Services
Get found when people search Google and Maps for what you do
SEO means ranking in Google and Bing results and the map pack, so people find you when they search. For a local business, that takes a site search engines can read, a complete Google Business Profile, listings that match, and pages that answer real customer questions. It's also the base that AI answers build on.
What is SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) is the work that helps your business rank in Google and Bing results and in the map pack, the map and short list of local businesses that appears for local searches. In plain English: people find you when they search.
It has three parts:
- Your website: search engines can reach it, read it and load it quickly on a phone.
- Your Google Business Profile and listings: correct, complete and the same everywhere.
- Your pages: one clear page per service, answering what customers ask.
- In the top three map results at that spot
- Lower in the results
- Not in the top results
- The business
Does SEO still matter now that people ask AI?
Yes. Google says there are no special requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode: a page has to be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet, and the usual SEO basics apply. Other AI tools also read the web pages they can find. A site that search engines can’t read is a site AI tools are unlikely to quote. That’s why every plan we scope starts with SEO.
Why does SEO matter for a local business?
Because local searches turn into calls and visits. When someone searches “family lawyer near me” or “emergency plumber open now”, Google shows the map pack with phone numbers, hours, reviews and a directions button. Showing up there, and in the results below it, puts you in front of people who are ready to act.
What do you do for SEO?
- Technical audit (Ada): crawling, indexing, sitemaps in Google and Bing, robots.txt, AI-crawler access, broken links and speed on phones. You get a fix list ranked by severity.
- Fixes (Wren, or your own web person): the items on that list, starting with anything that stops pages being found.
- Structured data (Sage): code that tells search engines your business type, address, hours, services and service area.
- Google Business Profile (Lola): categories, services, hours, photos, posts and booking links, checked against the competitors who show in your map pack.
- Listings (Lola and Juno): Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp and the directories in your industry, with the same name, address and phone everywhere.
- Pages (Quinn and Penn): one strong page per service, built around the questions your customers ask, with the answer first.
- Clean-up: thin, near-duplicate city pages merged or removed. Google’s spam policies treat pages mass-produced to manipulate rankings as spam.
- Monthly refresh (Penn): two to four key pages updated each month with current facts.
What do you need from me?
- Access by invite, never passwords: Google Search Console, Google Analytics, manager access to your Google Business Profile, and an editor user on your website set up for us. We send a checklist with the exact clicks.
- Real photos of your place, your team and your work. We never put AI-made or stock photos on your profile.
- About 15 intake questions answered: your services, the customers you want more of, what they ask before buying, and anything you never want said.
- How leads reach you today and what counts as a good lead, so we measure the right thing.
- Quick approvals when we send drafts.
How do you measure SEO?
Leads first, then the numbers behind them:
- Qualified leads: calls, form fills and bookings, using the definition we agree with you at the start.
- Google Search Console: clicks, impressions, the searches you appear for and your average position.
- Google Business Profile: calls, website clicks and direction requests.
- Reviews: new reviews, average rating and how many got a reply.
Max puts it on one page each month. If impressions rise while clicks fall, we check the usual causes first. Then, if it fits, we explain it: Google’s AI Overviews now answer some questions on the results page itself.
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take to work?
Some fixes count as soon as Google re-reads the page, such as correcting your hours or unblocking a page. Moving up for competitive searches takes longer and depends on your competitors, your reviews and your site. We don’t promise dates. You see progress in the monthly report and can judge it for yourself.
Can you guarantee first place on Google?
No. Nobody controls Google’s results, and anyone who guarantees a position is guessing or doing something risky. We promise the work, and we show you how we measure it.
Do businesses pay to appear on Google Maps?
Not for the regular listings. Creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free, and Google says there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. What businesses pay for are ads. Local Services Ads charge per lead and appear at the top of Google’s results in the areas you choose. Google Ads can show as promoted pins and as ads in Google Maps search results. Both stop when you stop paying. We don’t manage paid ads; the unpaid map pack is what SEO works on. If your business isn’t showing on Maps at all, the five checks on our HVAC, plumbing and electrical SEO page are a good start for any business that serves customers at their homes.
Do you sell link building?
No. We don’t sell link packages or take part in link schemes. Google’s spam policies treat links created to manipulate rankings as spam, and that can cost a small business its rankings. We go after honest mentions instead: local press, associations and the directories in your field.
Do I need a new website for SEO?
Usually not. We fix what you have first. We only suggest a rebuild when fixing would cost more, or when the site can’t do the basics, like show your services and hours as text or load quickly on a phone.
Do you work on Bing as well as Google?
Yes. We submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools and set up Bing Places, alongside Google Search Console and your Google Business Profile.
Free AI Visibility Snapshot
We ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews the questions your customers ask, and show you who gets recommended and why.