Local SEO: How to Dominate Your Area on Google
When someone in your area Googles “[your service] near me” — do you appear? If not, you’re invisible to the exact people most likely to buy from you.
Local SEO is the process of making your business visible in local search results. That means the Google Map Pack (the three businesses that appear with a map at the top of results), local organic listings, and Google Maps searches.
For businesses that serve a specific area — trades, professional services, retail, hospitality, healthcare — local SEO is often the single most effective marketing channel available. It puts you in front of people who are actively looking for what you sell, in the area you serve, right now.
And the best part? It’s largely free. You’re not paying per click. You’re not buying ad space. You’re earning visibility by being the most relevant, trusted local business in Google’s eyes.
Why Local SEO Matters More Than Ever
Some numbers worth knowing:
- 46% of all Google searches have local intent (“near me,” “[service] in [location]”)
- 76% of people who search for something local visit a business within 24 hours
- 28% of those searches result in a purchase
- The Google Map Pack gets 44% of clicks for local searches — more than all the organic results combined
If you’re a local business and you’re not in the Map Pack for your core terms, you’re handing those customers to your competitors.
The Three Pillars of Local SEO
Local rankings are determined by three factors. Google has confirmed this:
1. Relevance
How well does your business match what the searcher is looking for? This comes from your Google Business Profile information, your website content, and the categories you’re listed under.
2. Distance
How close is your business to the searcher? You can’t change your physical location, but you can ensure Google correctly understands the areas you serve.
3. Prominence
How well-known and trusted is your business? This is based on reviews, links, citations, and overall online presence.
You can influence all three. Here’s how.
Step 1: Optimise Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your Google Business Profile is the single most important asset for local SEO. If you do nothing else from this article, do this.
Claim and Verify Your Profile
If you haven’t already, go to business.google.com and claim your listing. You’ll need to verify — usually by postcard, phone, or email. Do this today.
Complete Every Section
Google rewards completeness. Fill in:
- Business name — Exactly as it appears in the real world. Don’t stuff keywords in (“Smith’s Plumbing - Best Plumber Southampton Emergency 24/7” is spam and will get you penalised).
- Primary category — Choose the most specific category that describes your core business. This is the most important field.
- Secondary categories — Add all relevant categories (up to 10)
- Description — 750 characters. Include your core services, area, and what makes you different. Write for humans, not search engines.
- Address — Exact and consistent with all other listings
- Service area — If you travel to customers, define your service area
- Phone number — A local number, not a 0800 number (local numbers help local rankings)
- Website — Link to your homepage or a relevant landing page
- Hours — Keep these accurate, including bank holidays
- Services/products — List everything you offer with descriptions
Add Photos (Lots of Them)
Businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks than those without.
Upload:
- Exterior photos (helps people find you)
- Interior photos (builds trust)
- Team photos (humanises your business)
- Product/service photos (shows what you do)
- Before/after shots (powerful for trades and services)
Add new photos regularly — weekly is ideal. Google notices freshness.
Post Regularly
Google Business Profile has a posts feature. Use it. Share:
- Offers and promotions
- News and updates
- Events
- Blog article summaries
Posts keep your profile active and give Google more content to understand your business. Aim for one post per week.
Step 2: Get Reviews (And Respond to All of Them)
Reviews are the most powerful local ranking factor you can directly influence.
How to Get More Reviews
- Ask every happy customer. The simplest method: “Would you mind leaving us a Google review? It really helps.”
- Make it easy. Create a direct review link (Google “Google review link generator”) and include it in follow-up emails, text messages, and invoices.
- Time it right. Ask immediately after a positive experience, not weeks later.
- Don’t incentivise. Offering discounts for reviews violates Google’s policies and will get reviews removed.
How to Respond
- Reply to every review — positive and negative
- Positive reviews: Thank them personally. Mention the specific service if relevant. “Thanks for the kind words, Sarah — glad the kitchen renovation turned out exactly as you’d envisioned.”
- Negative reviews: Stay professional. Acknowledge the issue. Offer to resolve it offline. Never argue. A thoughtful response to a negative review often impresses potential customers more than the positive ones.
How Many Do You Need?
More than your competitors. Check their review counts and aim to beat them. As a rough guide:
- 10+ reviews: Minimum to be competitive
- 50+ reviews: Strong positioning for most local markets
- 100+ reviews: Dominant in most SME categories
Step 3: Build Local Citations
A citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) online. These help Google verify your business exists and is where you say it is.
Essential Citations for UK Businesses
Get listed on (if you’re not already):
- Yell.com — Still important for UK local SEO
- Bing Places — Often overlooked, easy to set up
- Apple Maps — Growing in importance
- Thomson Local
- FreeIndex
- Cylex UK
- Industry-specific directories (TrustATrader, Checkatrade, Bark, etc.)
The Golden Rule: Consistency
Your business name, address, and phone number must be identical across every listing. Not similar — identical.
“123 High Street” on one listing and “123 High St” on another can confuse Google. Use the exact same format everywhere.
Audit your existing listings by searching your business name and phone number. Correct any inconsistencies.
Step 4: Optimise Your Website for Local Search
Your website supports your Google Business Profile. Here’s what to focus on:
Location Pages
If you serve multiple areas, create a page for each. Not thin, duplicate pages — genuine content about the services you offer in each location.
Good: “Plumbing Services in Southampton” with content about your work in the area, local projects, and specific services available.
Bad: “Plumbing Services in [City]” copied 20 times with just the city name swapped.
On-Page Essentials
- Title tags: Include your service and location (“Accountant in Bristol | Smith & Co Accounting”)
- Meta descriptions: Mention your area naturally
- H1 headings: Include location where relevant
- Content: Reference local landmarks, areas, and clients (anonymised) naturally
- Schema markup: Add LocalBusiness schema to your site — this helps Google understand your business details (there are free plugins for most CMS platforms)
NAP on Every Page
Include your full business name, address, and phone number on your website — ideally in the footer so it’s on every page.
Step 5: Build Local Links
Links from other local websites are powerful signals for local SEO.
Ways to earn local links:
- Local business directories (covered above)
- Chamber of Commerce — Join and get listed
- Local media — Offer expert commentary on local stories
- Sponsorships — Sponsor a local event, team, or charity (and get a link back)
- Business partnerships — Cross-promote with complementary local businesses
- Guest articles — Write for local publications or industry sites
You don’t need hundreds of links. A handful of quality local links outweigh dozens of irrelevant ones.
Measuring Local SEO Success
Track these metrics monthly:
- Google Business Profile Insights: Views, searches, actions (calls, directions, website clicks)
- Map Pack rankings: Search your core terms and note your position
- Local organic rankings: Track where you appear for “[service] + [location]” terms
- Review count and rating: Are you growing month-on-month?
- Website traffic from local searches: Filter Google Analytics by geographic area
For a more detailed measurement framework, read our marketing ROI guide.
Quick Wins You Can Do This Week
- Claim and verify your Google Business Profile if you haven’t already
- Complete every section of your profile
- Upload 10 photos to your GBP
- Ask your 5 happiest customers for Google reviews this week
- Check your NAP consistency across your top 5 listings
- Add your address to your website footer if it’s not there
These take a couple of hours total and can meaningfully improve your local visibility within weeks.
Want to Dominate Local Search in Your Area?
At Black Sheep Marketing, we’ve helped businesses go from invisible to top-3 in the Google Map Pack. Our local SEO work is practical, measurable, and designed for businesses that serve specific geographic areas.
If you’re not appearing when local customers search for your services, we can fix that.
Book a Free Local SEO Review →
