How local search works
Plain answers to the questions trades ask before spending anything on SEO.
3 answers in this topic
Local search is the set of rules that decides whether you appear when somebody nearby searches for your trade. It differs from ordinary SEO in one respect that changes everything: results are ranked partly on where the person searching happens to be standing.
That single fact is why so much general SEO advice fails for trades. You are not competing nationally, you are competing within a radius, from a single pin, for an area you serve but do not have premises in. These pages cover what that actually means in practice.
What is local SEO, and how is it different from normal SEO?
Local SEO decides whether you appear when someone nearby searches for your trade. Here is what it covers and what it doesn't.
How long does SEO take to work for a trades business?
Realistic timescales by starting position, what moves first, and the honest reasons nobody can give you a date.
Do I need a separate page for every town I cover?
The standard advice is to build a page per town. Here is when that works, when it backfires, and what to do instead.
Want the version for your business?
Twenty minutes on your trade, your area and where you currently stand. General answers only get you so far.