Running a business here in Swindon is rewarding, but let’s be honest: standing out online and mastering Local SEO in Swindon can be tough. You might have the best service in Old Town or the best products in Gorse Hill, but if customers can’t find you when they search on Google, you’re losing business to your competitors.
You’ve probably heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), but for a local business, Local SEO in Swindon is what truly matters. It’s the art and science of getting your business to appear for searches like “best café near me” or “plumber in Swindon” right when a local customer needs you.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to make a huge impact. Here are 10 actionable, “no-BS” tips to improve your local SEO and get more customers through your door.
1. Claim & Optimise Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
This is the single most important thing you can do for your local SEO. Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the information box that appears on the right side of a Google search or at the top of Google Maps.
Why it matters:
It’s your digital shop window. It tells customers your hours, phone number, address, and shows off your reviews. Google prioritises businesses that have a complete and active profile.
How to do it:
- Go to google.com/business and search for your business name.
- Claim it (or create it if it doesn’t exist).
- Fill out every single section: services, products, photos, opening hours, a business description, and health & safety attributes.
Pro Tip: We wrote a whole guide on why your Google Business Profile is so important. Check it out for a deeper dive.
2. Get Consistent Online Reviews
Reviews are the lifeblood of local businesses. 90% of consumers read reviews before visiting a business. Google knows this, so it ranks businesses with more (and better) reviews higher.
Why it matters:
Reviews build trust (what marketers call “social proof”). They directly influence both search rankings and customer decisions.
How to do it:
Don’t be shy! Ask your happy customers for a review. Make it easy for them by sending a direct link to your GBP review page. Put a link in your email signature or on your invoices.
3. Respond to ALL Your Reviews
This is a huge missed opportunity for many businesses. Responding to reviews—both positive and negative—shows Google and future customers that you are engaged and you care.
Why it matters:
It builds customer loyalty and trust. For positive reviews, a simple “Thanks, [Name]! We loved having you,” works wonders. For negative reviews, it’s even more crucial. A polite, professional response that offers to solve the problem can turn a one-star review into a lifelong customer.
How to do it:
Set aside 10 minutes every Friday to go into your Google Business Profile and reply to every new review.
4. Keep Your NAP Consistent
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. These three pieces of information must be identical everywhere they appear online.
Why it matters:
Google is a robot. If it sees “Atom Ltd” on one site and “Atom” on another, it gets confused and isn’t sure if it’s the same company. This confusion hurts your ranking.
How to do it:
Create a master list of your exact NAP. Check it against your website, GBP, Facebook page, Yell.com, and any other local directories. (e.g., if you are “Suite 4, 123 High Street,” don’t put “Unit 4, 123 High St”).
5. Optimise Your Website Pages for “Swindon”
Your website needs to signal to Google that you are a Swindon-based business.
Why it matters:
If someone searches “electrician in Swindon,” Google will look for websites that actually mention they are an electrician in Swindon.
How to do it:
- Title Tags: Instead of a homepage title of “Home,” make it “Your Business Name | Plumbers in Swindon.”
- Page Content: Don’t just list “Our Services.” Write a short paragraph: “From our base in Swindon, we offer a full range of plumbing services to homes and businesses across Wiltshire.”
- Contact Page: Embed a Google Map of your location.
6. Create Local Content (A Key Win for Local SEO in Swindon)
A blog is one of the most powerful SEO tools you have. By writing helpful articles, you prove your expertise to Google and to your customers.
Why it matters:
It gives you a chance to rank for questions your customers are asking. A Swindon letting agent could write “The 5 Best Neighbourhoods in Swindon for Young Professionals.” A local café could write “Our Favourite Dog-Friendly Walks in Swindon.”
How to do it:
Think of the top 5 questions your customers ask you. Write a short, simple blog post answering each one.
7. Ensure Your Site is Mobile-Friendly
Over 60% of all Google searches happen on a mobile phone. If your website is hard to read or navigate on a phone, visitors will leave, and Google will rank you lower.
Why it matters:
Google uses “mobile-first” indexing, meaning it ranks your site based on how it looks on a phone, not a desktop.
How to do it:
Pull up your website on your phone. Do you have to pinch and zoom to read the text? Are the buttons hard to press? If so, it’s time for a redesign.
8. Get Local Backlinks
A “backlink” is just a link from another website to yours. Google sees these as votes of confidence. Links from other local websites are pure gold for Local SEO in Swindon.
Why it matters:
A link from the Swindon Advertiser, the Wiltshire Chamber of Commerce, or even a local charity you sponsor tells Google you are a legitimate and important part of the Swindon community.
How to do it:
Sponsor a local youth football team. Join a local business network. Partner with a non-competing business for a joint promotion. Ask them to link to your website.
9. Add “Local Business Schema” to Your Site
This one sounds techy, but it’s simple in concept. “Schema” is a piece of code that explains your website to Google in its own language. It explicitly says “This is a local business, here is its address, here are its opening hours.”
Why it matters:
It removes all guesswork for Google and helps it display your information correctly in search results.
How to do it:
This is where a good web designer comes in. If you’re on WordPress (like all the sites we build), a plugin like Yoast SEO makes it easy to add this data. If you’re not sure, ask your web developer.
10. Regularly Post Updates on Your Google Profile
Just like a Facebook page, you can (and should) post updates on your Google Business Profile.
Why it matters:
It keeps your profile fresh and shows Google you’re active. It’s a free, highly visible ad!
How to do it:
Once a week, add a post. It can be a new offer (“10% off this week!”), a new product, or just a new photo of your team or a happy customer. These posts appear right on your profile in search results.
Your Next Steps for Local SEO Swindon
Local SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. It’s an ongoing process of showing Google that you are the best, most relevant, and most trusted result for a customer in Swindon.
By starting with these 10 tips, you will be miles ahead of your competition.
Feeling overwhelmed? You don’t have to do it alone. At Atom, we specialise in SEO for Swindon businesses and building websites that get results. Get in touch today, and let’s make your business the number one choice in Swindon.
