Local SEO: Dominating Your Service Area

When someone searches "boiler repair near me" or "garage doors Newcastle", Google shows two types of results: the local pack (a map with three business listings) and the organic results below. For service businesses, appearing in that local pack is often more valuable than ranking first organically. Those three listings get the lion's share of clicks.

Local SEO is what gets you there. It is distinct from general SEO, with its own ranking factors and tactics. This article covers what actually matters for local visibility.

Google Business Profile: The Foundation

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important factor in local SEO. It is what appears in the map pack, what shows when people search your business name, and what provides the information Google uses to match you with local searches.

If you have not claimed your profile, do it now. Go to google.com/business, search for your business, and follow the verification process. Google will typically send a postcard with a code to your business address, though phone or email verification is sometimes available.

Completing every field

Google rewards complete profiles. Fill out everything:

Business name should be your actual business name, not stuffed with keywords. "Smith Plumbing" is correct. "Smith Plumbing - Best Plumber Newcastle Emergency Plumber 24/7" is not. Google penalises keyword stuffing in business names.

Primary category is crucial. Choose the category that most accurately describes your main service. A plumber should choose "Plumber", not "Contractor". You can add secondary categories for additional services.

Address must be exactly consistent with how it appears elsewhere online. If your website says "15 High Street", your GBP should say "15 High Street", not "15 High St" or "15 High Street, Unit 2".

Service area can be set if you go to customers rather than them coming to you. You can hide your address if you work from home and specify the areas you serve instead.

Hours should be accurate and kept updated for holidays. Inaccurate hours frustrate customers and signal to Google that your profile is not maintained.

Phone number should be your main business line, ideally a local number rather than a mobile if possible.

Website link should go to your homepage or, even better, a location-specific page if you have one.

Services let you list specific services with descriptions and prices. Fill these out comprehensively.

Description is 750 characters to describe your business. Use it well. Include what you do, where you serve, and what makes you different. Include relevant keywords naturally but do not stuff them.

Photos matter more than you think

Businesses with photos get significantly more engagement than those without. Google has stated that businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more website clicks.

Add photos of your work (before and after shots work brilliantly for trades), your team, your premises if you have one, and your vehicles. Keep adding fresh photos over time. Aim for at least one new photo per month.

Photo quality matters. Smartphone photos are fine, but they should be well-lit and in focus. Dark, blurry images do more harm than good.

Posts keep your profile active

Google Business Profile has a posts feature, similar to social media updates. You can post updates, offers, events, and news. Posts expire after seven days (except event posts, which expire after the event).

Regular posting signals to Google that your business is active. It also gives searchers more reasons to engage with your listing. A post about a current offer or recently completed project catches attention.

Posting weekly is ideal. Even fortnightly maintains activity. Going months without a post suggests your business may not be actively trading.

Responding to questions

People can ask questions on your GBP listing. Answer them promptly and helpfully. Unanswered questions look unprofessional and represent a missed opportunity to engage with potential customers.

You can also seed your own questions and answers. Think about what customers commonly ask and add those as Q&A entries. This provides useful information and demonstrates your expertise.

Reviews: Quantity, Quality, and Recency

Reviews influence both your local ranking and whether people actually choose you. Google considers review signals in ranking, and potential customers trust businesses with strong reviews.

Getting more reviews

The main reason businesses have few reviews is they do not ask for them. Satisfied customers are usually happy to leave a review when asked directly.

Create a direct link to your Google review page. You can find this in your GBP dashboard or by searching "Google Place ID finder", entering your business, and constructing the URL. Send this link to customers after completing work.

Make it part of your process. Send a follow-up email or text thanking them for their business and asking for a review if they were happy with the service. Some businesses include a card with the QR code linking to their review page.

Do not offer incentives for reviews. Google prohibits this, and it feels unethical anyway. Reviews should be genuine.

Responding to reviews

Respond to every review, positive and negative. Thank people for positive reviews. A brief, genuine response shows you value feedback.

For negative reviews, respond professionally and calmly. Acknowledge their frustration, apologise if appropriate, and offer to resolve the issue offline. Never argue or get defensive in a public response. Potential customers will judge you on how you handle criticism.

Negative reviews are not disasters. A business with 50 five-star reviews looks suspicious. A business with 48 five-star and 2 three-star reviews with thoughtful responses looks authentic.

Review velocity and recency

Google pays attention to how recently reviews were left, not just your overall count. A business with 100 reviews but none in the last year looks stagnant. A business with 30 reviews but 10 in the last three months looks active.

Maintain a steady flow of reviews rather than asking for 20 at once and then nothing for months. A few reviews per month is more valuable than bursts of activity.

Local Citations and Directory Listings

A citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) online. Citations help Google verify your business information and contribute to local rankings.

Core citations to establish first

Start with the major directories that Google trusts:

Yell.com, Thomson Local, Yelp, FreeIndex, and Scoot are general directories with strong authority.

Industry-specific directories matter too. For trades, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, TrustATrader, and Rated People are relevant. For professional services, industry body directories and membership listings count.

Local directories, like your local council business directory or regional business associations, provide geographically relevant signals.

NAP consistency is critical

Your business name, address, and phone number must be identical everywhere. Not similar. Identical.

If your Google Business Profile says "Acme Plumbing Services, 15 High Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA" then every citation should match exactly. Not "Acme Plumbing" or "Acme Plumbing Services Ltd" or "15 High St" or "Newcastle" without "upon Tyne".

Inconsistencies confuse Google. They cannot be sure all these listings refer to the same business, so citation signals are diluted.

Audit your existing citations. Search for your business name and phone number. Find everywhere you are listed and correct any inconsistencies. This is tedious work but important.

Managing citations over time

If you change your phone number or move premises, you need to update every citation. Old citations with outdated information cause problems: confused customers and confused search engines.

Keep a spreadsheet of everywhere you are listed. When details change, work through the list systematically.

Citation management tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark can help with auditing and building citations, though they cost money. For small businesses, manual management is often sufficient.

Local Content and Service Area Pages

Your website content should clearly signal where you operate. If you serve multiple areas, create location-specific pages.

Service area pages

A garage door company serving the North East might have pages for:

• Garage Doors Newcastle
• Garage Doors Gateshead
• Garage Doors Sunderland
• Garage Doors Durham

Each page should have unique, genuinely useful content, not just the same text with the location name swapped. Talk about your experience in that area, mention specific projects if you can, reference local landmarks or characteristics.

Thin location pages that differ only in the place name can be seen as duplicate content and may not rank well. If you cannot write meaningfully different content for each location, consolidate into fewer, better pages.

Local content

Blog posts and articles with local relevance can support local SEO. A post about "Common Boiler Problems in Older Newcastle Homes" has local relevance that a generic "Common Boiler Problems" post lacks.

Case studies mentioning specific locations, community involvement posts, and local industry news all add local signals to your content.

Schema markup

Structured data markup helps search engines understand your business information. LocalBusiness schema tells Google explicitly that you are a local business, where you are located, what services you offer, and your opening hours.

If you are not comfortable implementing schema yourself, most decent web developers can add it, or plugins can help for WordPress sites. Google's Structured Data Markup Helper can guide you through creating the code.

Local Link Building

Backlinks remain important for local SEO, but the emphasis is on locally relevant links rather than just any links.

What counts as a local link

A link from the Newcastle Chronicle is more valuable for ranking in Newcastle than a link from a random blog in California. Geographic relevance matters.

Local links include: local news sites, regional business associations, local chambers of commerce, local event pages, community organisation websites, local supplier or partner websites, and local blogs or publications.

How to earn local links

Sponsor local activities. Sports teams, community events, school functions, and local charities often list sponsors on their websites with links.

Join local business organisations. Chambers of commerce, trade associations, and business networking groups usually have member directories with links.

Get featured in local press. Local news sites are always looking for stories. Interesting projects, business milestones, community involvement, or expert commentary on local issues can earn coverage.

Partner with complementary businesses. A kitchen fitter might partner with a plumber and electrician. Cross-linking and recommending each other builds relevant local links.

Create locally useful resources. A guide to local building regulations, a directory of local suppliers, or useful local information can attract links naturally.

Tracking Local SEO Progress

Measuring local SEO performance requires looking at specific metrics.

Local pack tracking

Tools like BrightLocal, Whitespark, or SEMrush can track your position in the local pack for target keywords. Manual checking works too, but remember that results vary by exact location and whether you are logged into Google.

Google Business Profile insights

GBP provides data on how people find and interact with your listing: how many people viewed it, how many requested directions, how many called, what searches triggered your listing. Review these monthly to understand trends.

Local organic rankings

Track your rankings for location-modified keywords: "plumber Newcastle", "garage doors Gateshead", and so on. Again, tools help, but manual checks from different locations provide a reality check.

Conversions by location

If you can track where enquiries come from, monitor whether leads from your target areas are increasing. More leads from your service area is the ultimate measure of local SEO success.

Common Local SEO Mistakes

Inconsistent NAP. We have mentioned it repeatedly because it matters. Inconsistency undermines your local signals.

Ignoring GBP after setup. Setting up your profile and never touching it again. Competitors with active profiles will overtake you.

Fake reviews. Buying reviews or having friends and family leave them from their personal accounts. Google detects patterns and can remove reviews or penalise your listing.

Wrong category selection. Choosing a category that does not match your primary service. If you are a plumber, your primary category should be Plumber, not Handyman or Contractor.

No local content signals. A website that never mentions where you operate. Google cannot rank you locally if you do not tell it where you are.

Duplicate GBP listings. Multiple listings for the same business, perhaps from a previous owner or an accidental duplicate. These confuse Google and split your reviews. Identify and remove duplicates.

Getting Started Checklist

If you are new to local SEO, work through this sequence:

Claim and verify your Google Business Profile if you have not already.

Complete every field in your profile, add photos, and write your description.

Audit your existing citations and fix any NAP inconsistencies.

Set up the core directory listings if you are missing any.

Add location signals to your website: address in the footer, service area pages if relevant, local content.

Implement a review request process and start asking satisfied customers for reviews.

Post weekly on your Google Business Profile to maintain activity.

Monitor progress through GBP insights and local ranking checks.

Local SEO rewards consistency over time. You will not dominate the local pack overnight, but steady attention to these fundamentals will build your visibility in your service area. The businesses that show up in local search are the ones that did this work. The ones that did not are invisible.