WHAT'S IN A LOCAL SEO PACKAGE?
At Conqueror Capital, a local SEO package covers five parts: your Google Business Profile, the pages on your website, your listings on other sites, a lawful way to ask for and answer reviews, and a monthly report on calls, clicks and customers. Whoever you hire, a package should name each of those parts in writing and show you the work, so you can check it yourself.
THE FIVE PARTS OF A REAL PACKAGE
Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, accurate business details help it match your business to searches.1 Each part below feeds one of those signals. If a proposal leaves one out, ask why.
| Part | What the work is | How you can check it |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Verification, the right main category, services, hours (including holiday hours), photos, posts and a link to your website | Open your profile on Google Maps and read every field. In the profile settings, under People and access, the agency should show as a manager, not the owner. |
| Website pages | One page per main service and per area you serve, clear titles and descriptions, your town and phone number in plain text, LocalBusiness structured data,2 pages that load fast on a phone | Ask for the list of pages added or changed each month, then open them on your phone. |
| Listings (citations) | The same business name, address or service area, phone and website on the other maps apps and directories that matter for your trade | Ask for a list with the link to each listing and who holds the login. |
| Reviews | A Google review link or QR code to send real customers after a job,3 and a reply to every review, good or bad | You should see the link or QR code, the wording used to ask, and replies posted on your profile. |
| Reporting | A short monthly report: calls, website clicks, direction requests and form leads, plus a list of the work done that month | The numbers should come from your own Business Profile and website accounts, which you can open yourself. |
Want to set up the profile part yourself? Our Business Profile optimization guide walks through every field.
WHAT IS USUALLY EXTRA
These are often sold on top of a base package, or left out. None of them is wrong; you just want to know which ones you are paying for.
- Ad budget. Money for Google or Meta ads goes to the platform. Ask which part of a quote is the agency fee and which part is ad spend.
- A new website. Fixing pages on a site is one job; building a new site is another. See what a small business website costs.
- More locations. Each storefront has its own profile, reviews and competitors, so a second location is more work, not a copy.
- Photos and video. Real photos of your team and finished jobs show customers who you are, but a photo shoot is usually a separate cost.
- Extra content and outreach. Blog posts, local guides and asking other local sites to link to you are often in larger plans only.
For how packages are priced and what drives the price, read how much local SEO costs.
WHO SHOULD OWN WHAT
- Your Business Profile. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner.4 That should be you; the agency should be added as a manager.
- Your domain. Registered in your business name, with the login in your hands.
- Your website analytics and Search Console. Created in your account, with the agency given access.
- Your listings. Logins for Bing, Apple and directory listings recorded and shared with you.
If the agency owns these, leaving later gets slow and costly. Our guide to choosing a local SEO agency covers contracts and exit terms.
RED FLAGS IN A PACKAGE
- A promised position. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking,1 and that no one can promise a #1 spot in its results.7
- Reviews in exchange for something. Google's Maps content policy does not allow reviews posted because of payment, discounts or free goods or services.5
- Extra words in your business name. Google says unnecessary information in the name isn't permitted and could get the profile suspended.6
- "Hundreds of directories" with no list. A count without links tells you nothing. Ask which sites and why they matter for your trade.
- "SEO work" with no detail. If the monthly report has no list of pages, profile changes or listings, you can't tell what you paid for.
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU SIGN
Which of the five parts are in the package, in writing?
Profile, website pages, listings, reviews and reporting. If one is missing, ask who is doing it.
What will you do in the first month?
A clear first-month list (fix the profile category, add service pages, clean up a duplicate listing) beats a general promise.
What results do you expect, and in what timeframe?
This is one of the questions Google itself suggests asking anyone you hire for SEO.7 A fair answer explains what depends on your competition and where you start.
Will I own my profile, domain and accounts?
The answer should be yes for all of them.
What does the monthly report show?
Ask for a sample. Look for calls, clicks, direction requests and a list of work done.
How do I cancel?
Read the term length and notice period, and what happens to your accounts and data if you leave.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BY TRADE
- Plumbers. A page for each main job (drain cleaning, water heaters, leaks) and for each town you cover, and a profile that lists the same services. See websites and local SEO for plumbers.
- Roofers. Photos of finished roofs on the profile, a review ask sent after each job, and pages for repair and replacement. See websites and local SEO for roofers.
- Electricians. Service-area pages that match where you really work, and listings that use the same phone number everywhere. See websites and local SEO for electricians.
Want to see what we include for your business? Our local SEO page lists the work, step by step.
SOURCES
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
- Google Search Central, Local Business (LocalBusiness) structured data.
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to get more reviews.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile owners and managers.
- Maps User Generated Content Policy Help, Prohibited and restricted content.
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google.
- Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?
KEEP READING
Websites and local SEO by trade: plumbers · electricians · roofers · HVAC · handymen · landscapers · general contractors · all industries
BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Tell us your business name, town and main service. We will look at your profile and website with you and tell you which of the five parts we would fix first.