Notes
Local SEO blog: notes from the work, for trades and service businesses.
Honest notes from me on local SEO, web design, and running a one-person studio. No recycled generic advice. Just what I’m actually seeing work for UK local businesses, with the trade-offs called out.
7 October 2026 · 5 min read
How builders can get more extension and loft conversion enquiries from Google
Extension customers research for months. How builders can be the name they already trust when they’re ready to get quotes.
Read How builders can get more extension and loft conversion enquiries from Google
6 October 2026 · 4 min read
How roofers can get found when a storm hits
When a named storm comes through, roof searches spike for a few days. How to make sure your business is the one people find.
5 October 2026 · 4 min read
How electricians can get more EV charger installs from Google
EV charger installation is its own search with its own customers. How to set up your profile and site to win it.
Read How electricians can get more EV charger installs from Google
4 October 2026 · 4 min read
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: how accountants can turn it into new clients
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is bringing sole traders and landlords into quarterly reporting. How accountants can be the firm they find.
Read Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: how accountants can turn it into new clients
3 October 2026 · 5 min read
Why your plumbing business isn’t showing on Google Maps
The usual reasons a plumber doesn’t appear in the Google Maps 3-pack, in the order I check them, and what to fix first.
Read Why your plumbing business isn’t showing on Google Maps
19 September 2026 · 7 min read
AEO & GEO: Answer Engine Optimization for local businesses (the 2026 guide)
What AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are, why they matter for UK trades and local service businesses, and the concrete work (llms.txt, schema, robots, E-E-A-T) that moves the needle.
Read AEO & GEO: Answer Engine Optimization for local businesses (the 2026 guide)
19 September 2026 · 4 min read
Local SEO checklist for trades businesses (2026)
A practical 20-point checklist for plumbers, electricians, dentists, and other local service businesses. The exact things that move rankings in 2026.
19 September 2026 · 4 min read
GBP suspended? How to reinstate your Google Business Profile
A practical guide to the GBP reinstatement process. What to do first, what evidence to gather, how to write the appeal, what to expect on timelines.
Read GBP suspended? How to reinstate your Google Business Profile
12 September 2026 · 6 min read
What actually moves local-pack rankings in 2026
Five things that genuinely move the map-pack needle, and three that agencies still sell but stopped working years ago. Based on what I’m seeing for trades and home-services clients across the UK.
8 September 2026 · 4 min read
What I will and won’t publish on your behalf
Every agency is now using AI for content. Most are skipping the step that makes the difference. Here’s the distinction I draw on every deliverable, and why the human review step isn’t going away.
New posts roughly once or twice a month. If something specific would be useful, drop me a line.
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About this blog
Frequently asked questions
- How often do you publish?
- Roughly twice a month when there is something worth writing. I do not run on a content calendar — I publish when I have something to say that the existing posts do not already cover. That means some months have two posts, some months have none. The opposite of a content calendar is "do not write filler." Subscribers get the new post the day it ships.
- Is the blog AI-generated?
- No. Every post is first drafted by me. AI is used as a structural aid — outlining, suggesting a clearer sentence structure, surfacing things I missed. Every word that ships is something I have read end-to-end. The longer piece on AI-drafted vs AI-published covers the disclosure model in detail.
- Why is the blog so short compared to industry blogs?
- Because the audience is busy trades and home-services owners, not SEO professionals. A 4,000-word post on "the 27 signals Google uses for local pack ranking" is impressive SEO-blogger content but it is the wrong shape for the reader. Most posts are 800–1,500 words — long enough to make a real point, short enough to read in 5 minutes.
- Can I republish or quote the posts?
- Quote with attribution. Republish on your own blog with permission — email me at [email protected]. I do not require a link back, but if you want to include one, that is appreciated. The posts are written to be useful, not to gatekeep.
- What topics do you cover?
- Three recurring threads. (1) Local SEO fundamentals: GBP, citations, reviews, on-page, the actual ranking factors. (2) AI search visibility (AEO and GEO): how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews find and cite local businesses. (3) The business of being a solo studio: pricing, capacity, the things I would tell a friend who is starting a one-person agency. Anything else I might write about is usually a one-off — for example the GBP suspension guide, which exists because suspensions are a real, recurring problem.