Local SEO is how a trade business gets found when someone nearby searches for a service. It’s a mix of your website, your Google Business Profile and what other people say about you. Work through this list in order, since the early items support the later ones.
1. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is what powers the map results and the business panel in search. Fill in everything: your business name exactly as you operate, the right primary category, hours, phone, website, services and photos. If you serve customers at their homes and don’t want your address public, you can set it up as a service-area business.
2. Keep your name, address and phone number consistent
Your business name, address (or service area) and phone number should match everywhere: your site, your profile, directories and social pages. Small differences, like “Suite” versus “Ste.” or two different phone numbers, create confusion for search engines.
3. Give every major service its own page
One page that lists every service rarely ranks for any of them. A roofer should have a roof repair page, a roof replacement page and a storm damage page. An HVAC company should separate heating from cooling. Each page should be about that service, with real detail, photos and a clear call to action.
4. Build honest service-area pages
If you serve several cities, a page for each can help, but only if each has something real to say: the neighborhoods you work in, example jobs there, questions customers in that area ask. A copied page with only the city name swapped is thin content, and search engines have gotten good at spotting it.
5. Earn real reviews, and respond to them
Reviews are one of the strongest signals in local search, and they matter just as much to customers. Ask every happy customer for a review, make it easy with a direct link, and reply to reviews, good and bad. Don’t buy reviews, and don’t offer rewards for them, since Google’s policies prohibit that.
6. Add local business schema markup
Structured data tells search engines what your business is and where you work. Use the most specific type that fits, such as a roofing contractor, plumber, electrician or HVAC business, with your name, phone, hours and service area. It must match what’s visible on the page.
7. Make the site fast and easy on a phone
Many local searches happen on phones, often in a hurry. Your pages should load quickly, and a tap-to-call button should always be within reach. A slow site or a hard-to-find phone number loses calls no matter how well you rank.
8. Show your real work
Project photos, before-and-afters and short descriptions of jobs prove you do what you say. They also give search engines unique content that competitors can’t copy. Use descriptive file names and alt text, and compress images so they don’t slow the page.
9. List your business in the right directories
Pick the directories and industry sites that matter for your trade and make sure the details are correct. A handful of accurate listings beats dozens of sloppy ones.
10. Track what’s working
Set up Google Search Console to see which searches show your site, and analytics to see how many visitors call or fill out a form. Check them monthly. Look for the searches that are close to working, then strengthen those pages.
If you’d like help, see the trades I build websites for or Salt Lake City web design and SEO.