Google & SEO
Most tradespeople rely on word of mouth. Here's how to get Google sending you calls too — without paying per lead or learning anything complicated.
When someone searches "boiler repair Birmingham", Google returns results it thinks are most likely to satisfy that search. It looks at three main things:
1. **Relevance** — does your website mention boiler repairs and Birmingham?
2. **Authority** — do other websites link to you? Does your Google Business Profile have reviews?
3. **Distance** — how close are you to the searcher?
For most trade searches, Google shows a map (the local pack) first, then organic website results below. You want to appear in both.
If you haven't claimed your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), do it today. It's free and it's the fastest way to appear in local searches.
Once claimed:
- Add your correct business name, phone, and address (or service area if you travel to customers)
- Upload photos of your work, van, and team
- Pick the right categories (e.g. "Heating contractor", "Plumber")
- Ask every happy customer to leave a Google review — this is the single biggest ranking factor for the local map pack
A trade with 50+ genuine 5-star reviews and a complete profile will outrank a competitor with a fancier website but no reviews almost every time.
A website helps you rank for searches where Google shows website results rather than just the map. The key signals:
**Service pages** — a separate page for each service you offer. Not one page that lists everything, but /boiler-repairs, /boiler-servicing, /gas-safe-checks as separate URLs. Each page tells Google exactly what you do.
**Location pages** — if you cover multiple towns, a page for each one (e.g. /boiler-repairs-birmingham, /boiler-repairs-wolverhampton). This tells Google you serve those areas.
**Content that answers questions** — Google surfaces sites that answer what people are searching for. A page that explains what a boiler service includes and how long it takes is more useful (and more rankable) than a page that just says "we do boiler servicing".
**Speed and mobile** — if your site is slow or looks broken on a phone, Google will show competitors instead.
If you're willing to invest some time:
1. Claim and fully fill out your Google Business Profile (1–2 hours)
2. Ask the last 20 customers for a Google review (ongoing)
3. Check your website has the right town names and services mentioned clearly
What's harder to do yourself:
- Writing proper service + location pages in a way Google actually values
- Technical SEO (page speed, structured data, internal linking)
- Keeping content updated as your services or areas change
Most trades find the return on outsourcing is much better than the return on learning SEO from scratch. A managed website service handles all of this and tracks results so you can see the ROI.
What's one job worth to you - a hundred quid? Two? If it brings you one extra job a month, it's paid for itself twice over. And you don't risk a penny finding out.
Ready?
Let us build you a free preview — your actual site, for your trade, in your town. See it before you decide a thing.
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