Local SEO for plumbers, electricians and other trades (UK)

Local SEO for plumbers, electricians, roofers and most other trades comes down to one awkward fact. You work out of a van, your customers are spread across a town or a county, and Google Maps mostly ranks you from wherever it thinks you are based. Much of the advice written for shops and salons doesn't fit that. If you're new to all of it, where to start with local SEO covers the basics every small business needs first. Below is what a UK tradesperson can actually set up, roughly in order.

Why distance hurts a van-based business

Google says local results are ranked on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Distance is the one that bites. Your listing is tied to the address you verified with, which for most sole traders is home. So a plumber based on, say, the east side of town can sit in the top three for "plumber" on their own street and barely show on the far side, where they'd happily take the job. Search at home and everything looks fine. Your customers aren't searching from your kitchen.

You can't change where you live. You can make your listing more relevant and better reviewed, which tends to stretch the area where you show up.

Set up your service area properly

If customers don't come to your address, Google says you must hide it (its own example is a plumber working from home). In your profile, turn off "Show business address to customers" and the listing shows your service area instead of a pin.

Then add the places you cover. Google lets you add up to 20 service areas and suggests keeping the whole area within about two hours' drive of your base, though it says a larger area can suit some businesses.

Listing a town as a service area tells customers where you go. Google doesn't say it helps you rank there, and you will still tend to be strongest near the address you verified with. Set areas honestly and don't expect them to do the heavy lifting.

If customers do visit a yard or workshop during set hours, show that address. Don't use a virtual office to get a pin in a better spot: Google's guidelines don't allow it.

Choose the primary category carefully

Your primary category tells Google which searches you belong in. Its guidance is to use as few categories as possible and describe what the business is, not everything it has. Plumber, Electrician, Roofing contractor, Locksmith, Builder: start from the one that matches most of your work.

Then add secondary categories only where they're true. A plumber who fits boilers might add a heating category.

Search your main trade in Maps and compare the categories under the top three with yours. If they all say "Plumber" and you say "Heating equipment supplier", fix that first. Our Google Business Profile optimisation post goes through the rest of the profile.

Keep the business name as it appears on your van. Google doesn't allow keywords or town names in it.

Add your services and real job photos

Google suggests services for many trades (a plumber might see "Install tap" or "Repair toilet") and you can add your own. List the jobs you actually want more of: boiler installs, consumer unit upgrades, flat roof repairs, lock changes. A short description on each gives customers and Google more to go on. Keep prices and phone numbers out of custom service names, or Google may reject them.

Photos of real jobs, your van and you on site show customers you exist and do the work. Keep house numbers out of shot unless the customer is happy.

Ask every customer for a review

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. For trades, a review like "replaced our boiler in Southsea, tidy and on time" also tells the next customer what you do and where you've worked. You can't ask for that wording, though: Google's rules say businesses shouldn't request specific content in a review. What you control is who you ask and how easy it is.

So ask every customer, not only the ones who seem pleased, and don't write reviews for people or offer anything in return. Send the link the day the job's finished: "Thanks for having us in to fit the new boiler. If you've got a minute, an honest Google review would really help." Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers wording and timing.

Reply to reviews briefly, especially the bad ones, and mention the job when you thank someone.

Get on the trade directories, with the same details

Customers use trade directories directly, and they're part of what the wider web says about you, which feeds into prominence. The main UK ones:

You don't need all of them. Pick the ones customers in your trade use. Some charge membership or lead fees, so check the terms first.

Use exactly the same name, phone number and website everywhere, with your main number rather than a tracking number. Our post on NAP consistency explains how to check and tidy them.

Google also runs Local Services Ads in the UK, where you pay per lead rather than per click. Google's UK page names trades including plumbing, roofing and electrical work, but check eligibility for your category and area first. It's an advert and doesn't change where your free listing ranks.

One proper page per main service and area

A simple site with a page for each main service (boiler installation, emergency plumbing, rewiring) gives Google and customers something specific to land on.

Area pages are where trades get into trouble. Google's spam policies name pages "targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" as doorway abuse. Fifty copies of one page with the town name swapped is exactly that. A page for a town you cover a lot needs something real, such as jobs you've done there and reviews from customers there. If you can't say anything specific, leave it out.

Measure across your area, not from your phone

Because distance changes the results, one search from your own phone tells you very little. You need to see how you rank from spots across your patch, for the searches customers make, over time.

A grid check searches from points spread across the area and shows where you're in the top three and where you're missing. Our explainer on the Google Maps heatmap shows how to read one. To try it for your own trade, the free rank check gives you a first look.

Dashboard · MapExample

Missing from part of town? Look at who holds the top three there and compare their reviews and categories with yours. If you're missing everywhere, even for your own name, start with why a business is not showing on Google Maps.

Common questions