You're good at what you do. You shouldn't have to be good at Google too.
ScottishLocal gives independent Scottish businesses a properly built, search-optimised page — free. Here's exactly what that means and what it can realistically do for you.
Why good local businesses stay invisible online
None of this is your fault. The system genuinely is stacked against small independents.
Ads cost more than you make
Search ads for terms like "café near me" are bid up by chains and booking platforms. A village business can't outspend them, and shouldn't try.
A Facebook page isn't a website
Social pages rarely rank for the searches that matter, and you don't control what gets shown. Many small businesses have no indexed web presence at all.
SEO is a full-time job
Structured data, page speed, mobile layout, internal linking. It's real work, and you already have one of those.
We build the page properly, so search engines can read it
Every listing — including the free one — is built to modern technical SEO standards. That's not marketing language; these are the specific things on the page:
- Schema.org structured data marking you up as a LocalBusiness, so Google understands what you are and where.
- Real HTML, not JavaScript. Your listing is in the page source — many directories load listings in a way crawlers miss entirely.
- Regional and town-level pages targeting the long-tail searches you can realistically win — "pottery in Pittenweem", not "pottery".
- Submitted in our sitemap and internally linked from the region pages, so you're found and re-crawled.
- Fast and mobile-first — most people find you on a phone, often with one bar of signal.
What we can and can't promise
Anyone guaranteeing you the top spot on Google is lying — nobody can control Google's rankings. Here's the honest version:
- Can Give you a fast, properly structured page that search engines can index and understand.
- Can Target realistic local searches — your town plus what you do — where small businesses can genuinely compete.
- Can Give you a web presence if you have none, and a link to point customers at.
- Can Show you what people searched to reach your own page, if you have one — search data is reported per web address, so this needs the £12 tier.
- Can't Guarantee a #1 ranking, a specific position, or a set number of customers.
- Can't Work overnight — search indexing takes weeks, and a new site takes time to build authority.
ScottishLocal is new. We're growing our own search presence at the same time as yours, which is exactly why the basic listing is free and always will be.
Three options. One of them is free forever.
Priced for village cafés and one-person workshops, not hotel chains. No contract, cancel any time, and never any commission on what you sell.
Get found. A real, indexed listing — not a trial.
£0
- Your business name and what you do
- A short description and one photo
- A pin on the map for your town
- Listed on your region page & the directory
- Link to your website and phone number
- Full structured-data markup & sitemap inclusion
For a business already on Facebook or Instagram that just wants to be found here.
£4/month
- Everything free, plus:
- Your Facebook and Instagram linked from your listing
- Your email address, so people can write to you
- Opening hours on your listing — the question most people are actually asking
- Hours published as structured data, so search engines can show them
- Your own offer for people who show your listing — optional, and yours to set
For businesses with no website — or one they can't update.
£12/month
- Everything free, plus:
- A page of your own at a short address — scottishlocal.com/your-name
- Up to 8 photos in a proper gallery
- Opening hours, so people know when you're open
- Your email and social links
- Room to tell the full story, not just two lines
- Your own offer for people who show your page — optional, and yours to set
Prices in GBP, billed monthly, cancel any time — we'll take your listing back to the free tier within two working days if you ask. Writing your page, editing your photos and keeping your details right is included in the price; there is no setup fee and nothing else to buy.
You don't build anything. We do.
You will never be asked to log into a dashboard, learn a page builder, or upload anything. If that were the job, you'd have done it already.
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You get in touch
Tell us roughly what you do and where, using the contact form. We’ll reply by email within two working days.
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We write the page and show you
We put it together from what you've told us and the photos you already have, then send it over. Nothing is published, and nothing is charged, until you've seen it and you're happy.
Exactly what we need from you → About fifteen minutes, and you don't write a word of it.
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Only then do we send a payment link
If you want it, we send a secure Stripe link to start the subscription. Card details go straight to Stripe — they never touch this site, and we never see them.
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Cancel yourself, any time
You get a link to Stripe's own billing page where you can update your card or cancel outright, without going through us or waiting on a reply. Cancel and the page comes down; your free listing stays.
Changing things later
Details change — new hours, a new number, a price that's moved on. We would much rather hear about it than have the guide go stale, so:
- Free Anything that keeps your listing accurate: opening hours, phone, email, address, prices, a typo, swapping a photo for a better one. Email it over and we'll do it within two working days.
- Free Seasonal changes: winter hours, holiday closures, "we're shut for two weeks in February".
- Charged Bigger jobs: rewriting the page from scratch, a full new set of photos, or adding a whole new part of the business. We'll quote before doing anything, and you can say no.
Nobody gets charged for telling us something is wrong. An out-of-date listing is worse for us than it is for you.
The full terms and conditions set all of this out properly — including cancellation, refunds, and what happens to your page if you stop paying.
Common questions
Is the free listing really free?
Yes, permanently. It isn't a trial and we won't ask for a card. The free listing gets exactly the same technical SEO treatment as the paid one — your name, what you do, a photo and a pin on the map. Paying adds a page of your own; it doesn't buy you basic visibility, because that's free.
Which of the three should I be on?
Free puts you on the site — name, description, photo, town, a map pin, and a link to your website and phone number. Found through search and the region pages. If you already have a good website, this may be all you need.
Connected (£4) is for a business whose web presence is Facebook or Instagram rather than a website. It adds those links, your email, and your opening hours to your listing — so people can actually reach you and know when you're open.
Your own page (£12) is for a business with no website at all, or one they can't update. You get a page of your own with up to 8 photos, a proper description and its own web address.
If you're not sure, tell us what you've got and we'll say which one fits — including if that's the free one.
I don't have a website at all. Is that a problem?
That's exactly who this is built for. On the £12 tier your ScottishLocal page becomes your web address — you can put it on a sign, a business card or a receipt. Plenty of small businesses run entirely on that, and it costs less than a website plus hosting would.
Will this actually get me to the top of Google?
No one can promise that, and you should be suspicious of anyone who does. What we can do is make sure you're properly indexed, marked up correctly, and targeting local searches you can realistically win. See the honest breakdown above.
How long before I see anything?
Search engines typically take a few weeks to index and rank a new page. ScottishLocal is also a new site building its own authority, so this is a slow burn rather than an overnight switch. We'd rather say that upfront than take your money on a false promise.
Do you take commission on bookings or sales?
Never. There's no commission, no booking fee and no cut of anything. Customers contact you directly and whatever they spend is entirely yours.
Who qualifies as "independent"?
Any business operating in Scotland that isn't part of a national chain or franchise — sole traders, family businesses, crofts, community enterprises, workshops and small partnerships. If you're not sure, just ask.
Can I cancel or delete my listing?
Any time, and we'll remove it within two working days. No notice period, no cancellation fee, and we don't hold your content hostage.