SEO help - landing pages

[OhSimon]

I'm launching a new website centered around tradesmen; plumbing, electrical etc. I'll spare the details but its basically a lead gen site for London with a USP.

My question is landing pages. I've previously run a local pluming business and SEO was fairly easy as we had one service. The home page focused on our immediate area and we had several landing pages covering adjacent neighbourhoods. On top of that, a couple of service specific pages e.g bathrooms, boilers and so on. This meant just a handful of landing pages, nice and easy. N.b. This was all pre AI LLM.

However, this new site covers multiple trade services and the whole of London. This could result in a vast combination of high traffic keywords with service names, areas and sub-areas in the city.

What is best practice here? Having a sea of landing pages doesn't seem the right move. Is it just a case of finding the best combo of high volume, low competition key words and focus on a handful of them?

 

[fisicx]

There is no simple answer to your question. The way you hebe described the business idea suggests you will need a very wide and deep site with multiple landing pages. Most people search for local trades and make full use of the map pack. Below this are the multiple directories and trader feeds. SEO isn’t going to work for you initially. You will be relying heavily on advertising.

To give more detailed advice we need to see the site. But you also need upgrade your membership to get the required review.

 

[OhSimon]

There is no simple answer to your question. The way you hebe described the business idea suggests you will need a very wide and deep site with multiple landing pages. Most people search for local trades and make full use of the map pack. Below this are the multiple directories and trader feeds. SEO isn’t going to work for you initially. You will be relying heavily on advertising.

To give more detailed advice we need to see the site. But you also need upgrade your membership to get the required review.

Thanks for the reply. The site is just landing a page, I'm currently growing the trade users pre launch.

I agree on advertising but I'm specifically asking about SEO. This is just one element of a digital marketing strategy.

I'm asking about a general principle.

 

[fisicx]

There is no general principle. Each case will be different. I suspect you will need multiple landing pages.

I’m not sure SEO is going to work for you. The competition is far too fierce with very deep pockets.

 

[Shopclicks]

What is best practice here? Having a sea of landing pages doesn't seem the right move. Is it just a case of finding the best combo of high volume, low competition key words and focus on a handful of them?

The best site structure is going to depend on the type of site.
Is it a directory with businesses displayed?
Is it a site where people can request a service and you send the lead on?
How is it monetised?

 

[Mark T Jones]

Thanks for the reply. The site is just landing a page, I'm currently growing the trade users pre launch.

I agree on advertising but I'm specifically asking about SEO. This is just one element of a digital marketing strategy.

I'm asking about a general principle.

I dont know the technical answer at all, but as an occasional user of these directories, I'd typically search something like 'plumber near me' - which throws up several directory links. The directory asks for a postcode before giving a list, with services and reviews.

The system works for me.

 

[fisicx]

And those directories have shovelled a ton of money towards marketing (which includes SEO).

We needed a roofer. Searched Google and called the number shown on the map listing. Didn’t go anywhere near a website.

And more and more people are using AI to find services. It’s built into the phone, browser and other tools.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Would a directory plugin help?

Create listings for each location and trade and utilise tags?

 

[OhSimon]

There is no general principle. Each case will be different. I suspect you will need multiple landing pages.

I’m not sure SEO is going to work for you. The competition is far too fierce with very deep pockets.

I'm not sure what you mean SEO isn't going to work. Why would I eliminate it from my marketing strategy. My pages will have content regardless, of course I'll spend time making it relevant and targeted.

 

[fisicx]

I'm not sure what you mean SEO isn't going to work.

Because there is too much competition with lots of money.

Long tail could work for you but that would mean lots and lots of highly targeted pages. One for each location/postcode and each service within that location. But even then, the local map pack will take precedence.

 

[Shopclicks]

Local directories can outrank the majors like Checkatrade, My Builder or Thompson Local, locally when done well. Not just for long-tail search terms, but for higher volume search terms as well.

And if you match your locations in GBP with optimised locality pages on the site, you can get into the local map/pack in other areas.

 

[OhSimon]

I feel like my original question has

Local directories can outrank the majors like Checkatrade, My Builder or Thompson Local, locally when done well. Not just for long-tail search terms, but for higher volume search terms as well.

And if you match your locations in GBP with optimised locality pages on the site, you can get into the local map/pack in other areas.

It's a directory so I can't have business local listings for my own site.

 

[fisicx]

The key here is local SEO. Which means GBP and other local resources. A general all in one directory for all trades and locations in London is a non starter without serious cash.

 

[OhSimon]

I feel like my original question has

Because there is too much competition with lots of money.

Long tail could work for you but that would mean lots and lots of highly targeted pages. One for each location/postcode and each service within that location. But even then, the local map pack will take precedence.

It was just a strange blanket statement. Of course my site still needs to appear in search results for specific terms. Perhaps just ones that are less competitive, very focused.

To just say 'seo will not work' is too broad

 

[OhSimon]

The key here is local SEO. Which means GBP and other local resources. A general all in one directory for all trades and locations in London is a non starter without serious cash.

It's not for all trades and there is a USP which I'm not going to share here. To your point though, I think I'll focus one or two areas to begin with to validate the idea cheaply. Nothing stopping expansion beyond if it works

 

[fisicx]

It's not for all trades and there is a USP which I'm not going to share here. To your point though, I think I'll focus one or two areas to begin with to validate the idea cheaply. Nothing stopping expansion beyond if it works

And for it to work you really need GBP. It’s the first place many people look when searching for services.

And as @Shopclicks ssid, hyperlocal directories can work really well.

It’s when you start to expand to other location things go awry.

 

[OhSimon]

And for it to work you really need GBP. It’s the first place many people look when searching for services.

And as @Shopclicks ssid, hyperlocal directories can work really well.

It’s when you start to expand to other location things go awry.

I can't have local business listings. It won't work for this model given the area it will cover eventually. Plus it's not a service business or a fixed location so Google has already flagged it

 

[Shopclicks]

It's a directory so I can't have business local listings for my own site.

Then you need optimised location pages linked in your footer.

 

[fisicx]

I can't have local business listings. It won't work for this model given the area it will cover eventually. Plus it's not a service business or a fixed location so Google has already flagged it

Which brings us back to where we started. You need to rethink how to market the business. SEO isn't going to work for you across a large area. You need to be very focused on local results.

Think on how you find local services. Do you use Google? If so how do you choose who to contact? Do you use SM or sites like Nextdoor? Do you ask your mates? Do some market research and that will guide your marketing plan and from there the design and structure of the site.

 

[OhSimon]

Thanks for everyones input. I will proceed with focusing on my local area and surrounding to validate the idea. This will keep SEO simple just like my actual trade business in the past plus it means I can do grass roots marketing plus local social media engagement.

 

[OhSimon]

Which brings us back to where we started. You need to rethink how to market the business. SEO isn't going to work for you across a large area. You need to be very focused on local results.

Think on how you find local services. Do you use Google? If so how do you choose who to contact? Do you use SM or sites like Nextdoor? Do you ask your mates? Do some market research and that will guide your marketing plan and from there the design and structure of the site.

Fortunately, I know the exact routes people use to find tradesmen, having run trade businesses previously.
My question was simply on SEO which has given me food for thought and I will proceed with a more focused strategy to test the waters

 

[Shopclicks]

My question was simply on SEO which has given me food for thought and I will proceed with a more focused strategy to test the waters

You're missing a trick if you skip location pages.

 

[fisicx]

You're missing a trick if you skip location pages.

These are vital. If I want a Plumber in Peckham I expect to see a GBP and a bunch of organic results that clearly show it’s a local site. All too often you click on a link and it’s some lead generating site.

So to answer your original question: you need landing pages for everywhere and everything. You need reviews and contact details of all tradies you are promoting. You need inbound links from local sites. You need lots of pictures.

 

[Shopclicks]

If you can work out how to monetise this, there's a fortune to be made

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[OhSimon]

You're missing a trick if you skip location pages.

I'm not...

 

[NickZ]

A LP for each niche, Home owners, Home renters, Young, Elderly.
The closer you get it to your client profile you aim for the better.

 

[fantheflames]

It’s usually better to concentrate on fewer pages and target high‑intent keywords, rather than volume of pages and SEO. That said, competition is high so having a clear USP in the areas you want to focus on will be important. Perhaps start with one or two to test and refine?

Make sure your content speaks directly to what people are searching for, with strong local SEO in your meta, headings, internal links, and so on. I think calls to action should feel relevant and support the conversion journey. You can track the process through setting up on Google Tag Manager and Analytics.

I agree location pages might be the best option. But more so, I think quality matters more than volume, but you’ll also need to factor in competing businesses in your area. Mixing SEO with paid ads, Facebook activity, and other forms of visibility will usually get you further than relying on SEO.

You’re definitely asking the right questions though. Keep it simple and build a solid foundation as you go.

 

[antropy]

Having a sea of landing pages doesn't seem the right move.

We're not SEO specialists, but it sounds to me like it might be because those pages will be targeted not just for search engines but for customers who are more likely to convert if the page details exactly what they're looking for rather than a generalist.

Paul.

 

[matthewjpyke]

I'm launching a new website centered around tradesmen; plumbing, electrical etc. I'll spare the details but its basically a lead gen site for London with a USP.

My question is landing pages. I've previously run a local pluming business and SEO was fairly easy as we had one service. The home page focused on our immediate area and we had several landing pages covering adjacent neighbourhoods. On top of that, a couple of service specific pages e.g bathrooms, boilers and so on. This meant just a handful of landing pages, nice and easy. N.b. This was all pre AI LLM.

However, this new site covers multiple trade services and the whole of London. This could result in a vast combination of high traffic keywords with service names, areas and sub-areas in the city.

What is best practice here? Having a sea of landing pages doesn't seem the right move. Is it just a case of finding the best combo of high volume, low competition key words and focus on a handful of them?

I’d go hybrid for this. Not a tiny handful of pages, but not hundreds of near-duplicates either.

• Start with London-level service pillars, add borough hubs, then only build service x borough pages where there’s real demand and you can add unique value.
• Prioritise with a quick scorecard: search demand, lead value, SERP difficulty, and how much truly local content you can add. Ship the top 20–40, then expand.
• Make every page genuinely different: borough price bands, coverage map, local FAQs, recent jobs, photos, reviews, and named pros. If it’s thin, keep it noindexed until it isn’t.
• Keep crawl tidy: clear hubs and breadcrumbs, sensible canonicals, sectional XML sitemaps. Don’t dump 200 area links in the footer.
• Be realistic about the map pack. It soaks up a lot of clicks and big directories pour money into winning there, so plan on PPC and directory listings to feed leads while organic ramps.
• Done well, local directories can outrank the big brands in some areas, so structure and quality matter.

This is the playbook we’ve used at Fly High Media for multi-service builds in London and it scales without tripping doorway-page issues

 

[Amna Talib]

Interesting discussion here, lots of valid points on both sides.
From what I’ve seen working with local SEO campaigns, a balance between location-focused landing pages and content depth usually performs best. Instead of going for hundreds of thin pages, focus on a smaller cluster of “hub” pages supported by contextual interlinking,
Google’s understanding of semantic relationships has become far stronger now. Honestly, a lot of growth comes down to how consistently you refine your SEO approach. When we combine good on-page structure with a clear understanding of user intent, even smaller sites can compete with established directories.
Investing time in solid learning or structured practice, like advanced SEO frameworks and case-based courses, can really accelerate that growth and help avoid outdated tactics that no longer move the needle.

 

[SEO-Guy]

I'm launching a new website centered around tradesmen; plumbing, electrical etc. I'll spare the details but its basically a lead gen site for London with a USP.

My question is landing pages. I've previously run a local pluming business and SEO was fairly easy as we had one service. The home page focused on our immediate area and we had several landing pages covering adjacent neighbourhoods. On top of that, a couple of service specific pages e.g bathrooms, boilers and so on. This meant just a handful of landing pages, nice and easy. N.b. This was all pre AI LLM.

However, this new site covers multiple trade services and the whole of London. This could result in a vast combination of high traffic keywords with service names, areas and sub-areas in the city.

What is best practice here? Having a sea of landing pages doesn't seem the right move. Is it just a case of finding the best combo of high volume, low competition key words and focus on a handful of them?

I’ve worked on a fair few of these “multi-trade, London-wide” lead-gen setups, and you’re right — if you try to cover every postcode and service combo, you’ll end up with a content mill, not a website.

The key thing that’s changed since your plumbing days isn’t Google’s fondness for local pages — it’s how thin they now consider them. A hundred near-duplicate landing pages swapping “Clapham” for “Camden” is a fast track to mediocrity.

What tends to work now is:

• Pillar pages for each trade — plumbing, electrical, heating, etc. Each written as a “home page for that trade,” not a sub-page.
• Fewer, broader area pages — think “South London Plumbers” rather than one for every borough. If the content’s relevant and interlinked properly, Google can still map it to multiple districts.
• Topical clusters — add supporting content (guides, checklists, FAQs, case studies) that strengthen each trade’s credibility. That’s what drives authority now, not endless area pages.
• Keyword selection — focus on intent-rich phrases. “Emergency electrician London” converts; “electrician Battersea” usually just gets window shoppers.
• AI tools are useful for scaling the grunt work (schema, summaries, location intros), but the copy itself still needs a human tone — otherwise it reads like the instruction manual for a radiator.

So yes, go wide on topics but narrow on pages. You’ll get cleaner architecture, better engagement, and a site that looks grown-up rather than stitched together by postcode.

 

[martinjeffries]

I think you should pick out the most highly populated neighborhoods in London and spend the extra time on building landing pages for each one. Try to vary the content slightly in each one so it doesn't get docked by Google as duplicate content. Include keyphrases like "plumbing in (insert neighborhood)". Also, ensure your Google Business Profile is optimized. It might be worth doing a citation-building campaign in a platform such as BrightLocal.

 

[Karimbo]

You'll be trying to complete with the myriad of other SMEs who operate in this space offering said services with generous budgets to spend on SEO as well as the juggernaut directories like mybuilder checkatrade and the like.

This will require quite a decent budget and a team working on it. If you have a large budget and a team working on it. Then managing the seo shoukd be a doddle. Delegate each category to each person

 

[Karimbo]

I think you should pick out the most highly populated neighborhoods in London and spend the extra time on building landing pages for each one. Try to vary the content slightly in each one so it doesn't get docked by Google as duplicate content. Include keyphrases like "plumbing in (insert neighborhood)". Also, ensure your Google Business Profile is optimized. It might be worth doing a citation-building campaign in a platform such as BrightLocal.

Im doing a website for two of my nephews for this. Ones a plumber, another's a sparky. Using localised searches based on boroughs abd local council keywords and postcodes. The special source actual trades companies have over directories is the places listings which is a powerful tool that gives two fingers to directories