Local SEO services for small business
The short answer
Local SEO is the work that helps nearby customers find you in Google’s map and local results. Google says those results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. CoveDesk does the parts you control: your Google profile ($149 a month), pages for the towns you serve, a listings fix, review requests and a website. We don’t do link building or promise rankings.
“Local SEO services” can mean almost anything. Here’s exactly which parts we do, which we don’t, and what each costs.
What’s included
- Google Business Profile cleanup and monthly care: categories, services, areas, photos, posts and a reply to every new review
- A page for each town you really serve, on your website
- Listings fix: your business details made the same across the directories customers check, such as Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook, Angi, BBB and Nextdoor
- Review requests by text after the work is done
- A website with a page for each service, built and looked after for you
What Google looks at
Google says (opens in a new tab) local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Here’s what each means, and what we do about it.
| What Google looks at | What Google says it means | What CoveDesk does |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Google asks for complete and detailed business info. | A complete profile with the right categories and services, and a website page for each service. |
| Distance | How far each business is from the customer who’s searching. | Your address or service area set correctly, and a page for each town you really serve. We can’t move you closer. |
| Prominence | How well-known a business is. Google says it also draws on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. | Review requests, a reply to every new review, and listings that match. We don’t build links. |
What we don’t do
- Link building. We don’t buy, trade or chase links from other websites.
- Ranking promises. We don’t promise a position on Google or a spot in the map results. Be wary of anyone who does.
- Ads. We don’t run Google Ads or manage ad spend.
- Many locations at once. Each extra location is quoted for you.
If you need those, an SEO agency is the better fit. Our local SEO guide covers what agencies charge and how to check one.
What it costs
Prices in US dollars, from our current price list. Taxes may apply.
| Service | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile Cleanup | $350 one-timeOne-time | We claim and verify your Google profile, fix your categories, services and service areas, add photos and a description, write your first 3 posts and check that your name, address and phone match everywhere. |
| Google Business Profile Management | $149/moMonth-to-month | 4 posts a month, review requests after the work is done, a reply to every new review, answers to questions and a monthly report on calls, direction requests and website clicks. Profile cleanup first, if yours needs it. |
| Extra Service-Area Page | $150 one-timeOne-time | A new local page on your website for another town you really serve. |
| Listings Fix | $300 one-timeOne-time | Your business details made the same on up to 25 directories, plus the main data aggregators that feed them, such as Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook, Angi, BBB and Nextdoor. We claim the ones that need it by hand. |
| Review Requests | $49/moMonth-to-month | A text to your customer after the work is done, asking for a Google review. Customers who say no are never asked again. Included in every phone plan. |
| Website Build + Care | $1,500 one-time + $39/moOne-time | A 5 to 7 page website with pages for each service and the towns you serve, built for you. You pay nothing for the build until you’ve approved your free homepage preview. Then half the build fee is due, and the other half when your site goes live. Hosting and monthly edits are on the care plan, month-to-month. |
| Website Subscription | $129/mo12-month term | The same website with no upfront build fee, plus hosting, local pages and monthly edits. The website subscription has a 12-month term. After 12 paid months it moves to Website Care on its own, at the Website Care price, and the website files are yours. You own your domain. |
| Front Office | $449/mo250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute. No setup fee. 12-month term | We run the whole front office for you in one plan: phone answering, missed-call texting, your Google profile and a website, with a monthly check-in. |
Prices for what’s listed. Anything else is quoted for you.
You don’t need a phone plan for any of these. The free pilot is for phone plans. The money-back guarantee also covers Google Business Profile Management and the website subscription. It doesn’t cover one-time work.
No guaranteed rankings, reviews or lead volume.
How it works
A free local visibility snapshot
A one-page look at your Google profile, where you show up in local map results and how your website does on phones.
We fix the basics
Profile cleanup and your details made the same across the main directories.
Your website and town pages
A page for each service and each town you really serve, if you need them.
Every month
Posts, review requests and replies, and a report on calls, direction requests and website clicks.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
A good fit for
- Businesses that serve customers nearby, in a town or a county
- Owners whose profile, listings or website are out of date
- Anyone who wants the work done, with prices they can see first
Not the right fit if
- You need link building, content campaigns or national rankings
- You want a guaranteed position
- You sell mainly online, with no local customers
Common questions
How much do local SEO services cost?
Is local SEO free?
Is local SEO worth it?
What do local SEO companies do?
Can you guarantee first place on Google Maps?
Do you do link building?
Do I need a phone plan?
Guides
Local SEO for small business
A checklist, Google’s three factors, and what local SEO services include and cost.
Free business listings
Google, Bing Places, Apple Business and Yelp, and how to keep them matching.
How to get more Google reviews
A direct link, when to ask, what to say, and the incentive rule to avoid.
How to add your business to Google
How to put your business on Google: the steps, existing listings and getting verified.
Free tools
Google Business Profile audit
Score your Google profile on 15 points and see what to fix first.
Google review link generator
Make the link that opens straight to your Google review box, with a QR code to print.
Website cost calculator
Compare a website builder and your time with paying for one, over the years.
Sources
What this page says about Google and the FTC comes from their own pages, read on November 5, 2026:
- Google, local ranking: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
Ask about getting found nearby
Tell us how things work today and we’ll tell you what would help and what it costs, even if it isn’t CoveDesk.