Local agency or not: what proximity actually buys

Photographs of your work, taken by someone who went there. This is the real one. Stock photography of someone else's building is a common credibility leak on a contractor site, and the fix requires a person with a camera in your city.

Local specifics that cannot be researched: permitting quirks, which neighborhoods have which problem, what the season does to the work.

And time zone, and a face. When a form breaks on a Friday, same-working-day is worth more than it sounds.

Not ranking. Google's local ranking documentation measures distance from the person searching. Your agency's address is not an input, and no part of the documented model references it.

Not quality, in either direction. And not availability — a one-person local shop on a three-week backlog is less available than a remote team.

Decide on whether they can photograph your work, whether they know your trade, whether they will assign the copyright, and whether you can audit their own site's field performance. Not on whether they are nearby, whether they have an office you could visit, how fast they answered the sales call, or whether you share a chamber of commerce.

The honest version: hire for the photography, the trade knowledge and the contract. If a local agency also has those, proximity is a bonus. If it does not, proximity is a preference you are paying for.