Every month I take a call from a tradesman who has been paying an agency £400 a month for fourteen months and has nothing to show for it.
The contract was twelve months minimum. The reports were full of words like "impressions" and "domain authority". The phone never rang any more than before.
Here is how to avoid being that call.
Compare any package you are offered against both columns. If it sits mostly in the right column, walk away regardless of price.
| Green flag | Red flag |
|---|---|
| Plain English monthly report you can actually read | "Impressions up 47%" and no explanation of what that means for you |
| 3-month minimum, then 30 days notice | 12 or 24-month lock-in contract |
| Realistic timeline (4 to 8 weeks for early movement, 3 to 6 months for full results) | "Guaranteed page one in 30 days" |
| Specialises in trades or small local businesses | Works with anyone, from dentists to e-commerce to plumbers |
| Includes or discounts a proper website | "SEO" on a template website you paid £3,000 for last year |
| Tells you exactly what they do each month, line by line | "Proprietary methodology" and "trade secrets" |
| Real case studies you can phone the client to verify | Vague testimonials, no names, no contact details |
| £250 to £2,000 a month depending on geographic scope | £50 or £80 a month "starter" package |
Here is what a real Local SEO package for a tradesman ought to deliver in the first three months:
| Deliverable | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| GBP rebuild | Primary category, 9 secondary categories, 30 to 40 specific services, 750-character description, photos uploaded, posts scheduled |
| Website (free with most plans) | Multi-page, mobile-first, fast-loading, schema-marked-up, with a dedicated page for every town you cover |
| Citations | 40+ directory listings, all with identical NAP, including Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark, Yell, TrustATrader, Thomson Local |
| Review system | Templates and scripts your team actually uses, plus a tracker showing how many reviews each crew is generating |
| Monthly content | 52 weekly Google Posts for the year, plus blog content on your site if appropriate |
| Reporting | One page. Where you ranked last month, where you rank this month, how many calls and form fills came in, what got done |
Geographic ambition is the main driver of price. One town is cheaper than five counties.
| Scope | Sensible range | Our plan |
|---|---|---|
| One town, one trade | £250 to £500/mo | £299/mo |
| Multi-town regional coverage | £500 to £1,000/mo | £750/mo |
| National + AI search (GEO) | £1,000 to £2,500/mo | £1,600/mo |
Every plan from £299/month upwards includes a free custom website worth up to £10,000. We make that economically viable because we only take one client per trade per town, so the website work compounds.
No lock-in. 3 months minimum.
Plans from £299/month. Free website worth up to £10,000 included on every plan. Full breakdown of what each plan includes here.
📞 01902 961078 · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm
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Local SEO strategy 2026 · Local SEO for tradesmen · Yes, the website really is free