make is doing all of this once and then forgetting about it. Post to your Google Business Profile weekly — even a quick photo of a recent job. Keep asking for reviews. Update your website when you add new services or serve new areas.
If you want a proper assessment of where your local SEO stands, our free business audit covers all of this and gives you a clear action plan. And if you want someone to handle the ongoing work, our SEO service is built specifically for small businesses who need results without the jargon.
A note about what doesn’t work
If someone promises you “guaranteed page one rankings” or offers to get you hundreds of reviews quickly, run a mile. Google is good at detecting fake reviews and manipulative tactics. The penalties for getting caught are far worse than the short-term gains.
Stick to the basics. Do them well. Do them consistently. That’s genuinely all it takes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does local SEO take to work?
Most businesses start seeing improvements within two to three months of properly setting up their Google Business Profile and building consistent citations. Reviews have a more immediate impact — even a handful of good reviews can improve your visibility and click-through rate within weeks. But local SEO is an ongoing effort, not a one-off job.
Is local SEO worth it for a small business?
Absolutely. Local SEO is one of the highest-return marketing activities for small businesses because you’re targeting people who are actively searching for what you do, in your area, right now. The competition is also much lower than national SEO — you’re competing against other local businesses, not the entire internet.
Can I do local SEO myself?
Yes, and you should start with the basics yourself. Setting up Google Business Profile, asking customers for reviews, and making sure your details are consistent across directories are all things you can do without any technical knowledge. The more technical aspects — schema markup, site speed, content strategy — are where professional help can accelerate things.
What’s the difference between SEO and local SEO?
Regular SEO focuses on ranking your website for searches that aren’t location-specific — like “how to fix a leaking tap.” Local SEO focuses on ranking in the map pack and local results for searches with local intent — like “plumber near me” or “plumber in Tameside.” For most small businesses serving a local area, local SEO gives you far more bang for your buck.