Local SEO
Most local searches never reach the organic results. They end in the map pack, in a phone call, or in a direction request. We build for that reality first, then earn the organic positions underneath it.
Local SEO is not national SEO with a town name added. The ranking factors are different, the competition is usually small, and the visible winner is often decided by three things: the completeness of a Google Business Profile, the volume and recency of genuine reviews, and whether a website has a page that actually answers the local query.
Every Dorset town query we checked in October 2026 returned a three-item local pack above the organic results. That pack is free real estate, and most local businesses have not claimed it properly. It is also the half of the results page that a content programme alone cannot buy.
The programme
We do not sell a thousand citations. The order matters more than the volume.
Claim or reclaim it, use the real business name, choose the right primary category, set the service area, add services and photos, and seed the questions people actually ask. This is the highest-leverage hour in local search.
A simple request at handover, a direct review link, and a reply to every review within 48 hours. No incentives, no gating, no asking only the happy ones. Review volume and recency are the visible moat in every pack we have looked at.
One page per town you genuinely serve, with local detail that could not be copied from another town, a real case study or an honest statement of what you have built nearby, and a clear service-area boundary.
Titles and descriptions that name the service and the place, LocalBusiness and Service schema, consistent NAP, internal links between the county hub, town pages and proof, and a sitemap that search engines can trust.
Reality check
| Claim | Our position |
|---|---|
| A local pack position can be won in 90 days | Often, in a small town with a complete profile and 10–20 genuine reviews. Not guaranteed, and not in Bournemouth against an established competitor without proof. |
| Reviews are the main visible moat | Yes. The packs we sampled in Dorset showed incumbents with 10 to 178 reviews. Volume and recency are both visible. |
| More citations means better rankings | Rarely. A handful of accurate, high-quality listings matter; a directory blast does not. |
| Local SEO can be done without a website | A profile alone can generate calls, but a website is what converts a careful buyer and supports the organic results underneath the pack. |
| AI search will replace the map pack | Not yet. Local AI answers still lean on the profile, reviews, proximity and structured facts. We build for both. |
Engagement
Profile, citations, reviews, site architecture and the towns you actually serve. A written list, ordered by impact.
Profile fixed, NAP consistent, schema live, titles and descriptions rewritten, tracking in place.
County hub and the first town pages, each with genuine local proof. Reviews requested from every recent client.
Monthly reviews, one new page or guide, citation cleanup, and a short report on impressions, calls and enquiries.
Questions
Profile changes can move calls within weeks. New location pages typically take two to four months to settle. A competitive town like Bournemouth takes longer than Christchurch or Wimborne.
No. Anyone who does is either guessing or doing something that will eventually be penalised. We report the position from a named location on a named date, and we show the work that went in.
Yes. A second opinion on the profile, the pages and the reporting is a common request. We will not ask you to cancel a contract to get it.
Not always. If the current site is fast, indexable and has pages worth ranking, the local programme can run on top of it. If it is a template with no location pages, the site is the constraint.
Tell us what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, what it would take, and roughly what it would cost — before anyone signs anything.
