The short answer
Fill in your Google Business Profile properly, collect genuine reviews, and have a website that says clearly what you do and which Cheshire towns you cover. Keep your name, address and phone number the same everywhere. None of it is complicated, but most small businesses skip at least one step.
1. Finish your Google Business Profile
This is what shows on Google Maps and in the box of local results. Add your services, the areas you cover, opening hours, photos of your own work and a link to your website. I've written a full guide on how to get your business on Google, and another on whether you need a Business Profile, a website or both.
2. Get real reviews, and keep them coming
Reviews are one of the biggest things Google looks at for local results, and they're what customers read first. Ask every happy customer, make it easy with a direct link, and reply to each one. My guide on how to get more Google reviews has wording you can copy.
3. Say where you work, in plain words
"Electrician in Crewe, Nantwich and Alsager" tells Google and customers far more than "Welcome to our website". Name the towns you actually cover on your site, and if you want work from a particular town, give it its own page with real detail.
4. Keep your details identical everywhere
Your business name, address and phone number should match exactly on your website, your Google profile, Facebook, Yell, Bing Places and any other directory. Small differences make it harder for Google to be sure they're all you.
5. Make your site quick and easy on a phone
Most local searches happen on a phone. If your site is slow or the call button is hard to find, people go back and pick the next result. A simple, fast site with a big call button beats a fancy slow one.
6. Get mentioned by other local sites
A link from a supplier, a customer's website, a local club you sponsor or a Cheshire business directory helps Google trust that you're a real local business. A handful of genuine local links is worth more than hundreds of random ones.
What does it cost?
Most of this is free and just takes time. If you need the website part, I build sites for £350, then £25 a month for hosting and changes, and you see a free demo first. For the wider picture, read how much a website costs in the UK.
Web design near you
I work with businesses across Cheshire and the counties around it: Crewe, Nantwich, Sandbach, Middlewich, Alsager, Congleton, Winsford, Northwich, Holmes Chapel, plus Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Chester, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Widnes, Frodsham, Malpas, Whitchurch, Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. If your patch isn't on that list, get in touch anyway — I build for businesses anywhere in the UK.
Questions
How long does it take to show up on Google locally?
It varies. A new site can take a few weeks to be picked up, and longer to climb for competitive searches. A complete Google Business Profile and genuine reviews usually help most at the start.
Do I need a separate page for every town I cover?
Not for every village. A page for each main town you want work from, with real detail about what you do there, is more useful than dozens of near-identical pages.
Can I do local SEO myself?
Yes. Most of this checklist is free and just takes a bit of time: your Google profile, reviews, directory listings and clear wording on your site.