11 August 2026 · 7 min read
Local search is not one thing. Your business can appear in the map pack, in the ordinary blue links, and increasingly inside an AI summary, and each is won slightly differently. The good news is that the running order is the same for a plumber in Worthing as it is for an accountant in Haywards Heath.
1. Google Business Profile first, website second
For "plumber near me" style searches, the map pack sits above everything and it is driven by your Google Business Profile, not your homepage. Fill in every field, pick precise categories, add real photographs monthly, list your service area honestly, and keep your opening hours accurate. This is the highest return hour you will spend on local SEO.
2. Reviews, steadily rather than in bursts
Twenty reviews collected over a year beat twenty collected in a week, and replying to every one signals an active business. Ask at the moment the customer is happiest, usually as you finish the job, and make it a link they can tap rather than a search they have to run.
3. One page per service, one page per town
A single homepage listing eight services and twelve towns will rank for none of them. Give each service its own page with genuine detail, and each town you actively work in a page that mentions real jobs, travel times and local specifics. Thin pages that swap only the place name get ignored, so write them properly or write fewer.
4. Consistent details everywhere
Your business name, address, phone number and opening hours should match exactly across your website, Google, Facebook, Checkatrade, Yell and any trade directory you are listed on. Mismatched numbers and old addresses are one of the quietest causes of weak local visibility.
5. The technical basics nobody notices until they are missing
- A fast site on mobile, ideally interactive in under two seconds on 4G.
- LocalBusiness structured data so Google can read your area, hours and contact details.
- Unique title tags and meta descriptions on every page.
- A sitemap submitted in Search Console, and no accidental noindex tags.
- Internal links between related service and town pages.
6. Local links worth having
Sponsoring a village football team, joining a chamber of commerce, being quoted in a local paper, or partnering with neighbouring trades all produce the sort of links that help a Sussex business specifically. Ignore anyone selling you a thousand directory listings.
How long it takes
Profile improvements can shift the map pack within a fortnight. New service and town pages typically take one to three months to settle, and competitive terms in Brighton or Crawley take longer than the same term in Billingshurst. Consistency beats intensity: a page a month and a steady trickle of reviews will overtake a one off push every time.
We build this into every site as standard. See our local SEO service or what we charge.