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Local SEO, citations & the craft of ranking UK businesses

Written by practitioners, not marketers. Real playbooks from real UK local businesses.

Featured · Local SEO

The 12 UK directories that move local rankings in 2026

There are hundreds of UK business directories. Twelve of them move local pack rankings. The rest is noise.

22 April 2026 · 5 min read
Local SEO · 4 min
Citations vs backlinks: what a UK business needs from each
A citation is a mention of your name, address and phone. A backlink is a link to your website. They do different jobs, and a local business needs both.
Local SEO · 5 min
7 decisions to make before you list your business anywhere
Name, address, postcode, phone, website, category, description. Settle each one once, before your first listing, and every directory after that matches.
Local SEO · 4 min
How many citations does a UK business need?
About 20 well-chosen listings is a strong base for most UK businesses. Here's why that number, what the research says about 80+, and which 20 to start with.
Local SEO · 5 min
B2B directories in the UK: where trade suppliers should list
Which UK B2B and trade directories are free, which cost money and are worth it, and how to register as a supplier to the public sector. Prices checked October 2026.
Citations · 5 min
The 7 citation mistakes UK businesses make most
From abbreviated street names to forgotten old listings, the seven citation mistakes we see most often in UK local SEO audits, ranked by ranking impact.
Local SEO · 8 min
Local SEO after AI search: what changed in 2026
What actually changed for UK local SEO with AI search, what did not, and an honest account of what nobody can measure yet.
Local SEO · 6 min
The hidden cost of NAP inconsistency
If your local rankings stalled despite doing everything right, NAP inconsistency is a likely cause. A practical guide to spotting it and fixing it.
Local SEO · 5 min
Yell vs Yelp UK vs Bing Places: which matters most?
If you can only pick one UK business directory to invest time in, which is it? A senior SEO consultant's honest take based on 25+ years of UK local SEO.
Local SEO · 5 min
How long do citations take to affect UK local rankings?
A clear timeline based on what we see across hundreds of UK local SEO campaigns. Week 1 to month 6, what to expect and when.
Local SEO · 2 min
The UK local SEO checklist for 2026
A practical, do-it-this-week checklist for UK business owners who want to rank in Google Maps and the local pack, from NAP to citations to reviews.