1. Google Business Profile
- Claim and verify your profile at business.google.com.
- Pick the most specific primary category (e.g. "Plumber" not "Contractor").
- Match your business name, address and phone (NAP) exactly to your website footer.
- Add real photos monthly — exterior, interior, team, finished work.
- Use the Products and Services sections; both are searchable.
2. Reviews (the #1 local ranking lever)
- Aim for at least 30 reviews with a 4.5+ average before expecting strong map-pack visibility.
- Ask every happy customer with a short SMS or email link to your review URL.
- Reply to every review within 48 hours, using location and service keywords naturally.
3. On-page signals
- Include the city/town in your page title, H1 and first paragraph of your homepage and key service pages.
- Build a dedicated location page per town you serve — not one mega-page listing 30 areas.
- Add LocalBusiness schema with your address, geo-coordinates and opening hours.
- Embed a Google Map on your contact page.
4. Citations and directories
- Get listed on Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, Scoot, Bing Places and 2–3 niche UK directories for your industry.
- Keep NAP identical everywhere. Inconsistent addresses confuse Google and dilute trust.
5. Tracking
- Track 5–10 "[service] [town]" keywords weekly with a tool like BrightLocal or Local Falcon.
- Watch Google Business Profile insights for calls, direction requests and website clicks.
- Set up call tracking so you know which channel produced each enquiry.
What to ignore
Most "local SEO" advice on the internet is recycled noise. You don't need 500 citations, AI-generated location pages, or weekly Google Posts. Focus on a verified profile, strong reviews, one excellent page per location, and the basics will outrank 90% of your competitors.