Local SEO & Google visibility
Local SEO that gets you found by the customer walking past.
Most local businesses live or die by Google. "Hair salon near me", "café in EH1", "IFA Edinburgh" — if you're not in the top three results, you don't exist to the person searching. I set up the foundation once and properly, then keep the upkeep light — without tying you into an agency retainer to do it.
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Your business
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Competitor with a template website
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Competitor who hasn't claimed their listing
What's included
The whole local SEO foundation, set up once and built to last.
No vague "ongoing optimisation" hidden behind a monthly invoice. Just the things that move you up the local search results.
Google Business Profile
Set up or fully optimised — categories chosen carefully, services listed, opening hours, attributes, products, posts. The single highest-impact local SEO asset most businesses neglect.
On-page SEO
Page titles, meta descriptions, H1s, schema markup, alt text, internal linking. The technical groundwork that tells Google exactly what each page is about.
Local citations
Listed on the directories that matter for your category — Yell, Bing Places, Apple Maps, industry-specific ones — with consistent NAP (name, address, phone) details.
Keyword research
The actual phrases your potential customers type — by area, by service, by intent. Not vanity keywords; ones that bring real walk-ins, calls and bookings.
Review collection
A simple, repeatable system for asking happy customers to leave Google reviews — including the wording, the timing, and the template message. Reviews are a top local ranking factor.
Core Web Vitals
Site speed and Core Web Vitals tuned to Google's requirements. Slow sites rank worse and lose visitors. Yours won't.
The full checklist
Exactly what gets done.
Everything in a Local SEO foundation, laid out in plain English. No twelve-month contract attached.
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Google Business Profile claimed, verified and fully populated — categories, services, hours, attributes, opening photos.
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NAP consistency audit — your name, address and phone number checked across every directory.
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Page titles & meta descriptions rewritten for every page on your site to target local intent.
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Schema markup — LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ, Review schema added so Google understands your pages.
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Heading hierarchy — proper H1/H2/H3 structure on every page.
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Image alt text rewritten for SEO and accessibility.
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Internal linking structure cleaned up — every important page is reachable.
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Local citations built on Yell, Bing Places, Apple Maps, plus 5–10 industry-specific directories.
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Keyword research document — the phrases your customers really search for, by area and intent.
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Optional local landing pages for additional towns or service categories you want to rank for.
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Review collection system — message templates, timing, follow-up scripts.
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Core Web Vitals tuning — speed, layout stability, interactivity tuned to Google's targets.
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Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools set up so you can see what's working.
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One-page reporting setup — a simple way to track ranking and traffic going forward, without an agency dashboard.
How it works
Four steps, and you'll know where each one lands.
01
Audit your current state
Where do you rank today? What's your Google Business Profile showing? What's working? I'll send you a one-page audit before any work starts.
02
Agree the scope
Based on the audit, I'll quote a fixed price for what needs doing. No upselling. If your site is already half-decent, the scope (and price) will reflect that.
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Do the work
Google Business Profile, on-page SEO, citations, schema, speed tuning, reviews system — all delivered over 2–4 weeks depending on scope. You stay informed; I do the doing.
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Handover & track
Search Console set up so you can watch the rankings move. A handover document with everything I changed and why. Then I leave you alone — unless you want me back for an annual review.
Recent client
Local SEO in build right now.
An established luxury hair and beauty salon in Edinburgh and Musselburgh — already 5★ on Google, now getting the proper local SEO foundation underneath that reputation to dominate "hair salon near me" and "beauty salon Musselburgh" searches.
Refresh in build
AROHA Hair & Beauty
Google Business Profile reoptimisation, on-page SEO across the new site, schema markup for services and reviews, and local citation cleanup. The brand already had the customer satisfaction (5★, 187+ reviews); we're making sure the searches Google sends them are the right ones — "hair salon Newcraighall", "beauty salon Edinburgh", "balayage Musselburgh".
See the full portfolio →Common questions
What people ask before commissioning local SEO.
Does local SEO really work for small businesses?
Yes — handled well, it's the highest-ROI marketing most local independents can do. Most of your potential customers literally type "service near me" into Google. If you're not in the top three local results, you don't exist to them. And most small businesses haven't done the basics that would put them there.
Why a one-off foundation instead of a monthly agency retainer?
The heavy lifting is one-off — Google Business Profile, on-page SEO, schema, citations, technical setup. That's where most of the value sits. After that, local SEO does need a bit of ongoing attention: search trends shift, competitors appear, reviews need keeping current, GBP posts go stale. The difference between me and a typical SEO agency retainer is that I'm honest about how little of that there usually is — a short list of small recurring tasks, priced realistically, that you can do yourself, drop me ad-hoc, or bundle into the Monthly Content package. No twelve-month contract paying for vague "ongoing optimisation".
Will I rank #1 immediately?
No, and anyone who promises that is lying. Local SEO results typically build over 2–6 months as Google indexes the changes, reviews come in, and citation signals strengthen. Some changes (a properly set up Google Business Profile) show movement in days; others take a few months to compound.
What if I don't have a website yet?
Google Business Profile alone can rank without a website — it's a great starting point. But a website significantly strengthens local SEO and gives you control over what shows up. If you're without a site, I'd usually recommend bundling this with the Website Only or Complete package.
What about Edinburgh specifically?
I'm based in Edinburgh and work with a lot of local independents here — salons, cafés, advice firms, trades. I know the city, the competitive landscape, the searches that actually bring foot traffic. If you're EH-something, you're in good hands.
Can you guarantee results?
No — and be wary of anyone who does. Google's algorithm changes. Your category's competitiveness changes. What I can promise is that the work is done to a professional standard, that the deliverables are real and complete, and that you'll have a far better chance of ranking than the businesses doing nothing. If the rankings don't come, I'll dig into why with you.
What does it cost?
Every project is quoted individually based on the audit — the size of your current footprint, the competitiveness of your category, and what's already in place. Fixed-price, agreed upfront before any work starts. Get in touch with what you're thinking.
Get found by the people already looking.
Tell me about your business and where you are now. I'll send a one-page audit of your current local visibility and a clear quote — usually within a day or two.
Audit my local visibility →