If you are a plumber, electrician, roofer or builder, most of your work comes from people nearby. They pick up their phone, type something like "electrician near me" or "boiler repair Beeston", and ring one of the first few names they see. Local SEO is the work that helps your business show up in those searches.
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It sounds technical, but for a local trade business most of it is common sense. Nobody can promise you a top spot on Google, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What you can do is give Google clear, honest signals about who you are, what you do and where you do it. Here are the basics.
Set up your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that appears on Google Maps and in the box of local businesses at the top of many searches. For a lot of trades, it matters as much as the website.
To get the most from it:
- Claim and verify the profile, so Google knows you are the real owner.
- Choose the main category that best fits your trade, then add any others that genuinely apply.
- Set your service area to the towns and postcodes you actually cover. If you work from home and customers do not visit, you can hide your address.
- Add your opening hours, phone number and website link.
- Upload real photos of your work, your van and your team. Skip stock photos.
- Write a short description in plain words, saying what you do and where.
Keep it up to date. If your hours change over Christmas, change them on the profile too.
Give each main service its own page
A single page that says "we do all aspects of plumbing" does not tell Google or customers very much. It helps to give each main service its own page on your website. A plumber might have separate pages for boiler installs, bathroom fitting and emergency callouts.
Each page should explain what the job involves, roughly how long it takes and how to get in touch. Answer the questions people ask you on the phone.
Mention where you work
Google needs to know which area you serve. Say it naturally on your website. Mention your base town on the home page, list the main areas you cover, and include your town in your page titles where it makes sense.
You do not need to stuff the town name into every sentence. Write the way you would talk to a customer: "We fit kitchens across Nottingham, West Bridgford and Arnold." If you cover several towns, you might consider separate pages for them, but only if each one has something genuinely useful to say. We cover that in more detail in our post on service area pages.
Ask for reviews, every time
Reviews help in two ways. They give Google a signal that real customers use you, and they help a stranger decide to pick up the phone.
The simplest habit is to ask every happy customer, at the end of the job, while they are pleased. Send them the direct link to your Google review form by text or WhatsApp so it takes them seconds. A few tips:
- Ask everyone, not just the customers you think will gush.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.
- Never buy reviews or write fake ones. It breaks Google's rules and can get your profile suspended.
- Show your best reviews on your website too.
Keep your details consistent
Your business name, address and phone number should be written the same way everywhere they appear: your website, your Google profile, Facebook, Checkatrade, Yell and any other directory. If one site has an old phone number and another spells your name differently, it creates confusion for Google and for customers. Pick one version and stick to it. Our post on name, address and phone consistency goes through how to check and fix this.
Get links from local websites
When another website links to yours, it acts a bit like a recommendation. Links from local, relevant sites are the most useful. Good places to start:
- Suppliers or merchants you buy from, if they list approved installers.
- Trade bodies and accreditation schemes you belong to.
- Local sports clubs or charities you sponsor.
- Local business groups or your chamber of commerce.
- Other trades you work alongside, such as a builder who recommends your plastering.
Avoid paying for bulk links from unknown websites. They rarely help and can cause problems.
Be patient
Local SEO is slow. Changes to your website or profile can take weeks or months to make a noticeable difference, and results go up and down. That is normal. The businesses that do well are usually the ones that keep doing the simple things: updating their profile, collecting reviews, adding useful pages and keeping details tidy.
A simple checklist
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile.
- Create a page for each main service you offer.
- Mention the towns you cover in a natural way.
- Ask every happy customer for a review.
- Make your name, address and phone number match everywhere.
- Look for a few genuine local links.
- Keep going, month after month.
Every site we build at We are Graft is set up for Google from the start, and our Growth plan includes setting up and looking after your Google Business Profile. You can see what each plan covers on our pricing page.
If you would like to see what a proper site for your trade could look like, fill in the free design form or get in touch. You see the design before you pay anything.