When people look for a house painter, café, or electrician, where do they go first? For most of us, it’s straight to Google, and increasingly, straight to Google Maps. That’s where Local SEO comes in, and according to Dave McGregor of Supernova Search, it’s the new gold rush for small and service-based businesses.
I sat down with Dave to unpack what Local SEO really means, how it works, and how businesses can use it to capture more calls, clicks, and customers.
Why Local SEO Matters Right Now
When someone searches “house painter Auckland” or “café near me”, Google pulls up a map listing with the top three local results. These spots get the lion’s share of clicks and calls.
- Top 3 map listings can capture 15% of search traffic.
- The #1 traditional SEO spot on Google captures 25–30%, but by the time you’re in the 10th spot, you’re scraping by with less than 1%.
- Paid Google Ads? They get, on average, about 5% of the clicks.
“If you’re outside of the top three on maps,” Dave says, “you’re basically invisible. Hardly anyone clicks ‘see more’.”
The Building Blocks of Local SEO
So how do you climb those rankings? Dave breaks it down into four key areas:
- Reviews matter more than you think
- It’s not about the number of Google reviews but the quality and content.
- Reviews mentioning locations (“great service in Ellerslie”) help tie your business to local searches.
- Dave suggests making it easy: print QR codes on cards and hand them to clients on the spot, instead of hoping they’ll leave a review after paying an invoice.
- Complete and accurate Google Business Profiles
- Fill in every detail, from hours to categories.
- Be honest about your hours. Don’t mark “24/7” unless you actually are. Google tracks whether calls go unanswered, and that can hurt you.
- Content posted directly to Google
- Few businesses use the “Posts” function on Google Business, which means it’s a huge opportunity.
- Regular updates signal relevance to Google and consistency builds trust.
- Backlinks and trust signals
- Google looks for credibility through citations and links from other reputable sites (think Neighbourly, Yellow, local associations).
- Adding technical elements like schema markup on your website helps Google connect the dots between your site and your profile.
Avoiding the Cowboys
The interview also touched on a sore point: dodgy practices in the digital marketing world.
Dave admits he started in sales at a large agency during the early days of Google Ads, when you could “spend a dollar and make ten.” But many agencies padded fees, obscured results, and locked clients out of their own accounts.
“I’m a reformed cowboy,” Dave laughs. “Now, I run Supernova in a way where I’m upfront, I own the business, and I want to build long-term trust. Too many agencies rely on churn and sales teams, not results.”
Who Benefits Most from Local SEO?
According to Dave, trades and local services are the big winners:
- Electricians, plumbers, painters, builders. These are often emergency-driven searches where people call the first good option they find.
- Cafés and restaurants. People type “best café near me” and want directions instantly.
- Hairdressers and local retailers. Anything where proximity and trust signals matter.
The common factor: if your customers search for you locally, Local SEO is one of the highest ROI marketing investments you can make.
Why I’m Creating the Connect Series
At Vouch, we only serve a very minute sliver of the marketing pie. We specialise in helping businesses turn client success stories into powerful video testimonials and case studies. But before working with Vouch, or even after, many of my clients need extra support in other parts of their marketing.
That’s where Vouch Connect comes in.
I know my clients often need additional marketing help either side of what I do. Maybe they need strong SEO or a better website before video makes sense. Or maybe they need a strategy to maximise their new videos afterwards.
The Connect Series is my way of linking clients and supporters with trusted experts who can fill in those gaps. It’s about giving small businesses not just the “what to do,” but also the “who can help.”
Because at the end of the day, good marketing is about the whole journey, not just one piece.
The Takeaway
Local SEO isn’t a “set and forget” tactic. It’s an ongoing effort of building trust signals, collecting authentic reviews, keeping your profile fresh, and understanding how Google weighs results.
But for local businesses struggling to stand out, it’s a game-changer.
“Right now,” Dave says, “Local SEO is where Google Ads were ten years ago — cheaper, more effective, and full of opportunity. But in five years, the competition will catch up. The businesses that move now will win the biggest slice of the pie.”
Dave's contact details
Website: https://www.supernovasearch.co.nz/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-mcgregor-64114910/
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