Local SEO for roofers, plumbers and electricians

Google adds that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google).

Distance is the one you can't change. A roofer based in Redruth will struggle to show for searches made in Plymouth, however good the website.

For most trades, this matters more than the website. It's the listing with the map, your reviews and the call button.

Pick the right primary category. Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking. Choose the one that best describes your business, such as "Roofing contractor" or "Electrician", and don't add a category for every service you offer (Google).

Add your services. Google suggests options for some trades. For a plumber its examples are "Install tap" and "Repair toilet", and you can add your own. Leave prices and phone numbers out of service names (Google).

Use your real business name. Adding "Roofing Cornwall Emergency 24/7" to your name isn't allowed. Google says unnecessary information in a business name could get your profile suspended (Google).

Add photos of your own jobs. Google says photos should represent reality (Google). A new roof, a finished consumer unit, your van with your name on it.

Post now and then. Updates and offers show on your profile (Google). A photo of last week's job with the village name is enough.

Most trades go to the customer, so Google treats you as a service-area business (Google):

• Hide your home address if customers don't come to you. Google uses a plumber working from home as its example.
• One profile for your whole area. Not one per town.
• Up to 20 service areas, by town, postcode or area. You can't set a radius.
• About two hours' drive from where you're based is Google's limit for most businesses.

Listing every town in the county won't help you show further away. Distance is measured from where you actually are.

Reviews count towards prominence, and a customer can read them before calling. Ask after every job, with a direct link. Our Google review link guide shows how to get yours.

Two rules apply. Google bans offering anything in return for a review, and bans asking only happy customers (Google). The CAP Code also bans fake reviews (rule 3.44, CAP Code).

Reply to reviews too, good and bad. A calm reply to a complaint tells the next customer how you handle problems.

Your website helps with relevance. Google's starter guide says each page should have a title that is "unique to the page, clear and concise", and that it can include where the business is (Google).

For a roofer, that might mean separate pages for flat roofs, slate and tile repairs, chimney work and guttering, each saying where you work. A customer searching "flat roof repair" then finds the page about flat roofs.

What to put on each page:

• What the job involves, in the words a customer would use
• Photos of jobs you've done
• The areas you cover
• Your registrations, where they apply (Gas Safe, a competent person scheme)
• How to get a quote

Many trade sites have "Roofer in Truro", "Roofer in Falmouth", "Roofer in St Austell", each with the same words and a new place name. Google's spam policies call this doorway abuse and give the example of "pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" (Google).

Write about real jobs instead. "Replacing a storm-damaged ridge in Falmouth" with photos is a genuine page about a real place. Our guide to trade websites covers what else to put on the site.

Google doesn't promise a timescale. Its starter guide says some changes "might take effect in a few hours, others could take several months", and that there are "no secrets here that'll automatically rank your site first" (Google). Be wary of anyone who guarantees first place.

We work on how trades show up on Google: an accurate Business Profile, a clear page for each service, and honest service areas. We also prepare review requests after each job and replies to reviews for you to approve.

• Local SEO
• Google review requests and replies
• Website design for small businesses

We can't guarantee rankings or enquiries. Google decides what it shows.

You approve every message and who receives it before anything is sent.