Local SEO for Tradespeople
Plumbers, electricians, painters, carpenters — tradespeople benefit from enormous local SEO potential on high-intent queries. Here's the adapted strategy.
Defining and Targeting Your Service Area
Most tradespeople don't have a visible commercial address but travel to customers. In GBP, you can:
- Hide your home address
- Define a service area (by radius or list of postcodes/towns)
- Appear in the local pack for all towns within your area
On your website, create a dedicated page for each main town in your area. A plumber covering Manchester should have pages for Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Trafford, etc.
Accreditations: Powerful Trust Signals
- Gas Safe Register — mandatory for gas work in the UK
- NICEIC / NAPIT — electrical certification bodies
- Which? Trusted Traders — high consumer recognition
- TrustMark — government-endorsed quality scheme
- Checkatrade, Rated People — trade-specific review platforms
Display these accreditations on your site, GBP listing and directory profiles. Each mention of an accreditation on an external site creates a citation and trust signal.
Job Photos: Your Best Argument
- Publish before/after photos regularly on GBP with descriptions including job type and location
- Build a portfolio gallery on your site with optimised captions
- Geotag photos where possible (with client permission)
Review Strategy for Trades
Tradespeople have an advantage: you're physically with the customer at the end of the job. Take that opportunity to:
- Send an SMS with the direct link to your GBP listing immediately after the job
- Mention the review in your invoice or follow-up email
- Prepare a business card with a QR code to your review profile
Specialist Trade Directories
- Checkatrade: leading UK trades directory with strong SEO presence
- Rated People: job lead generation platform
- MyBuilder: popular for home improvement trades
- Houzz: ideal for interior trades and home improvement