This is what that search really says.
You’ve used the phrase ”SEO marketing company near me” in your Google search. There are 10 search results with a map, each with an average rating of 4.5 stars, and each one says they’re the local expert.
Here’s what I think is most important to say. That type of search does not give you an indication of anything useful. What that type of search shows is who is really good at SEO for the search term of ”SEO marketing company near me” (or even just ”SEO company near me”). That does not show you who is really good at SEO for your type of business.
I am saying all of this from personal experience because I work in this industry. The agencies that rank the highest for that particular search term are not at all surprising for the reason that they put a lot of work into that term. Ranking a Northampton plumber’s company van to get more calls is a very, very different type of work than ranking a Kettering accountancy practice to get phone calls during the tax season. Sometimes it is the same people. Often, it is not the same people.
Why ”near me” is not the filter you think it is
Searches that incorporate the phrase ”near me” are geographically centric. They adjust results based on where you are. That’s useful for finding a plumber. It is much less useful when finding an agency as a good SEO agency can work with a client regardless of how far away they are. In this instance, proximity matters very little. It is much more important when choosing a dentist for example.
What it actually filters for is who’s invested in local search visibility for themselves. That’s not nothing— an agency that can’t rank its own site for its own service is a fair warning sign. But it’s a floor, not a ceiling.
What the map pack doesn’t show you
Three or four businesses in the Local Pack seem similar at first. Similar star ratings, similar stock photos, similar “results-driven” language on the sites. What you can’t discern from search results:
- Whether or not they actually focus on your type of business, or whether they add SEO to their web design services as an afterthought.
- Whether the person selling you the business does the actual work or if it is a new employee with less than three months experience at the business.
- Whether their reporting means anything or if it is just a PDF of graphs with no explanation.
I have said this many times on this blog and I will say it again because it is the most misunderstood aspect. Traffic is not the metric. Rankings are not the metric. The goal is not enquiries, or leads, but sales. If an agency says “We got them to page one” without context, it doesn’t actually tell you anything.
What you should ask instead of trusting the map pin
When you have a few ideas from a “near me” search or recommendation (which tends to be more helpful), here’s what to look for in a winner:
Can they provide a real-world analogue? Case studies are good and all, but if there’s no real world outcome, no definitive result, then it doesn’t back up the claim. Without sanity checks, a hundred percent increase in something doesn’t serve a goal.
Can you follow their strategy without a degree in SEO? “Trust the process” is not a strategy. It’s a retainer and a commitment that ends badly.
What happens to the work you’ve done for them? Content, backlinks, access to your Google Business Profile. If any of these evaporate the moment you stop paying, that’s a red flag and a dealbreaker before the contract is even signed.
Do they know your local market? Local market knowledge goes beyond having “local SEO” as a bullet point. Do you think someone in Northampton is searching for the same thing as someone in Birmingham? A carpet fitter should target the area around Northampton instead of wasting money on National SEO.
So what should you actually search?
Just skip “SEO marketing company near me” and search for the outcome you want instead — “SEO for [your industry] Northampton.” You can also call other local business owners and ask them who they use and if it has actually worked for them. Businesses that come up first for the general search have optimized for that phrase. The businesses that are thoroughly booked from local search typically do not compete for it, because they do not have to.
If you take one thing from this: proximity shown on a map is literally the least important thing an SEO company can offer you. Understanding your customers and being straight about what results actually mean — that’s the bit worth paying for.