Key takeaways
- 40+ actionable items covering GBP, on-page, off-page and conversion.
- Most items take under 30 minutes – none require coding skill.
- Working through the list end-to-end takes a focused weekend.
- Score yourself with our free Local SEO Checker tool when finished.
This is the same checklist we work through with every new trade client in onboarding. Run through every item and you'll be ahead of 80% of UK tradespeople in your area.
Google Business Profile (Do This First)
Your GBP is the single most important asset for any UK tradesperson. Everything else is secondary.
- →Verify your profile (postcard, video or instant verification).
- →Choose the most accurate primary category – be specific.
- →Add 5-9 secondary categories for keyword breadth.
- →Fill the 750-character business description with services, area and USPs.
- →Add every individual service with 200+ word descriptions.
- →Upload 30+ real photos – vans, jobs, team, premises.
- →Geo-tag your photos before uploading.
- →Set your service area accurately (don't claim the whole UK).
- →Enable messaging with a quick auto-reply.
- →Publish a Google Post every week.
Reviews (The #2 Ranking Factor)
Volume, velocity, recency and keywords inside reviews all feed local rankings.
- →Add a direct review link to every invoice and quote.
- →Email past customers asking for a review (template templates available online).
- →Reply to every review – good and bad – within 48 hours.
- →Aim for 5+ new reviews per month minimum.
- →Train customers to mention services and locations in reviews where natural.
On-Page SEO
These are the fixes that turn traffic into rankings into bookings.
- →One H1 per page – include the focus keyword and location.
- →Title tag under 60 characters with keyword + location + brand.
- →Meta description under 160 characters with a clear CTA.
- →Dedicated page per service per location (don't merge).
- →Add LocalBusiness schema sitewide.
- →Add FAQPage schema where you have FAQs.
- →Internal link from blog posts to service and location pages.
- →Add phone number in the header, footer and on every page.
- →Use HTTPS sitewide.
- →Compress all images and serve as WebP.
- →Lazy-load below-the-fold images.
- →Pass Core Web Vitals (LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1).
Local Off-Page SEO
Build authority and consistency outside your own website.
- →Audit NAP consistency across Yell, Checkatrade, Companies House.
- →Build citations on 15-20 UK trade directories.
- →Get listed in your local Chamber of Commerce.
- →Sponsor a local sports team or charity for a high-value local backlink.
- →Pitch local newspapers with a story angle (case study, milestone).
- →Ask suppliers if they list installer/contractor partners on their websites.
Tracking & Reporting
If you're not measuring it, you can't improve it.
- →Install Google Analytics 4.
- →Install Google Search Console and submit your sitemap.
- →Set up phone-call tracking (CallRail, Whatconverts or similar).
- →Set up form-submission events in GA4.
- →Track keyword rankings monthly with a tool like Local Falcon or BrightLocal.
Frequently asked questions
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