Short answer: Do you show up when someone searches for your service and your town? Start with a website that clearly says what you do and where, a complete Google Business Profile and the same name, address and phone everywhere online. Then build on it with reviews, one real page per town you work in and links from local sites.
How Google picks local results
Google looks at three things when someone searches locally:
| Factor | What it means | What you can influence |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Do you match what the person searches for? | Categories, services, text on the website |
| Distance | How close are you to the searcher? | The right address or service area |
| Prominence | How known and liked is the business? | Reviews, links, mentions |
You cannot do much about distance. The rest you can work on.
1. The website
The website should say what you do and where, in plain words. The town name belongs in the page title, in a heading and in the text where it fits naturally. Put address and phone in the footer and describe the business with LocalBusiness structured data. Read more in the guide on schema markup for businesses.
2. Google Business Profile
The profile is what shows on the map. Pick the right primary category, fill in everything and add real photos. We go through it step by step in Google Business Profile: step by step.
3. The same details everywhere
Name, address and phone should read exactly the same on the website, in the profile and in directories. If one place says “1 Main Street” and another “1 Main St, Unit B”, Google can doubt it is the same business.
How we do it: We keep a single file in the code with the business name, address and phone. The footer, the contact page and the structured data all read from that file, so the details can never drift apart.
4. One real page per town
If you work in several towns, a page per town can be worth it. But only if each page has its own content: jobs you have done there, how you get there, what is special about the place. Ten pages where only the town name changes look like thin content to Google, and they can drag the whole site down.
5. Reviews and local links
Reviews in the profile are one of the strongest signals. Ask for them and reply to them. Links from local sites, like the club you sponsor, the local business register or the local paper, show that you really exist in the area.
Checklist
- Town and service in the page title of the home page or service page
- Address and phone in the footer
- LocalBusiness structured data
- A complete Google Business Profile with the right category
- The same details in the main local directories
- A plan for asking for reviews
- At least one link from a local site
