Local SEO checklist for UK small businesses (2026)

Tick as you go

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Google Business Profile

Claim and verify your Google Business ProfileChoose the most specific main category, then every true secondary oneAdd every service, in the words customers searchSet opening hours, including holidaysUpload at least 10 real photos of your work, team and premisesWrite a description that names your main service and townPost an update at least every fortnight

Reviews

Get your direct review link and a QR code (free tool on this site)Ask every customer, the same way, the day the job is doneReply to every review within a few days, naming the jobAim for at least one new review a week

Your website

One page for each main service, with your town in the titleYour phone number and town visible at the top of every pageYour name, address and phone exactly as on GoogleFast on a phone (check it with the free speed test)Real reviews and photos of your work on the homepageAnswer the questions customers ask, in plain words

Listings, AI and tracking

List your business on the main UK directories with identical detailsFix any old addresses or phone numbers you findGet mentioned on local sites: suppliers, associations, local newsCheck whether ChatGPT and Gemini name you (free AI visibility checker)Connect Google Search Console to see the searches you appear forCheck your Google and Maps position for your money searches monthlyKeep a note of what you changed, so you know what worked

Do the checks in minutes

Free tools for the checklist

✓Google review QR code: your direct review link and a poster, at /tools/google-review-qr-code

✓Website speed test: Google’s phone score in plain English, at /tools/website-speed-test

✓Where do I rank: Google, Maps and the AI assistants for one search, at /tools/keyword-rank-checker

✓AI visibility checker: do ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity name you, at /tools/ai-visibility-checker

The honest shortcut

Short of time?

This list is a few hours to set up and an hour or two a week to keep going. That is the part most owners never find time for. Dhucha checks every item for you, prepares the work each week, and asks for your yes before anything goes live.

What happens next

From a free check to more customers.

The tools show you the gaps. Dhucha closes them, every week, in the order that brings customers fastest. You spend about 20 minutes a week saying yes.

1Get foundOn Google, Google Maps and the AI assistants

Service pagesRankingsMapsAI answers

2Get chosenOver the businesses Google shows next to you

ReviewsReview repliesRival checkFast site

3Get bookedVisitors who call, book and ask for quotes

Clear next stepPostsWeekly report

1

Free check

About a minute. See where you stand on all eight areas.

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2

Your plan

Six weeks of work, in the order that pays back first.

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3

You say yes

Dhucha prepares it every week. Nothing goes live without your yes.

The Founding 100

Want it done for you? Your price, locked for life.

The first 100 businesses keep their founding price for as long as they stay, whatever the public price does later.

Starter£1 first monththen £24 a monthThe checks and your plan

RecommendedBooster£1 first monththen £59 a monthWe write the work for you

Pro£1 first monththen £149 a monthFor busier businesses

✓ £1 first month✓ 30-day money back✓ Cancel in two clicks

Start with my free check →

Questions

What owners ask us

What is local SEO?

Everything that helps nearby customers find and choose you when they search: your Google Business Profile, reviews, your website, your listings on other sites and, increasingly, what AI assistants say about you.

What should I do first?

Your Google Business Profile, then reviews. For most local businesses they bring more calls, faster, than any website change.

How long does local SEO take to work?

Profile and review fixes can show on the map within weeks. Website pages usually take two to three months to settle in Google. Steady work beats one big push.

Do I need to pay for local SEO?

No, every step on this list can be done yourself for free. You pay for tools to save time, or for a service like Dhucha to have the work done for you.

See where your business stands, free.

Google, your Maps listing and 4 AI assistants
Nothing changes on your website
About a minute, no card

Keep reading

Free tools How to get Google reviews How to improve Google ranking Best local SEO tools All guides Who Dhucha can help