What does a local SEO do?

A local SEO, the person or team doing local search work, has one goal: putting your business in front of people near you who need what you do, in the map results, the ordinary results and AI answers.

The first job is usually the Google Business Profile. That means choosing the right main and additional categories, listing services and areas, adding real photos of your work, keeping opening hours accurate and posting updates. For a business that has never looked at its profile closely, this is often the quickest gain.

Reviews come next. A local SEO sets up an easy way for customers to leave a review after each job, makes sure replies go out, and watches for fake or rule-breaking reviews to report. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, so this is ongoing work rather than a one-off.

Then the website and listings. A page for each main service and each area you cover, written for the people who will read it, gives Google something specific to match against local searches. Alongside that, the same name, address and phone number on directories such as Yell, Checkatrade and Bing Places stops conflicting details from confusing customers and search engines.

Finally, a good local SEO measures what matters: where you appear in the map across your area, how many calls, direction requests and website clicks your profile gets, and which enquiries came from search. A report that stops at positions and never mentions enquiries leaves out the part you care about.