local-business

65 posts tagged with “local-business”

How to remove a bad Google review

Report it, check the status, use the one appeal, and know which two rules apply if you try a shortcut.

Oct 23, 2026

The title How to track AI visibility beside a notebook with three rows labeled ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity, outlined in green

How to track whether AI recommends your business

Ask three assistants the question your customer asks, once a month, and write down what they say. Tools come second.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Text back the missed call beside a phone showing a missed call and a green-outlined reply bubble underneath it

How to set up a missed call text back

A short reply to the caller you couldn't answer, what it should say, and the consent rules to check before you switch it on.

Oct 23, 2026

How to verify your Google Business Profile

Which verification methods Google offers, what to film if you run a van or work from home, and how long each one takes.

Oct 23, 2026

How do I show up in AI search?

Three free moves cover it: an accurate Google Business Profile, a service page that answers the buying question, and crawlers you haven't blocked.

Oct 23, 2026

What a ProveWorth business page shows

Four live business pages read top to bottom, with what each section prints and what each label means.

Oct 23, 2026

The title 151 to 1,042 Google reviews above one outlined square for the first 151 reviews and six green squares for the 891 more, with the line That is a 590% increase

What automated review requests actually produced

Three NiceJob case studies report hundreds of new Google reviews. Here is what each one counted, and the one percentage that needed fixing.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Pet waste removal cost above a scale from $0 to $25 a visit with seven dots between $10 and $20

How much does pet waste removal cost?

Weekly service for one dog runs about $10 to $20 a visit on seven pages that publish prices. Here is what moves the number.

Oct 23, 2026

How do you appeal a Google Business Profile suspension?

Use Google's Appeals tool, prepare your evidence first, and remember you get one appeal. Here is the order of the steps.

Oct 23, 2026

How to reply to a Google review

The steps, five example replies, and the things Google says to keep out of a public response.

Oct 23, 2026

How to dispute a Google review

Google calls it a one-time appeal. Here is when you can use it, the steps, and what it can't do.

Oct 23, 2026

The title AI SEO beside three cards labeled Do it yourself, Tool and Agency, with the Do it yourself card outlined in green

AI SEO for a small service business: what to buy and what to skip

Do it yourself, buy a tool or hire an agency. What each costs you, and which pitches to pass on.

Oct 23, 2026

How to report a Google review

The two routes Google documents for flagging a review, which reviews qualify, and how to check the result.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Nextdoor business page beside a green-outlined page card marked Free above three houses, with the line The Business Page is free

Nextdoor for a local service business: the free page, the paid options and how to tell them apart

The Business Page is free. Paid promotion is separate, and Nextdoor prints no price for it. Here is how to set up the page and track each result.

Oct 23, 2026

The title How to get cited by ChatGPT beside a green-outlined robots.txt card with the lines User-agent OAI-SearchBot and Allow slash, and the takeaway Let the search crawler in

How do I get cited by ChatGPT?

You can't make ChatGPT cite you. You can let its search crawler in and keep your business details right, and that costs nothing.

Oct 23, 2026

Can you offer incentives for Google reviews?

Google bans incentives for reviews outright. The FTC bans only incentives tied to a particular sentiment. Here is how the two rules differ.

Oct 23, 2026

How to respond to a negative review

What to say in the first reply, what to keep out, and why the next customer is your real reader.

Oct 23, 2026

Why are my Google reviews disappearing?

The causes Google lists for a missing review, and what to check before you blame anyone.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Direct mail response rate beside a grid of 100 grey squares with one green square

What is a good direct mail response rate?

No public response rate exists for a local service mailer. One case shows 20 responses on 4,233 cards, and you can measure your own.

Oct 23, 2026

The title ROAS vs ROI beside a tall grey sales bar and a short green bar for what was kept

ROAS vs ROI: what is the difference?

In a hypothetical example, $600 of ads brings in $2,700 in sales and still lose money. ROAS counts the sales. ROI counts what you kept.

Oct 23, 2026

Can you delete a Google review?

Who can delete one, what you can report instead, and the one shortcut that gets a business in trouble.

Oct 23, 2026

The title What a new customer costs beside two cards: a grey card for a campaign with a cheaper lead and a green-outlined card for a campaign with a cheaper customer

What does a new customer cost your service business?

A worked table, the one-truck example, and the few numbers worth writing down each month.

Oct 23, 2026

How to make a Google review link and QR code

Where to find the link, why the QR code needs a computer, and three short requests that stay inside Google's rules.

Oct 23, 2026

The title What is CAC beside a grey $180 spend card with an arrow to one green customer circle

What is CAC, and how do I work it out?

CAC is what you spend to win one new customer. In a hypothetical example, a $180 mailer that lands one weekly customer has a CAC of $180.

Oct 23, 2026

What happened to the Google Guaranteed badge?

Google now describes one Google Verified badge and has discontinued the money-back guarantee. The background check is free.

Oct 23, 2026

The title 16 customer stories above three rows of squares: 13 grey for stories published by the seller, 2 outlined for no result published and 1 green for a regulator's order

How 16 local service businesses won customers

Sixteen public case studies, with who reported each result and what the number actually counted.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Local Services Ads vs Google Ads beside a green card marked per lead and a grey card marked per click

Local Services Ads vs Google Ads: which one do I pay for?

Local Services Ads bill per valid lead and Google Ads Search bills per click. Compare them by cost per customer.

Oct 23, 2026

The title What a route customer is worth beside a grid of 52 visit squares, grey for the first 25 visits and green from visit 26, where the spend is paid back

How to calculate what a weekly route customer is worth

Weekly route arithmetic, step by step, with the one number you have to measure instead of guess: how long customers stay.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Door hangers for business beside a door with a green-outlined hanger on the handle and the line Hang it on the door

Door hangers for a service business: what to write and where they go

A layout with one offer and one phone number, three copy examples, the mailbox rule and the nearby-job move.

Oct 23, 2026

Is FAQ schema worth paying for?

No. Google no longer shows FAQ rich results, and a visible FAQ section still helps your customers for free.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Every Door Direct Mail beside five houses with a green card above each and the line Postage is $0.26 a piece

Every Door Direct Mail for service businesses: test one ZIP first

Postage is $0.26 a piece on the Retail option. Here is how to pick a route, avoid a permit and test one ZIP Code with the arithmetic shown.

Oct 23, 2026

What is an AI visibility score?

A software vendor calculates it. Here is what to ask before you pay for one.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Build the pages people call from beside a wireframe of one service page with five labeled blocks, the contact block outlined in green

Home service SEO: build the pages people call from

One page per job people pay for, the questions it answers, and the SEO work a one-truck business can skip.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Local SEO for small business beside a timeline with dots at day 7 and day 30 and a green dot at day 90

Local SEO for a small business: a 90-day plan you run yourself

Google says you can't pay for a better local ranking. Here is a 90-day routine that takes about 15 minutes a week, and how to judge an agency if you want one.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Can employees leave Google reviews beside a row of faded grey staff circles and a row of green customer circles

Can employees leave Google reviews for your business?

Google treats current and former employment as a conflict of interest. Here is what that covers, and what the FTC adds.

Oct 23, 2026

How many Google reviews do I need?

Google publishes no required number. Here is a five-minute way to size up your competitors' listings instead.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Google review automation beside four numbered steps, job done, one ask, one reminder and a click stops it, with the last step outlined in green

Google review automation: how do you set it up safely?

Automate the neutral steps only: one ask after a finished job, one reminder, an opt-out, no gating and no incentive.

Oct 23, 2026

The title What is review gating beside one green path from every customer to the public Google link, with a faded grey path to a private form

What is review gating, and is it allowed?

Review gating sends only happy customers to Google. Here is what Google and the FTC each say about it, and how to test your own flow.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Google review not showing beside a timeline with a short grey bar for a few days and a longer green bar for up to 2 weeks

Why is my Google review not showing up?

A new review can take a few days to appear and up to 2 weeks to change your score. Here are the other reasons one goes missing.

Oct 23, 2026

How do you delete a Google Business Profile?

Google gives you three separate routes. One is reversible, one is permanent, and one removes a place that shouldn't exist.

Oct 23, 2026

How do you set up a service area business on Google?

Hide your address if customers don't visit you, list up to 20 areas, and keep one profile for your base.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Start with twenty accounts beside a grid of twenty squares, one green-outlined square marking the account that said yes

How to win commercial accounts from property managers and HOAs

A 20-account list you build by hand, a one-page service brief, and a first email you can adapt and send.

Oct 23, 2026

A Google Business Profile audit you can run yourself

A fifteen-minute triage, 42 checks to mark pass, fix or unknown, and a one-page report you can copy.

Oct 23, 2026

What to do when your Google Business Profile is suspended

Why Google suspends a profile, and what to fix and gather before you file your one appeal.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Pooper scooper business above two rows of squares: ten green squares for no drive time and six for ten minutes between stops

How to start a pooper scooper business

What seven local price pages charge, and why a customer three streets from your last stop is worth more than one across town.

Oct 23, 2026

How do you choose Google Business Profile categories?

Pick the most specific primary category, add others only when they are real services, and check your trade's exact label in the editor.

Oct 23, 2026

What size should Google Business Profile photos be?

JPG or PNG from 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 by 720 pixels recommended, and 250 by 250 as the minimum.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Reputation management for small business beside three boxes labeled Do it yourself, Software and Agency, the first outlined in green

Reputation management for a small business: what to buy

The four jobs inside reputation management, what each option takes off your plate, and the questions to ask before you pay.

Oct 23, 2026

How often should you post on Google Business Profile?

Google sets no required schedule. Posts archive after 6 months unless you set dates, so write each one to be useful.

Oct 23, 2026

How do you add a user to a Google Business Profile?

The steps, what an owner and a manager can each do, and the 7-day wait for new users. Give an agency the Manager role.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Partner offers and events beside two cards, 20% off the first 3 months and Free community dog festival, each with an empty dashed box labeled Result

Partner offers and events for a pet waste removal business

A dog-care chain lists a 20% perk for a pet waste company, and another company promoted a free dog festival. Here is how to cost and count your own.

Oct 23, 2026

The title How to rank in AI Overviews beside three boxes, Indexed, Snippet-eligible and AI Overviews, joined by arrows with the last box outlined in green

How do I rank in AI Overviews?

Google says ordinary SEO is the whole plan. Here is what a service page needs and which sales pitches to ignore.

Oct 23, 2026

The title Google Local Services Ads beside a timeline of a missed call, a marker at 20 seconds and a green stretch labeled billed

Google Local Services Ads: what you pay for and who qualifies

Google bills for valid leads, a missed call can count as one, and pet waste removal is not on the category list. Here is what that means for your route.

Oct 23, 2026