If you run a small business and want more local customers, you don’t need to spend a fortune on ads. You need to show up when people nearby search for what you offer.
That’s where local SEO comes in.
It’s all about helping search engines connect your business with people in your area. The good news? You don’t need to be an SEO wizard to make it work.
Here are 10 local SEO tips you can use right now—even if you’ve never touched the back end of a website.
- Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile
If you do nothing else, do this. Go to google.com/business and claim your listing.
Make sure your name, address and phone number (NAP) are 100% accurate and consistent. Then:
- Choose the right business category
- Add your opening hours
- Upload photos of your shop or service
- Write a short, clear business description
This is what shows up on Google Maps and the local pack. It’s your digital shop window.
- Use Local Keywords in the Right Places
People don’t just search for “plumber”—they search for “plumber in Canterbury” or “emergency plumber near me.”
Include your town, city or neighbourhood in:
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Headings
- Image alt tags
- Body text
But don’t overdo it. Keep it natural.
- Get Listed in Local Directories
This isn’t 2005—but directory links still work if they’re relevant.
Start with:
- Yell
- Scoot
- Yelp
- Thomson Local
- Your local Chamber of Commerce
Make sure your NAP details match exactly. Even a missing comma can confuse search engines.
- Ask for Reviews (and Reply to Them)
Positive reviews make people trust you—and they help you rank higher in Google’s local results.
Send your happy customers a quick message with a link to leave a Google review. Then reply to every review, even the bad ones. It shows you’re real and engaged.
- Create Location Pages If You Serve Multiple Areas
Let’s say you’re an SEO agency covering more than one town in Kent. Don’t just list them all on one page.
Make a separate page for each area:
- Use the town name in the title and heading
- Mention local landmarks or streets
- Include reviews from local clients
This makes your site more relevant to each search.
- Add Your Business to Bing Places and Apple Maps
Everyone forgets these two—but they matter.
Bing still has a decent user base, and Apple Maps is the default on all iPhones. Make sure your info is up to date on both.
- Embed a Google Map on Your Contact Page
Simple but powerful.
Add an interactive Google Map showing your exact location. It helps people find you—and gives Google one more clue that you’re a local business.
- Use Schema Markup for Local Businesses
Schema is a bit of code that helps search engines understand what your site is about.
Add LocalBusiness schema to your contact page. It tells Google:
- What your business is called
- Where it’s located
- What it does
You don’t have to write code from scratch—use tools like technicalseo.com to generate it.
- Write Blog Posts About Local Events or Topics
This one’s underrated.
Let’s say you run a bakery. Write a short blog post about catering for a local wedding or a town festival. Mention the place, the event and what you did.
It builds local relevance and shows you’re part of the community.
- Keep Your Website Fast and Mobile-Friendly
Most local searches happen on phones. If your site is slow or hard to use on mobile, people will bounce—and Google will notice.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your speed. Keep images small, text clear, and buttons big enough to tap.
Final Thought
You don’t need a massive budget to start showing up in local search results. You just need to take the right steps, stay consistent, and make it easy for search engines (and people) to understand who you are and where you are.
Try three of these local SEO tips this week. You’ll be surprised how quickly you start showing up in more searches—and getting more local customers through the door.