If you’ve read Google’s guidelines, you’ve probably seen what they say: “Choose the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business.” I’m gonna strongly disagree here. Let me explain why loading up your profile with more…
TL;DR Hit the "Magic 10": Reaching 10 reviews triggers a significant ranking boost, but benefits plateau immediately after. Velocity Over Volume: Consistent monthly reviews (recency) are more impactful than having a large, stagnant total. Quality Matters: Reviews with actual text…
Expanding your business to a new location? Optimizing for one location is simple, but things get tricky when you open multiple locations in the same city. Here’s how we helped a home service business dominate an entire market without tanking…
Want a simple, high-impact Local SEO tip that takes 10 minutes to implement? This one change can boost local pack rankings significantly. Add Your Business Address to the Website Footer One of the easiest ways to increase organic rankings for…
More Google listings mean more traffic, right? Not so fast. What if I told you those extra listings might be killing your traffic instead of helping it? That’s exactly what happened to an orthodontist we worked with. At first, we…
The Skunk Photo That Tanked Rankings Years ago, we worked with a business whose website included a stock photo of a skunk. But this photo didn’t help their rankings. Instead, it hurt them. Why? Google’s algorithm was looking for a…
Last year, Google seemed to increase the ranking impact of business hours in its local pack. While searching for nearby businesses after hours, I stumbled upon something fascinating: a dentist with no hours listed was outranking businesses marked as “Open…
TL;DR Mobile and desktop search results can look different. Local packs may appear on mobile but not always on desktop. Ranking changes on one device may not impact overall traffic much. Tracking only desktop rankings can give incomplete data. Monitor…
Guest posting is a topic that sparks a lot of debate in the SEO world. Some think it's an effective strategy, while others claim it’s nothing more than a spammy practice. After three years of extensive research and testing, I’ve…
Recently, we encountered something rare—a home services business penalized by Google for purchasing links. This was surprising because, in all my years of working in SEO, I hadn’t seen a case like this in a long time. It sparked a…
 When it comes to building citations for small businesses, the results are mixed. While citations can sometimes boost organic rankings, they often have little to no impact on local pack rankings. Additionally, many citations fail to stay indexed by…
 Based on tests we’ve done in the last few years, regularly building citations might not always be necessary, especially if the citations aren't indexed by Google. It's crucial to monitor how many citations are in Google’s index to ensure…
Grapevine, TX
A full day of education from the best in local search. Your $299 ticket includes breakfast, lunch, and on-demand video after the event.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
8:45 AM – 5:00 PM CT
We’re partnering with State of Search on October 19. Attend both events for $500.