Voice search and "near me" SEO

"Near me" searches have grown 500%+ since 2015 and continue rising. They're a goldmine for service businesses, and the optimisation pattern is well-understood.

How Google handles "near me"

Google ignores the literal phrase "near me", it injects your location automatically. So "best plumber near me" effectively becomes "best plumber [your town]". You don't need to put "near me" in your content; you need to be locally relevant for the underlying service.

What you actually need

• A verified, well-optimised Google Business Profile.
• LocalBusiness schema on your homepage.
• Pages targeting "[service] in [town]" naturally, not robotic doorway pages.
• Mobile-fast site (most "near me" searches are on phones).
• Click-to-call phone number prominent on mobile.
• Click-to-direction for businesses with a physical location.

Voice search

Voice queries are usually longer and more conversational ("who can fix a leaking radiator in Bolton tonight"). Optimise by having FAQ pages that answer specific questions in clear language. Schema FAQ markup helps Google read these.