Agency Comparisons
SmartSites vs WhiteLinko: Local SEO Compared for 2027
By WhiteLinko Editorial Team · · 6 min read
Local SEO has more moving parts than most business owners realise. It is not one task but eight or nine, each of which can be done well or badly. When you compare agencies, the useful question is not "do you do local SEO?" (they all say yes) but "how do you handle each part of it?"
This article offers an eight-point scorecard and applies it to SmartSites and WhiteLinko. WhiteLinko wrote it, so the WhiteLinko column describes our own methods; for SmartSites we have relied on its homepage, which describes a digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, social media and email marketing, and its listing on DesignRush's directory of top US SEO agencies. Where we do not know how SmartSites handles something, we say "ask".
The eight-point local SEO scorecard
1. Google Business Profile
The profile is often the biggest single source of local calls. Look for an agency that audits categories, services, description, photos, hours, attributes and Q&A, compares them against the businesses in the map pack, and keeps the profile active monthly.
WhiteLinko: full audit and optimisation through our Google Business Profile SEO service, plus monthly upkeep. SmartSites: ask what profile work is included and how often it is updated.
2. Reviews
A steady flow of recent, detailed reviews helps rankings and conversions. The agency should help you build a compliant process for asking, and a habit of responding.
WhiteLinko: review routine built into your customer workflow, with response templates. We never buy or fabricate reviews. SmartSites: ask about its review approach.
3. Citations and consistency
Your name, address and phone number must match everywhere. Old details left on directories confuse search engines and AI assistants.
WhiteLinko: clean-up of inconsistent listings, prioritising directories that matter in your country and sector. SmartSites: ask which directories it manages.
4. Location and service-area pages
Each location or core service area needs a page with genuinely local content, not a template with the town name swapped.
WhiteLinko: individually written pages with local details, staff, directions and services. SmartSites: ask to see examples.
5. Local links and mentions
Links from local organisations, suppliers, sponsors and local press carry far more weight for local rankings than generic directory links.
WhiteLinko: outreach to relevant local and sector sites; no paid link networks. SmartSites: ask about local link methods.
6. On-site local signals
Titles, headings, contact details, embedded maps, local schema and fast mobile pages all support local visibility.
WhiteLinko: handled through our technical SEO and on-page work. SmartSites: ask what website changes are included.
7. AI assistants
Local questions are moving into ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews. An agency should have a plan for this.
WhiteLinko: our AI search optimisation is included in ongoing plans, and we claim Businesses in ChatGPT profiles, the beta OpenAI launched on 10 November 2026, alongside Google profiles through our Google and ChatGPT business listing service. Claiming does not guarantee better placement; it keeps information accurate. SmartSites: its homepage did not mention ChatGPT listings when we checked, so ask.
8. Reporting
Local results should be reported as calls, direction requests, bookings and enquiries, not just rankings.
WhiteLinko: monthly reports from your profile insights, analytics and call tracking; see our sample SEO report. SmartSites: ask for a sample local report.
Scorecard summary
| Scorecard item | SmartSites | WhiteLinko |
|---|---|---|
| Service model | Multi-channel: SEO, PPC, social, email | Search specialist with local focus |
| Profile optimisation and upkeep | Ask | Included |
| Review process | Ask | Included |
| Citation clean-up | Ask | Included |
| Individually written location pages | Ask | Included |
| ChatGPT business profile | Not on homepage | Included on request |
| Base | United States | Remote, led from Lahore |
SmartSites positioning from its homepage and DesignRush, November 2026. "Ask" means we could not verify, not that the service is absent.
Applying the scorecard: a hypothetical bakery
To show how the scorecard works in practice, imagine an independent bakery with two shops, one in a busy high street and one in a suburban retail park, plus a wedding cake service that customers order online. The owner has a decent website and around eighty Google reviews, nearly all for the high street shop.
Run through the eight points and the gaps appear quickly. The retail park shop has a profile with the wrong primary category and no photos of its own. Reviews are not being requested at the second site. Three directories still show the bakery's old phone number. The website has one "Find us" page listing both addresses rather than a page for each shop. The wedding cake service has no dedicated page, so searches for "wedding cakes" in the area show competitors. Nobody has claimed the bakery's ChatGPT profile.
None of those fixes is expensive, but together they would change how both shops and the cake service appear in local results and AI answers. A good local SEO agency should be able to produce a list like that from an audit, explain the order of work and estimate the effort. This is an illustrative example rather than a client case.
The first ninety days of local work at WhiteLinko
Our local SEO projects follow our standard process. In weeks one and two we audit every scorecard item and hand over quick fixes. In weeks two and three we agree a strategy that maps each service and location to a page, sets a review routine and lists the citations and local links to pursue. From week three we carry out the work: profile optimisation, citation clean-up, new or rewritten location and service pages from our content writers, and outreach to local organisations. Each month ends with a report and a call.
Ongoing work is planned in three-month blocks with no long lock-in, and you own every profile, page and listing we create. If you operate in several cities, our page on the cities we cover shows where we already have local market experience.
Why we think a specialist wins on local
Each scorecard item is detailed, repetitive work. A specialist team that spends its days on profiles, citations and local pages develops checklists, judgement and speed that generalists rarely match. That does not mean a multi-channel agency cannot do local SEO well, only that you should test it item by item.
Where SmartSites may suit you
If you want local SEO bundled with paid ads, social media and email marketing from one agency, SmartSites' multi-channel model offers that convenience. For a busy owner who wants one supplier, that can be the deciding factor.
Questions to ask during the sales call
- Can you show me a local profile you have improved, and what you changed?
- How do you decide which towns deserve their own page?
- Which directories matter most in my sector and country?
- How will you measure calls and bookings, not just rankings?
- Who will do the work each month, and will I speak to them?
Clear, specific answers matter more than polished slides. If an agency answers in generalities, the work will probably be general too.
Local search and the AI shift
We predict that local businesses relying only on rankings and ads will start losing customers to AI-cited competitors by mid-2027. That is a forecast rather than a measured statistic; our reasoning is in the AI search shift. Items 1, 2, 3 and 7 on the scorecard are the strongest protection.
FAQs
How long does local SEO take?
Profile and citation fixes often show within weeks. Competitive local terms in big cities take several months.
Does SmartSites do local SEO?
It offers SEO as part of a multi-channel service. Use the scorecard to ask how it handles each local element.
Do I need a page for every town I serve?
No. A few strong pages for your main areas usually outperform many thin ones.
Can WhiteLinko manage several locations?
Yes, from two sites to large multi-location groups, each with its own profile and page.
Will you promise top-three map results?
No. Map results depend partly on the searcher's location. We commit to the work and honest reporting.
Score your own local presence
Our free audit applies this scorecard to your business and shows where the biggest gaps are.
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