Introduction
If you run a small business in South West London, your customers are searching for you on Google right now. The question is whether they are finding you or your competitors.
Local SEO (search engine optimisation) is how you make sure your business appears when nearby customers search for the services you offer. Unlike paid advertising, local SEO generates ongoing visibility without a per-click cost. Done well, it puts your business in front of people who are actively looking for what you provide, in your area, right now.
This guide covers the practical steps that make the biggest difference for small businesses in areas like Putney, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Clapham, Richmond, and the surrounding SW postcodes. No jargon, no fluff — just what works.
How Local Search Works
When someone searches for a service with local intent — for example, “web designer Wandsworth” or “plumber near me” — Google returns three types of results:
- The Local Pack (Map Results): The top section showing a map with three businesses listed. This is where most clicks happen for local searches.
- Organic Results: The standard blue-link results below the map. These are influenced by traditional SEO factors plus local signals.
- Paid Ads: Sponsored listings at the very top. These cost money per click.
For most small businesses, appearing in the local pack is the highest-value goal. It is the most visible position and generates the most calls and website visits for local queries.
Google decides which businesses appear in the local pack based on three main factors:
- Relevance: How well your business matches what the searcher is looking for
- Distance: How close your business is to the searcher or the location they specified
- Prominence: How well-known and trusted your business appears online
You cannot control distance, but you can significantly improve relevance and prominence. That is what local SEO is about.
Step 1: Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the single most important factor for local pack visibility. If you do nothing else, do this properly.
Claim and Verify Your Profile
If you have not already claimed your Google Business Profile, do it now at business.google.com. Google will send a verification code by post, phone, or email.
Complete Every Section
An incomplete profile tells Google your business may not be active. Fill in:
- Business name — use your real trading name, not a keyword-stuffed version
- Primary category — choose the most specific category that matches your main service
- Secondary categories — add 2-3 additional categories if they genuinely apply
- Address — your actual business location (or service area if you travel to customers)
- Phone number — a local number, not an 0800 or mobile if you can avoid it
- Website URL — link to your homepage or a dedicated landing page
- Opening hours — complete for all seven days, including bank holidays
- Service descriptions — list each service you offer with a clear description
- Business description — write a natural description of what you do and where you operate
Add Photos
Profiles with photos receive significantly more views and actions than those without. Upload:
- Exterior photos of your premises (if applicable)
- Interior photos
- Photos of your team
- Photos of your work or products
- Your logo and a cover photo
Aim for at least 10-15 quality photos. Update them regularly.
Publish Google Posts
Google Posts are short updates that appear on your profile. They keep your profile looking active and give you an opportunity to highlight services, offers, or recent work. Post at least once or twice a month.
Respond to Reviews
More on reviews below, but always respond to every review — positive and negative. Responses show Google (and potential customers) that the business is active and engaged.
Step 2: Fix Your Website for Local Search
Your website supports your Google Business Profile and captures traffic from organic search results. For local SEO, the website needs to clearly communicate what you do and where you do it.
Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Every page should have a unique title tag that includes your primary service term and location. For example:
- Good: “Plumbing Services Wandsworth | Smith Plumbing”
- Poor: “Home | Smith Plumbing”
Meta descriptions should summarise the page content and include location references. Keep titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160 characters.
Create Location-Specific Service Pages
If you serve multiple areas, create a dedicated page for each one. A single “Our Services” page is less effective than individual pages targeting “Plumbing in Putney”, “Plumbing in Wandsworth”, and “Plumbing in Wimbledon”.
Each page should include:
- A unique title and description
- Content specific to that area (local landmarks, transport links, postcodes)
- Your service details in the context of that location
- A clear call to action (phone number, contact form)
- Internal links to your main service page and other relevant pages
Important: These pages must contain genuinely useful local content, not just the same text with the town name swapped. Google penalises thin, duplicated location pages.
Add Structured Data
Structured data (also called schema markup) helps Google understand your business information. Add LocalBusiness JSON-LD markup to your website with:
- Business name, address, and phone number
- Opening hours
- Service area
- Geo-coordinates
- Business type
This is a technical step — if you are not comfortable with code, a web developer can add it for you.
Ensure Mobile Performance
Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile devices. Your website must:
- Load in under 3 seconds on a mobile connection
- Be fully responsive (readable without zooming or horizontal scrolling)
- Have tap-friendly buttons and links (at least 44x44 pixels)
- Display your phone number as a click-to-call link
Test your site using Google PageSpeed Insights and aim for a mobile score above 70.
Step 3: Build Consistent Citations
A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Citations appear on directories, social media profiles, industry listings, and other websites.
Why Consistency Matters
Google cross-references your business information across the web. If your name is “Smith Plumbing” on your website, “Smith’s Plumbing” on Yell, and “Smith Plumbing Services” on Facebook, Google sees three potentially different businesses. This weakens your local ranking signal.
Where to List Your Business
Focus on quality over quantity. The most important UK directories for local SEO are:
- Google Business Profile (already covered)
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps Connect
- Yell.com
- Thomson Local
- Yelp
- Facebook Business Page
- Your industry-specific directories
How to Keep Citations Consistent
- Use exactly the same business name, address, and phone number everywhere
- Choose one format and stick to it (for example, “123 High Street” not “123 High St” on some and “123 High Street” on others)
- Review your listings every six months and correct any that have become inaccurate
- Remove or merge duplicate listings
Step 4: Get and Manage Reviews
Reviews influence both your local pack rankings and the likelihood that someone clicks on your listing.
How to Get More Reviews
- Ask satisfied customers directly — most people are happy to leave a review when asked
- Make it easy by sending a direct link to your Google review page
- Ask at the right moment — immediately after completing a job or delivering a good result
- Do not offer incentives for reviews — this violates Google’s policies
How Many Reviews Do You Need?
There is no magic number, but having more reviews than your local competitors gives you an advantage. Even 10-15 genuine reviews with a strong average rating makes a noticeable difference in the local pack.
Responding to Reviews
Respond to every review:
- Positive reviews: Thank the customer and mention the service briefly
- Negative reviews: Respond professionally, acknowledge the concern, and offer to resolve it offline
Your responses are visible to potential customers and demonstrate how you handle feedback.
Step 5: Create Local Content
Content that demonstrates genuine local knowledge helps both rankings and trust. Consider publishing:
- Case studies from local projects (for example, “How we helped a Wandsworth business redesign their website”)
- Area guides relevant to your industry
- Blog posts answering common questions your local customers ask
- Seasonal content tied to local events or conditions
Content should be genuinely useful, not just an excuse to repeat location keywords. Write for your customers first, search engines second.
Step 6: Monitor and Improve
Local SEO is not a one-time task. Set up basic monitoring to track your progress:
- Google Business Profile Insights: Shows how people find your profile, what actions they take, and how your visibility changes over time
- Google Search Console: Shows which searches your website appears for and how often people click
- Google Analytics: Shows where your website visitors come from and what they do on your site
Review these monthly. Look for trends — which search terms are growing, which pages generate the most enquiries, and where visibility is still weak.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Keyword stuffing your business name — Adding “Best Plumber London” to your business name violates Google’s guidelines and risks suspension
- Creating thin location pages — Ten pages that are identical except for the town name will not rank and may trigger a quality penalty
- Ignoring mobile performance — A site that is slow or unusable on a phone loses most of its potential local traffic
- Buying fake reviews — Google detects and removes fake reviews, and repeat offenders can have their profile suspended
- Setting it and forgetting it — Local SEO requires ongoing attention to maintain and improve rankings
When to Get Professional Help
You can handle many local SEO basics yourself using this guide. Consider professional help if:
- You are in a competitive market and need faster results
- You do not have time to manage citations, content, and profile updates
- Your website needs technical changes (structured data, performance optimisation)
- You have been penalised or lost rankings and need to diagnose why
We offer local SEO services for small businesses across South West London, from Putney and Wandsworth to Wimbledon, Clapham, and Richmond. Every campaign starts with an audit of your current visibility and a practical plan for improvement.
See our web design and SEO services for full details, or explore our local coverage in Wandsworth, Wimbledon, or Putney. Contact us or call 020 7610 0500 for a free initial conversation.
Related Services
- Web Design & SEO
- Web Design & SEO in Wandsworth
- Web Design & SEO in Wimbledon
- Web Design & SEO in Putney