Industry guides

SEO looks different in every trade.

A locksmith fights spam listings; a dentist wins on “NHS dentist near me”; a roofer’s traffic arrives with the weather. Pick your industry for the keywords, schema and local tactics that actually apply — or start with the general guides.

• SEO for PlumbersHow UK plumbers rank for emergency and planned work: Local Pack tactics, EmergencyService schema, Checkatrade citations and keywords that bring real jobs.3-pack — Most emergency plumbing jobs are decided in the Google map results — a soaked homeowner phones the first 24-hour listing with good reviews and rarely scrolls further.
• SEO for ElectriciansHow UK electricians rank for EICRs, EV chargers and fault call-outs: NICEIC citations, landlord keywords and Business Profile tactics that win work.2020 — The year electrical safety reports (EICRs) became a legal requirement for landlords in England — turning “EICR certificate cost” into one of the most commercially valuable searches an electrician can rank for.
• SEO for BuildersHow UK builders get found for extensions, lofts and renovations: project page tactics, cost-guide keywords and the research cycle behind every enquiry.6–12 months — The typical research window before a homeowner commits to a major build — they will search dozens of times, on costs, planning and ideas, before they ever contact a builder.
• SEO for RoofersHow UK roofers capture storm-surge searches, insurance work and planned re-roofs: seasonal tactics, drone galleries and the keywords that fill the diary.48 hours — The window after a named storm when “roof repair near me” searches surge — and when the roofers already ranking take a season’s worth of enquiries while everyone else watches.
• SEO for Heating EngineersHow UK heating engineers rank for boiler repairs, fault codes and installs: Gas Safe trust signals, winter seasonality and beating national quote sites.First cold snap — Boiler breakdown searches multiply several times over in the first cold week of autumn, as a summer of dormant faults surfaces at once — the heating engineer’s entire year pivots on being ranked before it.
• SEO for Landscapers & GardenersHow UK landscapers and gardeners rank for design, patios and maintenance work: image-led tactics, spring seasonality and keywords that fill the season.Feb–June — The window holding most of the year’s landscaping searches — demand wakes with the first warm weekend, which means rankings must be in place by February or the busiest season passes you by.
• SEO for Cleaning CompaniesHow UK cleaning companies win end of tenancy, domestic and office cleaning searches: recurring-revenue keywords, trust signals and agency-beating tactics.£2,000+ — The annual value of a single weekly domestic client — cleaning is a recurring-revenue trade, so one good ranking pays out every week for years, not once per job.
• SEO for LocksmithsHow genuine UK locksmiths outrank lead-gen fakes: verification, real-address signals, MLA citations and emergency lockout searches that decide the trade.2017 — The year Google introduced advanced verification for locksmiths — the only trade category whose listing spam was so severe it forced Google to demand proof a business actually exists.
• SEO for DentistsHow UK dental practices win “dentist taking new patients” and emergency searches — treatment price pages, Dentist schema and CQC trust signals.9 in 10 — NHS dental practices contacted in the BBC’s 2022 nationwide survey were not accepting new adult NHS patients — which is why “dentist taking new patients near me” has become one of the highest-intent searches in UK dentistry.
• SEO for PhysiotherapistsPatients search the pain, not the profession. How UK physio clinics rank for condition searches, NHS waiting-list overflow and insurer-led queries.Condition first — Far more people search “physio for lower back pain” or “frozen shoulder treatment” than ever type “physiotherapist [town]” — patients describe the pain, not the profession, which is why condition pages out-earn a generic services list.
• SEO for AccountantsAccountancy searches spike at deadlines and life events. Niche client pages, fee transparency and a January content calendar that wins retained clients.31 January — Around 12 million Self Assessment returns fall due every 31 January — and searches like “accountant for self assessment” surge from October onwards. The firms that rank in autumn collect the clients everyone else scrambles for in the new year.
• SEO for SolicitorsLegal clicks cost £50+ on Google Ads. How UK law firms win practice-area searches organically with SRA price transparency and LegalService schema.£50+ — Cost per click for terms like “no win no fee solicitor” and “medical negligence claim” on Google Ads — among the most expensive in UK search. Every organic click a firm wins is a click its competitors are paying for.
• SEO for Estate AgentsYou can’t outrank Rightmove — and you don’t need to. How UK estate agents win valuation searches, “estate agents [town]” and local area guides.9 in 10 — Buyers start their property search on Rightmove or Zoopla, not on agent websites — which is exactly why the winnable search market for an agent is vendors and landlords, not buyers.
• SEO for Hairdressers & SalonsStop paying marketplace commission on clients Google sent you. How UK salons rank for searches like “balayage [town]” and own the local map results.35% — Commission Treatwell can take on a new client’s first booking through its marketplace — for a client who often found the salon by Googling it. Clients who book through your own site and Business Profile cost you nothing.
• SEO for RestaurantsDiners choose on Google Maps and “best of” lists. HTML menus, Restaurant schema, review velocity and occasion pages that fill UK restaurant tables.90% — of diners research a restaurant online before visiting — a higher share than any other type of business. The menu, the photos and the last month’s reviews are the meal before the meal.
• SEO for Personal TrainersPT searches surge every January but rankings are won in autumn. Niche audience pages, honest pricing and local SEO for studio, gym-based and mobile PTs.January — Searches for “personal trainer near me” spike sharply every January as New Year resolutions land — but Google takes weeks to rank new pages, so the trainers who win the year’s biggest client intake did the work in November and December.