SEO for Window Installers in Letchworth and Baldock

Why window installers struggle with local search (and it's not what you think)

Right, so I've worked with three window fitters in the last eighteen months. Two in Letchworth, one in Baldock. All of them brilliant at what they do. All of them getting about two enquiries a month from Google. Maybe three if they're lucky.

And the thing that gets me is they're not doing it wrong, exactly. They've got websites. They've got Google Business Profiles. One of them even had someone do SEO for them back in 2023. But when someone in Hitchin searches "double glazing installer near me" or "window replacement Letchworth", they're not showing up.

The ones that ARE showing up? Usually Checkatrade listings. Sometimes a national company with a generic landing page that says "Letchworth" but is actually based in Milton Keynes. And then there's that one local guy who's been in Letchworth since about 1987 and ranks for everything because his domain is older than most people's kids.

So here's what's actually going on with SEO for window installers in 2026, and what you can do about it without spending five grand on an agency. Well, unless you want to spend five grand on an agency. We're at 6 Woolston Avenue if you do.

The local search thing nobody talks about

Google changed how it handles local service searches somewhere around late 2024, early 2025. Didn't make a big announcement. Just... changed it. Now when someone searches for a window installer, Google's trying to answer the question before you even click through to a website.

It'll show the AI Overview bit at the top. Then the map pack with three businesses. Then maybe some directory sites. Your actual website might be halfway down the page.

Which means if you're not in that map pack, you're basically invisible. And getting INTO the map pack isn't just about having a Google Business Profile anymore. It's about having the right signals in the right places.

I had a window fitter in Baldock who was losing jobs to a competitor who had worse reviews, older photos, and honestly a pretty rough website. Couldn't work out why. Then I looked at the competitor's GBP. They had 89 photos. My client had 11. They'd answered every single Google question. My client had answered three. They had posts going up every week about jobs they'd done. My client's last post was from 2024.

Google reads that as "this business is active and engaged." Even if the actual work quality is better elsewhere.

What actually matters for window installer SEO in Letchworth

Look, I'm going to be straight with you. There's the stuff every SEO agency will tell you matters. And then there's the stuff that actually moves the needle when you're a trades business serving Letchworth and maybe Baldock, Hitchin, Stevenage.

The stuff that matters:

• Your Google Business Profile. Properly filled out. And I mean PROPERLY. Every field. Every question. Post updates weekly even if it's just "installed these windows in Norton Road today."
• Reviews that mention location. "Had our windows done by [your company] in Baldock, absolutely brilliant." That's worth ten generic five-star reviews.
• Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) being exactly the same everywhere it appears online. Not approximately the same. EXACTLY the same. If you're "J Smith Windows Ltd" on your website, you can't be "John Smith Windows" on Yell and "J. Smith Window Installation" on Checkatrade.
• Content on your website that actually answers the questions people ask. Not generic waffle about "quality workmanship and competitive prices."

That last one is where most window installers fall over. Their websites are all the same. Five pages. Home. About. Services. Gallery. Contact. All saying the same things everyone else says.

But people searching for window installers have specific questions. How much does it cost to replace windows in a 3-bed semi? Do I need planning permission for new windows in a conservation area? How long does installation take? What's the difference between uPVC and aluminium? Are triple glazed windows worth it in Hertfordshire?

If your website answers those questions, Google starts seeing you as relevant. More importantly, AI systems like ChatGPT and Perplexity start citing you when people ask those questions. That's AEO. Answer Engine Optimisation. It's basically SEO's newer, slightly smarter sibling.

The Letchworth/Baldock specific problem

Here's something I've noticed working out of Letchworth. This area is weird for trades SEO. You've got a tight geographic cluster. Letchworth, Baldock, Hitchin, they're all within about 15 minutes of each other. So you'd think you could target all three, right?

Wrong. Well, not wrong exactly. But harder than you'd think.

Google's gotten really good at understanding search intent by location. Someone in Baldock searching for window installers is getting Baldock-first results. Even if a Letchworth company is technically closer to them than a Baldock company on the other side of town.

So you need location pages. Not fake ones. Real ones. "Window Installation in Baldock" as a page. With actual content about installing windows in Baldock specifically. Talk about the housing stock. The conservation areas. Jobs you've done there. Streets you've worked in. Make it REAL.

I had a window company do this last year. Made proper location pages for Letchworth, Baldock, Hitchin. Enquiries from Baldock went up 40% in about two months. Not because the page was magic. Because Google finally understood they actually worked in Baldock and had relevant experience there.

The AI search thing you probably haven't thought about

Right, so this is the bit where I sound like I'm trying to sell you something. I'm not. Well, I am a bit. But mostly I'm trying to explain something that's going to matter a lot in the next 12 months.

More people are using ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI search to research window installers before they even look at websites. They're asking questions like "best window installers in Letchworth" or "should I replace all my windows at once or do them in stages."

If your business isn't showing up in those AI responses, you're losing enquiries before you even know they existed.

The way to show up is to have content that directly answers specific questions. Not keyword-stuffed blog posts. Not AI-generated rubbish. Actual helpful content written by someone who knows what they're talking about.

One of my clients did a page about window installation costs. Broke it down by property type, window type, number of windows. Gave actual price ranges based on their real quotes. Put it on their website. Six months later they're getting cited by AI search tools as a source for window costs in North Hertfordshire.

That page generates more enquiries than any other page on their site. Because it's useful. And because AI systems trust it enough to recommend it.

What you should actually do

Look, you're busy. You're running a window installation business. You haven't got time to faff about with SEO all day.

So here's the minimum viable version:

Get your Google Business Profile sorted properly. I mean PROPERLY. This weekend. Spend two hours on it. Upload every photo you've got. Answer every question. Write a detailed description. Add your service areas. Post about your last three jobs.

Get reviews. Ask every happy customer. Make it easy. Send them a direct link. "If you're happy with the work, would you mind leaving a review? Here's the link." Don't overthink it. Just ask.

Fix your website's location content. At minimum, you need a proper page for each town you serve. Letchworth. Baldock. Hitchin. Whatever. Real content. Not "We serve Baldock" and then nothing else. Write 300 words about working in that area. Specific streets, types of properties, local considerations.

That's it. That'll get you further than 80% of your competitors.

The rest, the technical SEO stuff, the link building, the schema markup, the AI optimisation, that's where someone like us comes in. But you can make a real difference yourself with just those three things.

If you want to actually rank consistently and show up in AI search results, book a call and we'll have a look at what's going on with your specific situation. We're local, we're in Letchworth, and we've done this for other trades businesses round here. We know what works and what's a waste of time.