What Should a Local SEO Service Include?
Packages vary wildly, so it pays to know what a proper service actually contains before you compare quotes. A good one covers the audit, profile work, structured content, citations, reviews, conversion plus clear reporting, all ongoing, with you owning your accounts. Here is the full checklist to hold any quote against.
A proper service includes a site audit, Google Business Profile optimisation, structured content built into topical clusters with schema, citation and consistency work, a review programme, conversion work like calls to action plus clear regular reporting. It should be ongoing rather than a one-off setup, with no lock-in beyond a fair contract and you owning your own accounts throughout.
Know what is in,
and what is missing
Core inclusions
Audit, profile, content, citations, reviews, conversion and reporting.
Own everything
Your profile, website and accounts should always stay yours.
Setup fee, ideally
A fair service rarely needs a hefty setup fee that buys little.
Seven things a proper service includes
Local SEO packages are sold under all sorts of names with wildly different contents, which makes comparing quotes hard. The way to cut through it is to know the components a complete service should contain, then check any quote against them. Here are the seven that matter, plus the terms that should sit around them.
1. A proper audit
Everything should start with research. A complete service includes a site audit, ideally with a tool like Semrush, to find your keyword opportunities, the gaps competitors are exploiting plus the technical issues holding you back. This is repeated periodically, not done once, so the strategy keeps adapting to what is actually happening.
2. Google Business Profile optimisation
Since the profile is the engine of local visibility, the service must include claiming, verifying and fully optimising it: the right category, complete details, photos, posts plus a Google Maps audit. If a package barely mentions your Business Profile, it is missing the single most important piece.
3. Structured content
Content is the bulk of the on-site work, so it should be built properly: topical clusters of landing, hub and informational pages, each with schema markup plus an internal linking structure that ties them together. Watch out for services that just promise a few blog posts with no structure behind them.
4. Citation and consistency work
A complete service makes your name, address and phone consistent everywhere, building citations on trusted directories plus correcting the old or duplicate listings that quietly cap your visibility. This unglamorous groundwork is part of any service worth paying for.
5. A review programme
Because reviews are one of the strongest local signals, the service should help you build a steady flow of genuine reviews plus manage the replies. A package that ignores reviews is leaving one of the biggest levers untouched.
6. Conversion work
Rankings are not the end goal, enquiries are. A good service adds calls to action and sales funnels to your ranking pages plus rebuilds content on pages that are not performing, so the visibility it earns actually turns into business.
7. Clear, regular reporting
Finally, you should always know what you are getting. The service must report on rankings, profile views, calls and enquiries, plus simply tell you what has been worked on. We do this with an update every three weeks. Reporting is what keeps an agency honest and your money accountable.
Around all seven, the terms should be fair: you own your profile, website and accounts, there is no punishing lock-in plus any setup fee is modest. The checklist below sets out what should be included against what should make you wary.
Three terms that should
come as standard
You own your accounts
Your Google Business Profile, website and any accounts created for you should be yours. If you ever leave, your assets and progress go with you. Being locked out of your own accounts is a serious warning sign.
Clear deliverables
You should be able to see exactly what is included and what is being done each month. Vague packages that promise results without specifics make it impossible to know whether you are getting value.
No punishing lock-in
A reasonable minimum term is fine, since local SEO takes time. What is not fine is a contract built to trap you. Look for a fair term plus, ideally, no large setup fee that buys little.
The service
checklist
Hold any quote against this. What should be included, plus what should make you wary.
Five things to confirm
before you sign
A complete service vs
a hollow package
Worth paying for
- Audit, profile, content, citations
- Reviews and conversion work
- Clear, regular reporting
- You own all your accounts
- Ongoing, with fair terms
Not worth it
- Vague, undefined deliverables
- Reviews and conversion ignored
- Little or no reporting
- They hold your accounts
- One-off setup or harsh lock-in
Let's give you everything
on the checklist.
Our service covers the full list: audit, profile, structured content, citations, reviews, conversion plus reporting. No setup fee, you own all accounts, updates every three weeks. From £350 per month.