If you're a tradesperson and you're not showing up on Google when local customers search for what you do, you're handing work to whoever is. Local SEO for tradespeople is not complicated, but most trade businesses get it wrong in the same few predictable ways. This guide covers what actually matters, what to do first, and what to ignore.
Why Google matters more than word of mouth now
Referrals are still gold. But the reality is that even people who get a referral will Google the name before they call. And plenty of new customers simply type "plumber near me" or "electrician Torquay" and call the first business that looks trustworthy.
Google surfaces local results in two ways: the map pack (the three businesses shown with a map pin before the organic results) and the standard blue links below. Appearing in the map pack alone can double the calls you receive. Appearing in both is better.
The good news is that for most trades in most South Devon towns, the competition is not fierce. A bit of consistent effort beats businesses that have done nothing.
Get your Google Business Profile right first
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important asset for local visibility. It is what powers the map pack.
Set it up properly from the start:
- Claim and verify your profile if you have not already done so. Google will post a PIN to your address or verify via video call.
- Choose the right primary category. "Plumber" beats "Plumbing contractor". Pick what your customers would search for, not your trade association's official title.
- Fill in every section: business name (your real trading name, no keyword stuffing), address or service area, phone number, website, opening hours, description.
- List your service areas accurately. If you cover Torquay, Paignton, Brixham, and Newton Abbot, say so. Google uses this to decide when to show you.
- Add real photos. Before and after shots, your van, finished work. Profiles with photos get significantly more clicks than those without. Keep adding new ones over time.
- Turn on messaging if you're willing to respond promptly. It lowers the barrier for enquiries.
The ongoing work that most trades skip:
Post an update to your GBP at least once a fortnight. It signals to Google that the profile is active. A photo of a job you just finished, a seasonal tip, a short note about your availability. Two minutes of effort per post.
Reviews: the part everyone knows matters but few do consistently
Reviews affect both your ranking in the map pack and whether people choose to call you once they see you. A profile with twelve reviews beats one with two, almost every time.
Ask every satisfied customer. Most people who had a good experience will leave a review if you make it easy. Send a text or email with a direct link to your Google review page. Do it the same day the job ends, while the goodwill is fresh.
Respond to every review - good and bad. A polite, professional response to a negative review does more for you than you might think. Future customers read those responses. They want to see that you take your work seriously.
Do not buy reviews or ask friends to leave them. Google detects patterns and the risk of having your profile suspended is not worth it.
Your website still matters (even if most enquiries come via phone)
A lot of tradespeople think they can get away without a website because their GBP is handling everything. That works until it doesn't. Google wants to see a real website behind the profile. It validates you. It also lets you rank for search terms where the map pack does not appear.
Your site does not need to be fancy. It needs to be:
- Fast. More than half of local searches happen on mobile. If your site takes four seconds to load, people leave.
- Clear about what you do and where you do it. Your homepage should name your trade, your area, and your main services in the first few lines. No mystery.
- Easy to contact. Click-to-call phone number at the top of every page. No buried contact forms.
- Trustworthy. A real address (or service area), a photo of you, your qualifications or trade body memberships, and genuine reviews or testimonials.
If your site is slow, confusing on mobile, or looks like it was built in 2009, it is actively hurting you. A properly built trade website changes that - it is not an expense, it is the thing that converts your Google traffic into actual calls.
On-page SEO: what to get right on your key pages
This is where most tradespeople either do nothing or go too far and stuff keywords everywhere. Neither works.
For each service page:
- Write a title tag that includes your trade and your town. "Gas Safe Plumber in Torquay | Acme Plumbing" is better than "Home" or a string of keywords.
- Write a meta description (the short snippet under the title in search results) that tells people what they'll get and encourages the click.
- Use your location naturally in the page copy. "We cover Torquay, Paignton and the surrounding area" is more useful to Google (and readers) than repeating "Torquay plumber" twelve times.
- If you serve multiple towns, consider a separate page for each main area. A page for Torquay, a page for Paignton, each with genuinely different content about the local context. This is the kind of work our local SEO service in Torquay and local SEO in Paignton covers in detail.
Local citations: the boring bit that still counts
A citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number on another website. Think Checkatrade, Yell, Rated People, TrustATrader, your local council's business directory.
The key rule: your name, address, and phone number must be exactly the same on every site. If your GBP says "07700 900123" and Yell says "07700900123", that inconsistency weakens your local signals. It sounds pedantic but it matters.
Build citations on the main directories first. Then look for trade-specific directories and local South Devon business listings.
What tradespeople get wrong most often
- Ignoring the profile after setting it up. A static profile drifts. Keep adding photos and posts.
- Only one service page covering everything. Separate pages for separate services rank better.
- No call to action. Your website should have one clear next step. A phone number to call. Not four options that paralyse the visitor.
- Giving up after a month. Local SEO builds over time. The businesses that win are the ones that keep going. Set a quarterly reminder to check your profile, add photos, and chase reviews.
How much work is this really?
For a sole trader or small team, the core work - a well-optimised GBP, a clean fast website with a page per service and a page per key area, a steady trickle of fresh reviews - can realistically be maintained in a couple of hours a month once it is set up properly.
The set-up is where most trades struggle. Getting the foundations right, choosing the right structure, making sure nothing is cannibalising another page - that is where professional help pays for itself. You can see what our local SEO service covers and what is included. For businesses across South Devon, our areas page explains where we work and which towns we focus on.
Frequently asked questions
How long does local SEO take to work for a trade business?
Honestly, it depends on how competitive your trade and town are. In a smaller South Devon town with limited competition, you can see movement in six to eight weeks. In a busier category in Torquay or Paignton, expect three to six months for meaningful results. The map pack tends to move faster than organic rankings.
Do I need a website if I'm already on Checkatrade or Rated People?
Those platforms are useful, but they own the ranking, not you. If they change their algorithm or you stop paying, you disappear. A website you own and control is a long-term asset. It also lets you rank for searches that do not involve those platforms at all.
Should I pay for Google Ads as well as doing local SEO?
They serve different purposes. Ads put you at the top immediately and stop the moment you stop paying. SEO builds a position that earns you calls without a cost per click. For most tradespeople, getting the organic and map pack foundation right first makes more financial sense. Ads can complement that once the fundamentals are solid.
What is the single most important thing to do first?
Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile if you have not already. It is free, it directly affects the map pack, and it is where most new trade enquiries start. If yours is unclaimed or half-finished, that is the first thing to fix today.
If you want someone to look at where you're currently sitting on Google and tell you honestly what needs fixing, get in touch for a free strategy session. No obligation, no jargon - just a straight conversation about what would make the biggest difference for your business.