// local seo
Show up when nearby customers search.
When someone near you searches for what you do, Google shows a map with a few businesses at the top. Local SEO is the work that gets you into those spots and keeps you there. Here's how I do it, in plain words.
IN PLAIN WORDS
What local SEO actually is.
Think about the last time you searched for a plumber, a salon, or a place to eat. You probably picked from the first few businesses on the map, with their stars and reviews right there. Most people never scroll past them.
Google decides who shows up there based on three things: how close you are to the person searching, how well your business matches what they searched for, and how trusted your business looks. That last one mostly comes down to your reviews and how consistent your information is across the internet.
You can't move your shop closer to every customer. The other two, I can help with.
STEP ONE: SETUP
Getting the foundation right.
- Your Google Business Profile, set up or cleaned up: the right categories, services, hours, photos, and description. If Google needs to verify your business, I walk you through it.
- Your name, address, and phone, matching everywhere: Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook, and local directories. Mismatches quietly cost you rankings.
- Your website, tuned for local search: clear page titles, pages for your services and the towns you serve, and the behind-the-scenes labels that tell Google exactly what you do and where.
- A simple review system, so happy customers get asked for a review after every job, not just when you remember.
- Tracking, so we can see calls, clicks, and where you show up on the map.
STEP TWO: EVERY MONTH
Steady work that builds on itself.
- Regular posts and fresh photos on your Google profile, so it stays active.
- Review requests going out, and help answering reviews, good and bad.
- New pages for the services and towns that bring in the most work.
- Listings kept accurate whenever anything changes.
- A one-page report every month, in plain words: how many people called or clicked from Google, where you show up on the map across your area, and your new reviews.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
A contractor in Bethlehem shows up on the map in his own neighborhood but not two towns over, where the bigger jobs are. Each month we add what Google needs to see for those towns, and the report shows the map filling in.
THE HONEST PART
What to expect, and what I won't promise.
It takes time. Most businesses see real movement in three to six months, and it keeps building after that. Anyone selling overnight results is selling something else.
No one can guarantee the number one spot. Google doesn't sell it, and nobody controls it. If someone promises it, walk away.
Clean methods only. I follow Google's rules. No fake reviews (they're illegal, and the FTC fines businesses for them), no stuffed keywords, no shortcuts that get profiles suspended. Your Google profile is too valuable to gamble with.
GOOGLE AND AI SEARCH
Ready for AI answers, too.
More people are asking Google's AI, and tools like ChatGPT, which business to call. Those answers lean on the same things: real reviews, consistent business information, and a clear website that explains what you do and where. The work above helps you show up there as well.
FOUNDING PRICES
Simple pricing.
Local SEO setup: $750, one time. Everything in step one.
Local SEO plan: $350 a month, after setup. Everything in step two, plus your monthly report. No long contract.
Building a website with me? Much of the setup is built into every Novello site, so the setup costs less. See all pricing.
Get a free visibility check.
Tell me your business and the towns you serve. I'll look at where you show up on Google today and what's holding you back, and send it to you in plain words. No cost, no pressure.