Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of improving your online presence so your business appears in search results for people in your area. If someone searches for “accountant in Manchester” or “dentist near me,” local SEO helps your business show up in those results, including the map listings. It focuses on signals that show search engines where you’re based and who you serve. This includes your Google Business Profile, local keywords on your website, consistent contact details across directories, customer reviews, and locally relevant backlinks. For small businesses that rely on customers in a specific area, local SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways to generate enquiries. Instead of competing nationally, you focus on ranking in the locations that matter to you.

Google treats “near me” searches as if the user had used their actual location. So if your site is optimised for Manchester, then it’s also optimised for people in Manchester who search for things “near me”.

You can target multiple locations, but only if you genuinely serve those areas. Creating pages for towns or cities where you don’t have a presence or real service capability is pointless! If you do serve multiple areas, we can help you create dedicated landing pages for each one. Each page should include unique content, specific service details, local references, and customer testimonials from that area if possible. Your Google Business Profile also needs to reflect your actual base or service area.

The simplest way to get more Google reviews is — believe it or not — just ask. Many happy customers won’t leave a review unless prompted. Build the request into your process, whether that’s after completing a job, delivering a service, or sending an invoice. Make it easy. Share a direct review link via email or text. The fewer steps involved, the more likely customers are to follow through. You can also add review reminders to your email signature or website.

Social media doesn’t directly impact search rankings in the same way backlinks or on-page optimisation do, but it still plays a supporting role in local SEO. Active profiles reinforce your brand presence and make your business easier to find online. Posting local updates, sharing community involvement, and highlighting customer work can increase visibility within your area. This can lead to more branded searches, more website visits, and potentially more reviews.

Traditional SEO focuses on improving visibility across a broad or national level. It targets general keywords and aims to increase traffic regardless of location. Local SEO, on the other hand, is focused on ranking in a specific geographic area. With local SEO, your Google Business Profile plays a major role. Map pack rankings, customer reviews, and proximity to the searcher all influence visibility. Traditional SEO relies more heavily on content authority, backlinks, and technical performance at a broader scale. For a small business serving a defined area, local SEO is usually the priority. There’s little value in attracting traffic from across the country if you can only serve customers in Manchester. Local SEO narrows the focus to nearby searchers who are ready to act.

The main difference between local and national SEO is in the kind of keywords and links you target. Other than that, the foundations (creating content, technical optimisations, site speed, and generally getting more/better links) are the same.