The blog
Notes from the work
What changed in Google, Maps, AI answers and the trades we build for, and what to do about it this week. Written by the people who run the sites and the ads.
Latest Choosing an AI receptionist for a contractor, and what it shouldn't do
What an AI receptionist does for a contracting business, what it should never do, and the questions to ask any vendor before you forward your phone.
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Why your business isn't showing up on Google Maps, and the fixes
The usual reasons a business is missing from Google Maps, in the order to check them, with the fix for each. Verification, suspension, address rules and more.
ChatGPT in a contractor's office: 12 jobs it does well, with prompts
Twelve office jobs where ChatGPT saves a contractor real time, each with a prompt you can copy and what to check before you send. Plus what not to paste in.
How to get recommended by ChatGPT and Google's AI answers
We asked ChatGPT and Google's AI for the best local electrician and traced where each name came from. What the sources say, and what a business can do.
ChatGPT ads for local businesses: how they work and who should test
ChatGPT now shows ads, and small businesses can buy them without a sales rep. How they look, where they don't run, what you can track, and who should wait.
Local Services Ads are moving into Google Ads: what to do first
Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads as pay-per-lead Performance Max campaigns. What carries over, what doesn't, and what to do before and after.
Fewer clicks, same calls: what still gets a local business chosen
Most Google searches now end without a click. For a local business the decision didn't disappear, it moved. Here's where it went and what to check.
Facebook lead ads vs your website form: which gets you jobs?
Facebook lead ads make it easy to collect leads. Whether they turn into jobs is a different question. How the two forms differ and how to test them fairly.
Why Google isn't indexing your pages, and how to fix the usual causes
How to read Google Search Console's Page indexing report, what each status means, and which ones are fine to ignore and which need a fix.
How to pick a Google Ads bid strategy on a small budget
Which Google Ads bid strategy fits a small account with few conversions: what each option does now, how much data it needs, and when to switch.
More Google reviews without breaking the FTC's review rule
A fast, clean way to ask for Google reviews, what the FTC's review rule bans, what Google's own policy adds, and how to answer a one-star review.