Local SEO Checklist for Irish Trades Businesses: 20 Things to Check Today
Most of your local competitors have done none of these. That’s not a criticism of them. It’s an opportunity for you. Local SEO for trades businesses in Irish towns is still relatively unsophisticated, which means a business that does the basics well can rank significantly above much larger and more established competitors.
Work through this checklist. Score yourself as you go. At the end, you’ll know exactly where to focus.
Google Business Profile: 5 checks
1. Claimed and verified. Your GBP is live, verified via postcard or video, and shows your correct business name, address, and phone number. An unverified profile has dramatically lower prominence in search results. Done / Not done
2. Primary category is correct and specific. Not just “contractor”. Your primary category should be as specific as possible. “Plumber”, “Electrician”, “Roofer”, “Painter”, “Landscape gardener”. Your primary category is the single most important signal for which searches you appear in. Done / Not done
3. Services are listed in full. Every service you offer is added as a separate item under the Services section, with a description. “Boiler repair”, “bathroom installation”, “power flushing”, “emergency callout”, each as its own service, not lumped together. Done / Not done
4. At least 10 real photos uploaded. Real photos of your work, your van, yourself. Not stock images. Updated in the last 90 days. Profiles with photos receive significantly more engagement than those without. Done / Not done
5. Reviews are being added regularly. You have at least 10 reviews, your average is above 4.0, and you’ve received at least one new review in the last 60 days. Regular new reviews signal an active business and contribute to prominence. Done / Not done
Your Website: 5 checks
6. Mobile speed passes. Go to pagespeed.web.dev and enter your website URL. Run the mobile test. A score below 60 is poor. Below 70 needs work. Google uses mobile performance as a ranking signal and most users visit from a phone. Done / Needs attention (score: ___)
7. Your town and county appear on your homepage. Not buried in the footer, but visible in the main content. “Plumbing services in Dundalk, Co. Louth” in the first paragraph or the heading of your homepage. Google needs textual confirmation of your location. Done / Not done
8. NAP is consistent. Your Name, Address, and Phone number appear on your website exactly as they appear on your GBP. Not slightly different (“St” vs “Street”, “+353” vs “0”). Inconsistency dilutes Google’s confidence in your location data. Done / Inconsistent
9. You have a dedicated contact page with your full address. Not just a form. Your full address, phone number, email, and ideally a Google Maps embed. This page is a strong local signal and should be easy to find from every page. Done / Not done
10. Each service has its own page (not one catch-all page). “Plumbing services” as a single page ranks less well than individual pages for “bathroom installation Dundalk”, “boiler repair Dundalk”, “drain unblocking Dundalk”. Each page can target a specific search term. Done / All on one page
Reviews and Reputation: 4 checks
11. You have a direct Google review link saved. You can send it immediately after a job completes. The link goes directly to your review form, so customers don’t have to search for you. This single friction-removal step dramatically increases review conversion. Done / Not done
12. You’ve responded to every review in the last 6 months. Both positive and negative. Google tracks response rate and recency. A business that responds to reviews ranks higher than one that doesn’t. Responses also demonstrate professionalism to prospective customers. Done / Unanswered reviews sitting there
13. You ask every satisfied customer for a review. Systematically, not just occasionally when you remember. Every job completion is followed by a review request message. Not 50% of jobs. Every job. Done / Ad hoc
14. No reviews older than 3 months with no newer ones. Recency matters to Google. A profile with 40 reviews but the most recent one from 8 months ago is losing ground to competitors who are actively accumulating new reviews. Keep the flow going. Done / Last review was ___
Local Citations and Directories: 3 checks
15. You’re listed on Golden Pages with consistent NAP. Golden Pages (goldenpages.ie) is Ireland’s main business directory and carries significant weight as a local citation. Your listing should be claimed, complete, and consistent with your GBP. Done / Not listed
16. You’re listed on the main trade-relevant directories. For home improvement trades: Houzz, Bark.com, Rated People Ireland. For all trades: Yelp Ireland, Cylex Ireland. Consistent listings across these directories reinforce your local presence to Google. Done / Missing some
17. Your county council or chamber of commerce business directory. Many Irish county councils maintain local business directories. The Louth Chamber, Cork Chamber, etc. These are high-trust local citations. Search “[your county] business directory” and add your listing if it exists. Done / Not checked
Content: 3 checks
18. Your website has been updated in the last 90 days. Fresh content signals an active business. Even updating your homepage slightly, adding a new job photo, or posting a brief project description is enough. Static sites that never change lose ground to active ones. Done / Last updated ___
19. You mention the towns you serve beyond your primary location. If you cover Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee, and Carlingford, those towns should appear on your website, ideally on a dedicated “Areas We Cover” page as well as your homepage and contact page. Done / Only mention one location
20. Your page titles include your trade and your location. The title tag (what appears in the browser tab and in Google search results) for your homepage should include your trade and your location. “Dundalk Plumber | Emergency Plumbing | [Your Business Name]” is better than just “[Your Business Name]”. Done / Generic title tags
What to do with your score
0–5 completed: Start at GBP. Claim it, complete it, verify it. Everything else builds on that foundation.
6–12 completed: You have the basics. Focus on the gaps in the website section: consistent NAP, location mentions, individual service pages. These are the highest-impact items at this stage.
13–18 completed: You’re doing well. Focus on the review generation system and content freshness. The gap between you and full optimisation is consistency, not major missing elements.
19–20 completed: Maintain what you have and look at content expansion: new blog posts, additional service pages, more locations covered.
Want someone to do this for you?
Our Digital for Trades service covers all 20 of these as standard: website, GBP, citations, review system, and monthly reporting on progress.
Book a free 30-minute call. We’ll run through your current score with you and show you exactly what needs doing.
Or read next: How to Get Google Reviews Without Feeling Awkward About It