How can I get more local customers for my business in Surrey?

Before spending anything on advertising, make sure someone landing on your website can answer three questions within a few seconds: what you do, who you do it for and where you do it. Most local enquiries are lost at this point rather than at the point of price.

• Say what you do in plain words on the home page, not in a slogan.
• Name the places you serve, for example Guildford, Dorking, Cranleigh or the wider Surrey Hills.
• Put a phone number and email where they can be seen without scrolling.
• Give each main service its own page so it can be found on its own terms.
• Show prices, price ranges or a clear explanation of how you quote.

For many local organisations, a well-maintained Google Business Profile can be an important source of enquiries. It is free, and it decides whether you appear in the map results when someone nearby searches for what you sell.

• Claim the profile and check the category, opening hours and service area.
• Add real photographs rather than stock images, and refresh them occasionally.
• Ask satisfied customers for reviews and reply to every one of them.
• Post updates for seasonal offers, events and new services.

Local search is less about volume and more about intent. Someone searching for a service with a place name attached is usually close to buying. Write pages that match those searches honestly, and make sure your name, address and phone number are consistent everywhere they appear online, including directories.

• One page per service, with the location named naturally in the text.
• Consistent contact details across your website, directories and social profiles.
• Links from genuine local sources: partners, suppliers, event listings and directories.
• Fast, mobile-friendly pages, since most local searches happen on a phone.

A listing in the Surrey Hills member directory(opens in a new tab) is one of those genuine local sources, and it is included with membership.

Write down every question you are asked in a sales conversation, then answer each one honestly on your website, including the awkward ones about cost, timescales and what you do not do. Answering questions properly filters out poor-fit enquiries and builds trust with the rest.

Local provenance matters to customers in Surrey, but only when it is specific. Say where you work, who you buy from, which local causes you support and what your connection to the area actually is. Vague claims about being local are easy to ignore.

Referrals are consistently the lowest-cost route to good local customers. They come from people who understand what you do well enough to describe it, which usually means regular contact rather than a single introduction.

• Tell your contacts precisely what a good enquiry looks like for you.
• Refer other people first and keep a record of who you have helped.
• Attend fewer events, more often, so people recognise you.
• Follow up within a couple of days while the conversation is still fresh.

Surrey Hills Enterprises runs a programme of events and training through the year, from networking mornings to workshops and larger public events where members meet customers directly.

Collaboration puts you in front of an audience that already trusts someone else. Joint offers, shared stands, co-hosted events and supply relationships all work, and they cost time rather than advertising budget.

If search and website visibility are outside your comfort zone, it is usually quicker to get help than to guess. Tracy Hampton of Hampton Digital Services(opens in a new tab) is a Surrey Hills Enterprises member offering SEO and digital visibility expertise.

You do not need complex analytics. Ask every new enquiry how they found you and write the answer down. After three months the pattern is usually obvious, and you can stop doing the things that produce nothing.

A simple monthly record

1. Number of enquiries received.
2. Where each one came from: search, referral, event, directory, social or repeat customer.
3. How many became paying work.
4. One thing you will do more of next month.

Our free 30-day local visibility planner turns this into a short, dated plan you can complete today.

Free, publicly funded advice is available through Business Surrey(opens in a new tab), which covers marketing, growth, funding and skills for organisations across the county.

• How can I get more local customers in Surrey?
• How important is my Google Business Profile?
• How can referrals generate more business?
• How should I measure whether local marketing is working?
• How can a small organisation improve local visibility without a large budget?