How Cleaners Can Use Local SEO to Get More Weekly Clients
Let’s face it—most cleaning business owners didn’t get into the trade because they love marketing. But here's the truth: if you're not showing up online, you're missing out on a ton of local work. Word of mouth still helps, of course—but what happens when someone’s moved into your area, needs a cleaner urgently, and the first thing they do is grab their phone and type “cleaner near me”?
If you’re not showing up in those search results, your competitors are. And worse, they’re scooping up the exact clients who’d love to have you tidying their homes every week.
That’s where Local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes in. And before your eyes glaze over—don’t worry. This isn’t some techy nonsense you need a degree to understand. This guide is written just for UK-based cleaners, by someone who’s helped small businesses like yours grow with down-to-earth, sensible, local SEO strategies.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get stuck in.
Why Local SEO Matters for Cleaners
Imagine someone in your area is searching:
“cleaners in Colchester”
“weekly house cleaner near me”
“end of tenancy cleaning Southend”
“regular cleaner for my mum in Chelmsford”
All of those are local searches. If your website, Google Business Profile, and online presence are optimised properly, you can pop up right at the top. And unlike paying for adverts, you don’t have to keep spending to keep getting results. That’s the magic of SEO.
A cleaner in Essex we worked with, let’s call her Lisa, used to rely entirely on Facebook groups and recommendations. She now gets 60% of her new bookings from Google searches—just because we helped her with local SEO. No more late-night “Is anyone free to clean tomorrow?” Facebook posts. Just a steady stream of new clients looking for exactly what she offers.
What Exactly Is Local SEO?
Let’s break it down in plain English:
Local SEO is about helping people nearby find your business when they search online. It’s how you make sure your cleaning business appears on Google Maps, in “near me” results, and in the search results when people look for cleaners in your area.
It’s different from general SEO because it focuses on location—where your business is based and where your ideal clients are.
Think of it like this:
🧹 General SEO: Competing with cleaning companies across the UK
📍 Local SEO: Competing with the 10 or 15 cleaners near your postcode
Much better odds, right?
The Foundations of Local SEO for Cleaners
Here’s what you need to build a strong Local SEO presence:
1. Google Business Profile (GBP) – Your New Best Friend
If you only do one thing from this post, make it this.
A Google Business Profile is that box that pops up when someone searches for a service. It shows your:
Name
Location
Reviews
Opening hours
Website
Phone number
Photos
✅ Claim your Google Business Profile at google.com/business. It’s free.
✅ Fill it out completely – include your service area, business hours, phone number, and a short, friendly description.
✅ Add photos – before & afters, equipment, your team, your logo.
✅ Post regularly – share updates like “We’ve got two weekly slots free in Benfleet” or “Now offering deep cleans every Friday in Rayleigh”.
A cleaner in Basildon we worked with started adding short weekly updates to their GBP. Within a month, they’d jumped to the top 3 results in their area.
2. Add Local Keywords to Your Website
You don’t need loads of pages—you just need the right words in the right places.
Example keywords:
Domestic cleaner in [Your Town]
Weekly house cleaning [Your Town]
End of tenancy cleaning [Your Area]
One-off deep clean [Local Area]
Where to put them:
In your page titles (what shows up in search results)
In headings (like the one above)
In the body of your text—talk like your customer searches
In your image file names and alt text
Real-life tip: One cleaner we helped changed the headline on her homepage from “Affordable Cleaning Services” to “Weekly House Cleaning in Brentwood” and saw a 40% increase in local enquiries.
3. Local Landing Pages for Nearby Areas
If you serve multiple towns, create a separate page for each.
Why? Because Google doesn’t just index your homepage. It looks at every page.
Example:
/cleaning-services-southend
/domestic-cleaner-chelmsford
/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-rayleigh
Each page should include:
A paragraph or two about cleaning in that town
Mention of landmarks or neighbourhoods (e.g., “serving homes near Southchurch Park”)
A call to action to book or get a quote
It feels personal to the reader—and it shows Google you’re a match for that area.
4. Get Online Reviews from Happy Clients
Reviews are a huge ranking factor in local search. But they’re also key to building trust.
Make it easy for clients to leave a review by sending them a link to your Google Business Profile after a job well done. You can even create a little “thank you” card with a QR code on it.
Tip from a cleaner in Harlow: “I started saying, ‘It really helps small businesses like mine if you leave a review. Here’s the link!’ People were more than happy to help.”
Aim for:
At least 10 reviews to start with
Regular reviews (one or two a month)
Mention of your town or service type in the review, like: “Fantastic weekly cleaner in Witham!”
5. Make Sure Your NAP is Consistent
No, not an actual nap (though you’ve earned it!).
NAP stands for:
Name
Address
Phone number
These details need to be exactly the same everywhere you list your business—on your website, Facebook page, Google profile, online directories, etc.
If one place says “Clean & Shine Ltd.” and another says “Clean and Shine Cleaning Services”, Google might see them as separate businesses.
6. Get Listed in Local Online Directories
Think of these as the modern-day version of Yellow Pages—but digital.
Get your business listed on:
Freeindex
Yelp
Thomson Local
TrustATrader
Bark (if you’re using it)
Checkatrade (if relevant)
Your local council’s business directory
And always link back to your website and use consistent NAP info.
7. Use Social Media the Right Way
Social media doesn’t directly help with SEO—but it supports it. Here’s how:
Sharing posts about your availability = more people engaging = more traffic to your site
Posting local content (like cleaning tips for damp in Essex homes) helps with relevance
Getting tagged in local Facebook groups means more mentions of your business online
And yes, you can repurpose your Google Posts content here.
Advanced Tips for Cleaners Ready to Go Further
If you’ve nailed the basics, here are a few next-level moves:
💡 Add Schema Markup
This is code that tells Google exactly what your site is about. Don’t worry—you don’t need to code it yourself. Just ask your web designer or SEO expert.
💡 Blog about local cleaning tips
Yes, blogs still work—especially when they're useful and local.
Examples:
“5 Cleaning Jobs to Tackle Before Spring in Essex”
“How to Keep Your Rental Home Spotless in Chelmsford”
“What to Expect from a Weekly Cleaner in Rayleigh”
You don’t need to write a novel—just 500-700 words per post.
💡 Track your keywords and traffic
Use tools like:
Google Analytics (free)
Google Search Console (free)
Ubersuggest or BrightLocal (for more insight)
This tells you what’s working, what people are searching for, and how your site is doing.
FAQs: Local SEO for Cleaners
Q: Do I need a website to benefit from local SEO?
A: A website helps a lot—it gives you control and lets you show up in more searches. But you can still make progress with just a Google Business Profile to start.
Q: How long does it take to see results?
A: You might see some small wins in a few weeks (especially from reviews and GBP updates), but full results often take 3–6 months of consistent effort.
Q: Can I do local SEO myself or do I need to hire someone?
A: You can do it yourself—but it’s a bit like cleaning a five-bedroom house with a toothbrush. Hiring someone means faster, more consistent results. (And if you’re thinking about it, we’d love to help—just scroll down.)
Q: What if I don’t have a physical location—just a service area?
A: That’s fine! You can still rank locally by setting up a “service-area business” on Google and optimising your website for the towns you serve.
Q: I’m not techy—do I really need all of this?
A: Not all at once! Start with your Google profile and reviews. That alone can help you get found. Everything else builds on top of that when you’re ready.
Fill Your Weekly Slots With Local SEO
Local SEO isn’t a magic wand—but it is a long-term, reliable way to get more of the right clients. Clients who:
Are searching for exactly what you do
Are already in your area
Want a regular, reliable cleaner
By putting a bit of effort into your online presence—starting with your Google Business Profile and a few tweaks to your site—you could see a real boost in local enquiries.
Imagine checking your phone each Monday and seeing a new message:
“Hi, I saw you on Google. Are you taking on new weekly clients in Leigh-on-Sea?”
That’s what Local SEO does. And we’d love to help make that happen for you.
Need a Hand? We Can Help.
If all of this sounds great but you’d rather focus on the cleaning and leave the SEO to someone else—that’s where we come in.
We help cleaners across the UK get found online, fill their diaries, and build businesses they’re proud of.
📞 Get in touch today for a free chat about how we can help your cleaning business grow.
Let’s turn searches into steady weekly clients—one clean at a time.
