Small business SEO · Canada and the USA
Big brands don’t own Google. The business Google understands best gets the call. We make that you, on Google, Google Maps and AI answers.
30 minutes on Google Meet. For businesses doing $20k a month or more.
From a small business we rank · Maurice and Sons, Manitoba
Google: “log home restoration manitoba”
Outside the top 100. Then first. In 21 days.
(01) What it is
Every day, people type what you sell into Google, Google Maps or ChatGPT. Small business SEO is the work that makes your business one of the names they see, for the searches that turn into jobs, in the places you serve.
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. In plain words: making your website, your Google listing and what other sites say about you clear and convincing enough that Google puts you near the top, without paying for each click.
It’s the same craft we use for national brands and online stores in our SEO services, sized for a business with one or a few locations, a small team and an owner who doesn’t have time to learn it.
How far a small business can reach
Your street
Someone nearby searches “bakery near me”
Google Maps box
Your town
“birthday cakes Hamilton”
Maps box and the normal results
Your region
“wedding cakes delivered Niagara”
Normal results and AI answers
Anywhere
“gluten free bread mix”, shipped to the door
Normal results and AI answers
An illustration using a bakery, not a real client. Local SEO covers rings 1 and 2. Small business SEO can cover all four.
Local SEO is one part of it: the Google Maps box and the searches with your town in them. Small business SEO starts there when customers come to you or you go to them, and reaches further when you also sell to a region, ship products or want the normal Google results and the AI answers too. One plan can cover all of it.
If customers search for what you sell, yes: a ranking keeps showing you after the month it was earned in. An ad stops the day the budget does. AI answers in ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews come with every plan.
(02) Where you show up
When someone nearby types what you sell, Google can show three things on one screen. Win all three and your name is the first thing they see, the second, and the third.
1 · Google’s AI answer
2 · The Maps box
3 · The normal results
Your bakery: fresh bread and custom cakes
An illustration of one Google search on a phone.
1
The AI answer
Google, and tools like ChatGPT, now write a short answer and name a few businesses. They name the ones they can clearly describe.
2
The Maps box
The three businesses shown on the map. Google picks them by how well you match the search, how close you are, and how well known and trusted your business looks online.
3
The normal results
The list of websites. Won with pages that answer what people search, a site Google can read easily, and mentions on real websites.
(03) Results
A family log home builder in Manitoba. A divorce mediator in Ontario. Not big brands. Both now come up first for the searches their customers type.
Maurice and Sons · Manitoba
Google search resultsSeven searches. All seven at #1. In 21 days.
“100+” means outside Google’s top 100 at the first check. 21 days later, all seven were first.
Maurice and Sons · Manitoba
Google AI answersGoogle’s AI answer names them. First.
Ask Google about log home rot repair in Manitoba and the AI answer at the top lists Maurice and Sons Construction before anyone else.
Read the full case study
Positive Solutions Divorce Services · Barrie, Ontario
Google MapsSearch “divorce mediation barrie”. They’re first.
A local practice, listed first under the map, on the exact search their clients type.
#1 under the map
(04) More results
Just a few of the businesses we rank on Google, on Google Maps and in AI answers, from a coffee machine shop and a carpet cleaner to dentists, fence builders and law offices. Every card is a crop of the real screen, competitors and all. Look at the search, then look at who’s first.
How to read a card: the quoted words are the exact search a customer typed. “Before” is where the business ranked when we started, from our rank tracking. “Now” is the position in the screenshot.
Google search
The list of websites under the map. Many came from outside the top 100, where nobody sees them.
Swipe sideways for more →
Google search
for “jura coffee maker”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Ecommerce
for “UNC hat”
Before
Page 5
Now
#3
A small store above New Era and Amazon for the hat UNC fans wear. Read the case study.
Google search · Trenton
for “Swimming Pool Enclosure in Trenton”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Margate City
for “Skin tightening treatment Margate City”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Fort Myers
for “Laser Tattoo Removal”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Hillsboro
for “fence builder hillsboro”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Calgary
for “Same Day Emergency Dentist in NE Calgary”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Toronto
for “Mortgage north york”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Ontario
for “Newmarket mortgage broker”
Now
#3
Result number 3 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Calgary
for “sedation dentist in calgary”
Before
#4
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Calgary
for “NE Calgary Dental Services”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#2
Result number 2 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Calgary
for “sedation dentists calgary”
Before
#5
Now
#2
Result number 2 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Calgary
for “restorative dentistry”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#4
Result number 4 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Calgary
for “Orthodontics in NE Calgary”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#7
Result number 7 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Toronto
for “Scarborough mortgage broker”
Now
#4
Result number 4 for the exact search, shown in the screenshot.
Google search · Edmonton
for “Executive Protection Dogs Edmonton”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Margate City
for “Microneedling Margate City”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Margate City
for “Medical weight loss Margate City”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Fuel tank on trailer”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Drone Cinematography for Commercials”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Best Pool Enclosures”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “vacuum cleaners for sale”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Pediatric Chiropractor”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Aluma Sport 615”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Bronx
for “Bronx Drone Services”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result, right under the map listings.
Google search
for “Retractable Pool Dome”
Before
#28
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Portable Fuel Tank Trailer”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Aerial Video Production”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · Las Vegas
for “Las Vegas Car Wrap”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Gas Trailer”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “cavachon puppies for sale”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search
for “Gasoline Trailer”
Now
#1
The first unpaid result for the exact search.
Google search · King of Prussia
for “Semaglutide Treatment in King of Prussia”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Drone Video Production”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Pool Enclosure Designs”
Before
#100
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · King of Prussia
for “non-surgical facelift Prussia”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Arizona
for “Pool Enclosures Arizona”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · King of Prussia
for “Lip fillers King of Prussia”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Electric Fence Wire Winder”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Live Broadcast Drone Services”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Pto Wire Winder”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · New York
for “Drone Companies NYC”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Small Aluminum Pontoon Boats”
Now
#3
Number 3 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Retractable Pool Enclosure Attached to House”
Before
#16
Now
#4
Number 4 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Mini Pontoon Boats for Sale”
Now
#4
Number 4 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · New York
for “NYC Drone Services”
Now
#4
Number 4 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Moncton
for “solar panel installation moncton”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Mississauga
for “solar panels mississauga”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Moncton
for “Solar panels moncton”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Residential Solar Panel Installation”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search
for “Residential solar companies”
Now
#2
Number 2 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Alexandria, Virginia
for “alexandria fence builder”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#8
Number 8 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google search · Alexandria, Virginia
for “fence company alexandria va”
Before
Not in top 100
Now
#9
Number 9 of the unpaid results, on page one.
Google Maps
The box of three businesses with a map, and the full list people see when they tap it. HVAC, fencing, law, septic, furniture and more.
Swipe sideways for more →
Google Maps
for “luxury watch buyers”
Before
Not shown
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps · Asheville, North Carolina
for “local movers”
Every point
1st or 2nd
Each green dot is one spot on the map where the search was run. On the August 2023 grid, every dot shows them first or second.
Google Maps
for “cedar fencing company”
Before
Not shown
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “vinyl fence installation Fulton”
Before
Not shown
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “car accident attorneys near me”
Before
#10
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “motorcycle accident attorney Dedham”
Before
#10
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “personal injury lawyer Pikesville”
Before
#13
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “septic cleaning near me”
Before
#12
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “AC repair”
Before
#13
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “heating services”
Before
#11
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “black aluminum fence”
Before
Not shown
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “cedar fence installation Fulton”
Before
Not shown
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “aluminum fence installation Fulton”
Before
Not shown
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “cedar fence installation”
Before
#4
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “car accidents lawyer”
Before
#5
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “slip and fall lawyers near me”
Before
#9
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “HVAC repair”
Before
#16
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “HVAC installation”
Before
#14
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “mini split installation near me”
Before
#14
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “air conditioner maintenance near me”
Before
#11
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “air conditioning repair services”
Before
#10
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “AC installation”
Before
#14
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “aluminum fence installation Cleveland”
Before
#16
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “cedar fence installation Cleveland”
Before
#15
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “luxury furniture stores”
Before
#10
Now
#1
Top of the Maps list, below any ads.
Google Maps
for “luxury dining tables”
Before
#12
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps · Pikesville, Maryland
for “best accident attorney pikesville”
Before
#10
Now
#2
Number 2 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “septic tank and drain field installation”
Before
#10
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “septic system”
Before
#15
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps
for “septic companies near me”
Before
#14
Now
#4
Number 4 in the Maps list, competitors and all.
Google Maps · Pikesville, Maryland
for “accident law firm pikesville”
Now
#3
Number 3 in the Maps list, below one ad.
AI answers
The written answers at the top of Google and in ChatGPT. They name a few businesses. These are ours.
Swipe sideways for more →
ChatGPT
for “Best carpet cleaning company in Michigan”
ChatGPT’s answer opens with one “Recommended Company”: Modernistic.
Google AI Overview · Mabton
for “Separation Lawyers in Mabton”
Now
Named
Named in the first line of Google’s written answer, 16 miles away in Yakima.
Google AI Overview
for “Bridge Loans for NonProfits”
Now
Cited
Linked as one of the sources beside Google’s written answer.
ChatGPT
for “divorce lawyer mabton wa”
First of the three firms ChatGPT lists, with its phone number.
Google AI Overview · Toronto
for “Mortgage Refinancing for Renovations Toronto”
Now
Cited
Linked as a source inside Google’s written answer.
Google AI Overview
for “Luxury Landscape Designers”
Now
Cited
Named in Google’s written answer and linked as a source beside it.
Google AI Mode
for “fence company chantilly”
Now
Cited
The first source listed beside the AI Mode answer.
Claude
for “divorce lawyers kennewick”
Now
Listed
Listed by name, with rating and phone number, in Claude’s answer.
ChatGPT
for “family lawyers mabton”
Now
Listed
First firm in ChatGPT’s list, with its phone number.
ChatGPT
for “mabton family attorney”
Now
Listed
First firm in ChatGPT’s list, with its phone number.
ChatGPT
for “kennewick family attorney”
Now
Listed
Named in ChatGPT’s list of five family law attorneys.
More stories, with the full numbers: our SEO case studies, including Covers in Play, The Game Caps, Go Pro Plumbing, Heating and Air and Angkorscape. Or read what our clients say.
As seen in and rated on
(05) What we do
It covers Google Maps, the normal Google results and AI answers in ChatGPT and Google. Here’s the work, in plain English.
We find the searches your best customers actually type, with your town in them, and pick the ones worth winning first. Not the biggest searches. The ones that bring the jobs you want.
A page for each service and each town you work in, written so a customer gets their answer and Google knows exactly what you do and where. Your Google Business Profile, the free listing with your hours, photos and map pin, gets the same care: the right categories, every service listed, real photos.
Slow pages, broken links, pages Google can’t read properly. We fix what holds your site back, or hand whoever manages it a plain list of what to change.
Mentions and links from local news, trade groups, suppliers and directories people actually use. Google trusts a business other real sites talk about. No link farms, ever.
Monthly report by email: rankings, Analytics and the work done. You see where you rank for each service and town, and what we’re doing next.
(06) Cost
Google Maps starts at $1,497 a month. Google rankings start at $2,697 a month. Both go up for multiple locations, multiple websites and complexity.
Google Maps
$1,497+
a month. Higher for multiple locations, websites and complexity.
Google rankings
$2,697+
a month. Higher for multiple locations, websites and complexity.
Start with Google Maps or the normal Google results, or run both. A carpet cleaner who gets calls from the map box often starts with Maps. A shop that ships across the country starts with Google rankings.
The five jobs above, every month: the searches, a page for each service and town with your Google listing, website fixes, links from real sites and the monthly report. AI answers in ChatGPT and Google come with every plan.
Line up any quote on four things, not just the monthly number: how long the contract runs, what is promised in writing, who does the work, what the report shows, and whether they can show you a business they rank, with the start and end position. Ours: month to month, two guarantees, a full team, and a monthly report by email. More on how our SEO pricing works.
(07) SEO or ads
Three ways a small business gets in front of people searching. Here’s what each one buys you.
| SEO | Google Ads | Directories (Yelp, Angi and the like) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | The monthly work that earns your place | Each click, for as long as the campaign runs | A listing or each lead, depending on the site |
| Where you show | Google Maps box, the normal results and AI answers | The sponsored spots above the results | On the directory’s own pages, next to competitors |
| When you stop paying | Rankings you earned don’t switch off with a bill | The ads switch off the same day | The listing drops or the leads stop |
| Who owns it | You: your site, your listing, your name | Google’s ad account, rented by the click | The directory |
| Best for | Showing up for the searches that bring work, month after month | Fast tests and busy seasons | Being listed where your trade expects it |
Swipe the table sideways to see all three.
They do different jobs. Ads buy the spots at the very top for as long as you pay. SEO earns the Maps box, the normal results and the AI answer below them. Plenty of small businesses run both, and use the ads to learn which searches bring jobs.
Being listed on the directories your customers use helps Google trust your name, address and phone number, so we tidy those up as part of the work. But the directory page sits next to your competitors. Your own site and Google Business Profile are the places only you show.
If customers come to you or you go to them, start with the Google Maps box. If you sell further afield, start with the normal results. Not sure? That’s the first thing we answer on the call.
(08) How long
Here’s what happens after you say yes, week by week.
We search the way your customers do, town by town. We see who sits above you, check your Google listing, your site and your details across the web, and fix what’s wrong first.
Your services and towns each get a clear page. Your Google listing gets the right categories and every service listed.
Improvements in 20 days. Full wording just below.
Page one in 60 days, or we work free.
More services, more towns, a wider radius. Each monthly report shows where you started and where you are now.
Key metrics: your website traffic, what that traffic is worth, your site’s authority and the number of sites linking to you, agreed before we start.
Qualifying keywords: the searches we agree on together on your strategy call. A busy search in a big city takes longer to win than one service in your own town, so we pick them with you.
The full terms are on our SEO guarantees page. For what speeds it up and what slows it down, read how long SEO takes.
Two guarantees, in writing.
Guarantee 01
20days
If you don’t see visible improvement in your key metrics within the first 20 days, we refund $200 on top of returning your payment for that period.
What we measure: your traffic, what that traffic is worth, how much authority your site and its pages carry, and how many other sites link to you, against the day we start.
Guarantee 02
60days
If your qualifying keywords aren’t on the first page of Google within 60 days, we keep working for free until they are.
What counts: at least one high-value search for your business on page one of Google.
No long-term contracts. Results keep you here. Paperwork doesn't.
(09) Free checklist
An afternoon, no cost. Do these first, whether you hire us or not.
Check your main category
Search your business name on Google. In the box with your hours and map pin, check the main category. Make it the service you most want calls for, like “Plumber” or “Bakery”, not something vague.
List every service, add real photos
In that same listing, add each service you offer by name. Then add a few real photos of your work, your team or your shop. Phone photos are fine.
Same name, address, phone everywhere
Your business name, address and phone number should read exactly the same on your website, your Google listing, Facebook, Yelp and Apple Maps. Small differences make Google less sure it’s you.
One page per service
Copy this and send it to whoever manages your website:
“Please give each of our main services its own page, and put the service and our town in each page title.”
(10) By industry
A plumber’s customers search in a panic at night. A dentist’s compare reviews for a week. Pick your trade to see how we’d plan it.
Home services
Furnace and AC calls, from “ac repair near me” to new installs.
The emergency searches at night and the bathroom jobs booked weeks out.
Storm repairs, full replacements and inspections, town by town.
Panel upgrades, EV chargers and the “electrician near me” call.
Design, patios and lawn care across the suburbs you drive to.
Same-day searches for ants, mice and wasps, and the yearly plans.
Homes, offices and move-out cleans, by neighbourhood.
Local moves, long distance and the city-to-city searches.
Contractors, builders and renovation firms with long jobs.
The “storage units near me” search, location by location.
Health and care
New patients searching for a dentist, implants or a cleaning.
Back pain, sports injuries and first visits nearby.
Counselling and therapy searches, in person and online.
Treatments people search by name, in the towns they’ll drive from.
Procedure searches where people compare before they call.
Professional services
Practice-area searches like injury, family and estate law.
Rates, renewals and first-home searches in your market.
Homeowners and developers looking for a firm with a portfolio.
Online stores
Not listed? See all the industries we work with, or tell us about yours on the call.
(11) By city
The businesses in your Maps box are different in Dallas and in Calgary. Each city page shows who you’re up against there and how we’d plan it.
Yes. A city page is where we show our work in that market, not a limit on where we work. On the call we search your town live and show you who sits in the top three today. For the Maps side of it, read about local SEO.
(12) Who it is for
Ranking work lands best on a business with enough trade behind it to answer the calls it brings. So we’re picky about who we take on.
Who it’s for
$20k+
a month in your own revenue. This is for established businesses already doing $20k a month or more.
Spots this month
Very limited
spots left for the month of October. We put a cap on clients we can take in to keep our promises.
Your next step
On a 30 minute call we look up the searches your customers type, show you who ranks for them today, and what it would take to put your business there.
Bring with you
We search your market live
The way your customers do, in the towns you serve.
We show who's above you, and why
On Google, on Maps and in the AI answers.
You leave with a road map
Yours to keep. If we can help, we'll invite you to work with us.
For established businesses doing at least $20,000 a month.
(13) Questions
What owners ask us before they start.
Book my free strategy callKeyword research, on-page SEO, new and improved pages, technical fixes, link building by a dedicated team, Google Business Profile work where Maps matters, and AI answers. In plain words: we pick the searches that bring paying customers, make your pages the best answer to them, fix what stops Google reading your site, and get trusted websites to mention you.
Some of it, yes. The four free steps on this page take an afternoon. What's hard to do alone is the steady monthly work: new pages, fixes to the site, mentions on real websites and checking where you rank, town by town. That's the part we take off your plate.
No. People still search Google for the services they need, and the Maps box and the normal results still sit on that page. What changed is that the same work now pays off in more places: the pages that rank you on Google are also what Google's AI answers and ChatGPT read when they name a business.
Those tools name businesses they can find clear, consistent information about: what you do, where you work and what others say about you. We write pages they can quote, keep your details the same everywhere online and check every month where you're named. It's included in every plan.
It can help draft a page or suggest searches to go after. It doesn't do the work that moves you up: fixing your site, earning mentions on trusted websites, and checking every month where you rank in each town. Someone still has to do that part, every month.
Check four things: where you rank for each search we target, how many visitors arrive from Google in your own Analytics, how many calls and forms come in from customers who found you on Google, and what you see when you search your main service on your phone.
We don't promise a set position, because Google decides the order. What we do put in writing: page one in 60 days, or we work free, and improvements in 20 days. The full wording is in the guarantees above.
They matter, and we help you set up an easy routine for asking happy customers. But reviews are one thing Google weighs among many. It also reads your website, your listing, the sites that mention you and how close you are to the person searching. So we work on all of it, not just the star count.
Each town you want to win gets its own page, and your Google listing covers the area you serve. The Maps box leans on how close you are to the person searching, so towns further out take more work. Prices go up for multiple locations, multiple websites and complexity.
Ask three things. Which searches will you rank me for, and why those? What will you do each month? What happens if it doesn't work? A good SEO company answers all three in plain words. We put our answers in writing: a list of target searches, a monthly list of completed work, and two guarantees.
An in-house hire gives you one person. An SEO agency gives you a team: strategy, writing, technical fixes and a dedicated link-building team, plus the paid research tools. You also get one party accountable for rankings, with guarantees in writing.
No. It's month to month. We keep clients by keeping them ranked.
No. We work with the site you have. If something on it is holding you back, we fix it, or we hand whoever manages it a plain list of what to change.
No. White-hat only, meaning only methods Google allows. The shortcuts work for a few months and then a Google update wipes them out, along with your rankings.
