ADA lawsuits over inaccessible websites hit small businesses every year, not just big brands. Here's what accessibility actually means for a local service site and where to start.
Your Google Business Profile photos shape whether a customer calls or scrolls past. Here's what to post, how often, and what to skip.
Duplicate Google Business Profile listings split your reviews and confuse Google's ranking system. Here's how to find them and fix it.
Angi and Thumbtack sell you a lead once. Local SEO keeps sending them. Here's why the cheaper option on paper often costs more over time.
Google Local Services Ads put a green checkmark next to your name and charge you per lead, not per click. Here's how they work and when they're worth it.
Your Google Business Profile category decides which searches you show up for. Here's why the wrong one is quietly costing local service businesses calls.
Running your business off your personal cell number costs you leads, reviews, and peace of mind. Here's why a dedicated line fixes all three.
Your website worked fine five years ago. Here are the signs it's quietly costing you jobs now, and how to know if a redesign is worth it.
Most local service businesses can't say which marketing dollar brought in which job. Here's how to find out, without hiring an analyst.
Most contractors hide pricing behind a 'call for quote' button. Here's why that costs you leads, and how to show pricing without underselling your work.
Local SEO isn't instant. Here's a realistic timeline for when Sacramento-area service businesses can expect to see calls and rankings move.
Not all AI on your website does the same job. Here's the real difference between a scripted chatbot and an AI employee that actually captures and qualifies leads.
Wix and Squarespace sites look fine until you check what they cost you in missed calls. Here's what a DIY builder can't do for a local service business.
That Wix or Squarespace site you built in a weekend is quietly costing you jobs. Here's what DIY builders don't tell you about speed, mobile performance, and lost calls.
Google Business Profile has a Q&A section where anyone can post a question or answer one, including strangers. Here's why that matters and how to take it back.
Local service businesses often can't afford both Google Ads and SEO at once. Here's how to figure out which one actually fixes your biggest problem first.
Peak season brings more calls than any business can answer. Here's why the busiest month often loses the most leads, and how to plug the gap.
Texting customers from your personal cell creates real risks. Here's what service businesses need to know about business texting numbers, consent, and compliance.
Google Business Profile lets you post updates, offers, and photos directly into search results. Most local businesses never touch the feature, and that's a missed opportunity worth fixing.
A one-star review just showed up on your Google Business Profile. Here's how to respond in a way that protects your reputation instead of fueling the fire.
A five-star testimonial is easy to write and easy to skip past. A photo of the actual job is harder to fake and harder to ignore. Here's why photos convert better.
A wrong phone number on one old directory listing can quietly hurt your Google ranking. Here's what NAP consistency means and how to fix it.
Getting Google reviews is only half the job. How you respond to each one shapes what potential customers decide before they ever call.
A competitor keeps appearing above you on Google Maps. There's a reason, and it's fixable. Here's what Google looks at and what you can do about it.
Google reviews do two jobs: convince potential customers to call you, and tell Google you're worth showing. Here's why most local businesses don't have enough, and a simple system to fix that.
Website traffic and phone calls are two different problems. If your site gets visitors but your phone doesn't ring, here's what's actually breaking — and how to fix it.
Most local business websites get visitors but lose them before they call. Here's what separates a site that converts from one that doesn't.
A referral used to close the deal. Now there's a step in the middle: the Google search. Here's what potential customers find when they look you up — and how to make sure it holds up.
When a potential customer calls and can't get through, most move on within minutes. Here's what actually happens after that missed call, and what you can do about it.
Most local service business websites look fine but don't generate calls. Here are the specific elements that separate a site that drives business from one that just exists.
Most customers decide who to call before they ever pick up the phone. Here's what they see when they search for your business after hours—and how to make sure you pass the test.
Local service businesses lose up to 40 percent of jobs between the estimate and the signed contract. The problem is usually follow-up timing, not price.
Online booking captures customers who are ready to act right now, before they move to the next result. Here's what it changes for service businesses.
A slow website drives customers away before they read a single word. Here's what page speed costs Sacramento-area service businesses and how to check yours in 60 seconds.
Local SEO determines whether your business shows up when someone nearby searches for what you do. Here's what it means and what moves the needle.
Most service businesses lose leads before they ever know they had them. Here's where those leads go and what it takes to close the gaps.
Most contractor websites are built for customers who browse at their leisure. The problem is that's not how most customers find you. Here's what your site actually needs to do.
Most customers searching for a local service never visit your website before calling. They decide from your Google Business Profile. Here's what that means for your business.
AI phone answering catches the calls you miss, texts the caller back in minutes, and books the job. Here's how it works and when it's a real fit.
Web designers love the phrase "mobile-first." A plain-English look at what it means, why Google cares, and a two-minute test to see how your site holds up on a phone.
You searched for your own service in your city and someone else's name came up first. Here's why that happens, and what it takes to fix it.
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews are changing how people find local businesses. Here's what generative engine optimization is, how it works, and what small businesses in Sacramento and the surrounding region can do about it now.
Most customers have already decided whether to trust you before the phone rings. Here's what they look for, and how to make sure they like what they find.
A website isn't a sign you hang on a building. It's closer to a vehicle: stop maintaining it, and it stops working for you.
Most business owners treat local SEO as a mystery. Google ranking comes down to three factors. Here's what they are and what to do about each one.
The wrong web designer can cost you more than money. Here's what to look for, what to avoid, and the questions to ask before you hire anyone.
No-shows cost service businesses an average of $200–$400 per missed appointment in lost time and revenue. Automated reminders cut no-show rates by 30–80%. Here's how to set them up.
Research shows leads are 21x more likely to convert if you respond within 5 minutes. Most small businesses respond in hours, or not at all. Here's what that costs you and how to fix it.
Most small business websites look fine but don't convert. Here are the five reasons your site loses customers you don't know you're losing, and what to do about each one.
Most service businesses miss 20–30% of incoming calls. Here's how to calculate what that costs you, and why the real figure surprises most owners.
A large share of service inquiries come in after 5pm and on weekends, and most businesses aren't set up to capture them. Here's how to fix that without being chained to your phone.
When leads start slipping through the cracks, hiring a receptionist feels like the obvious fix. An honest comparison of what you buy with each option.
Most Sacramento small businesses lose rankings to a handful of avoidable local SEO errors. Here are the five we find most often, with the fix for each one.
Most leads don't buy the first time they contact you. A lead nurture sequence keeps you top of mind until they're ready, automatically. Here's how to build one that converts.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) tracks your leads, customers, and follow-ups in one place. Here's what it does, whether your business needs one, and what to look for.
