How to get local SEO clients
The short answer
Pick one kind of local business, find the ones that are weak on Google Maps, and show the owner their own result before you pitch. A free rank check of their business gives you something concrete to talk about. Our suggestion is to follow up in person and keep the offer small.
By Reputant · Updated October 31, 2026 · 4 min read
Which local businesses should an agency go after first?
Our suggestion is to choose one kind of local business, such as dental clinics, and one area, and learn it well. You will know the searches, the competitors and the common profile mistakes, which makes your first call easier than a general pitch.
Pick a business that depends on people finding it on a map, where a new customer is worth real money to the owner. You can judge that from the work, not from a statistic, so ask three owners what a new customer is worth to them.
How do I find local businesses that need help?
Search the way a customer would, on your phone, for the service in the area you chose. Look at the businesses listed in the map results and those just below them.
Weak signs are things you can see for yourself: few reviews, reviews with no replies, missing hours or photos, and no website link. Write down what you see for each business in a simple sheet, and keep it to a few signs so the sheet stays quick to fill.
What can I offer a prospect before they pay?
A first look. Run a free rank check on the prospect's business for the search their customers would use, and share the result. The Local Rank Checker takes the keyword, the business name and the city, plus your email so the report link reaches you. It checks the business's own location and two more points nearby and shows the rank at each.
The tool limits how many checks one person can run in a day, so choose your prospects with care. It is a quick snapshot of three points, not a full study of their area. Say so when you share it.
Google says local results depend on distance among other things, in its page on improving local ranking, so a business can rank well beside its door and poorly a couple of miles away. A map shows the owner that in a way a single number does not.
What other free thing can I give a local business?
The review link tool makes a direct Google review link and a QR code for a business. Send it to a prospect as a small gift with a line on how to use it. It costs you a minute and it gives the owner something useful before any contract.
How should I reach out?
Keep the first message short and specific to their business: the search you tried, the result you saw, and an offer to walk them through it. Our suggestion is to visit or phone local businesses where that is normal in your area, and to follow up once or twice, not more.
Example first message (edit before use)
Hi [Name], I searched "[service] near [area]" the way a customer would and checked where [business] shows on Google Maps. At [X] of the points I checked, it does not show in the top three. I have the map saved. Would you like me to walk you through it for ten minutes? There is no charge.
Rules on cold email, text and calls differ by country and region, so check what applies where you and your prospect are before you send anything.
What should I cover on the first call?
Show the map first, then two or three things you saw on their profile, then ask what a new customer is worth to them. Only after that, say what you would do and how you would report on it.
Do not promise a ranking. Offer a plan and a clear report instead. Our client reporting template shows what you will send each month, and the guide on how to price local SEO services helps with the quote.
What does Reputant offer agencies today?
You can run rank grids, track reviews and see profile performance for each client in your Reputant account. White-label reports, client logins and partner pricing are in development, with no public date, so do not promise them to a client. To show results without them, see how to prove local SEO results.