Like asking ChatGPT, but much much slower
Ask the SEO Wizard
You enter a dimly lit cottage. A wizened man in a stained robe looks up from his bubbling cauldron.
“Ah, another seeker of organic traffic,” he mutters. “Sit. The algorithms have been restless.”
The Wizard has answered
- Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard,We're moving our clinic to a busier area. How do we get found there?— a co-owner of a dental hygiene clinic in BeavertonThe most important thing: move your Google Business Profile. Don't create a new one. Update the address on the profile you already have so you keep every review you've earned. Creating a fresh listing throws all of…Read the answer →
- Most Illuminated Oracle of the Search Results,My restaurant has never spent a dollar on marketing. Where do I start?— an owner of a restaurant in Happy ValleyNot one dollar? OK. First thing: go to one of those online knickknack shops like CafePress, upload your logo, and spend about 200 bucks on pins, mugs, and beer koozies. Hand them out to your customers for free. Now…Read the answer →
- Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard (please hurry),Google suspended my auto body shop's profile. What now?— an owner of an auto body shop in MilwaukieYou're reading the situation right. Customers bring cars to you, so you're a storefront, and switching to a service-area business to dodge the signage rule would just get you suspended again.Read the answer →
- Great and Glorious Keeper of the Map Pack,Will hiding my address help me rank in more towns?— an owner of a handyman business in TigardYou should hide it, but not for the reason you think.Read the answer →
- Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard,A job candidate I turned down left a bad review. Can I remove it?— an owner of a bakery in SellwoodMaybe. This is one of the few cases where removal has a real chance.Read the answer →
- Great and Glorious Keeper of the Map Pack,I only have a Facebook page. Website or Google profile first?— an owner of a junk removal business in Vancouver, WAGoogle Business Profile first. Easy call.Read the answer →
- Kind and Patient Wizard of Second Chances,I bought a store with terrible Google reviews. How do I recover?— an owner of a franchise store in HillsboroYou can't delete the old reviews. Real reviews of real experiences stay up, even if the people behind them are gone. But you can bury them, and faster than you'd think.Read the answer →
- Most Illuminated Oracle of the Search Results,Customers review us in our booking app but won't touch Google. Why?— an owner of an appointment-based business in NE PortlandYou found the real problem. Leaving a Google review means being signed in to Google, and every extra step loses people. A tap that opens a login screen loses almost everyone.Read the answer →
- Esteemed Wizard of the Search Box,Do I need a Google Business Profile if I work from home?— an owner of a finance consulting practice in Lake OswegoMaybe not. And that surprises people.Read the answer →
- Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard,Google's AI summary of my business quotes one old bad review. Help?— a founder of a B2B software company in BeavertonYou can't edit an AI Overview directly. But you can change what it has to work with, and you're in a better spot than most, because the person who wrote that review still works with you.Read the answer →
- Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard,Is $3,500 a month for local SEO worth it for a plumber?— an owner of a plumbing business in GreshamSEO services range from $1k to $10k a month in the U.S. I do not recommend paying less than $1k. I've never seen that work out well. I would enroll in an SEO class instead.Read the answer →
- Wise and Mysterious Wizard of the Machines,Why does ChatGPT recommend my competitors and never me?— an owner of an app design studio in PortlandWell, first, you have to run an LLM hundreds of times before you start getting repeat answers, so unless you are using an AI tracking tool to measure, your data is likely suspect.Read the answer →
- Most Illuminated Oracle of the Search Results,We spent $17,000 on SEO and can't tell if it worked. Is that normal?— a co-owner of a family business in North PortlandIt's common. It shouldn't be normal.Read the answer →
- Great and Glorious Keeper of the Map Pack,How does a rival with two reviews and a fake address beat me on Maps?— an owner of a roofing company in GreshamThis can be frustrating. Google is far from perfect at recognizing the best result for a given search. I won't be able to tell you exactly why this is happening without more detail, but I can tell you about some…Read the answer →
- Wizard Who Champions the Little Guy,How does a small shop outrank the big chains on Google?— an owner of a tech refurbishing shop in SE PortlandDon't fight them head on. You'll lose the broad searches, like "laptop store," for a long time. Chains have years of links, brand searches, and budget. That's fine. You don't need those searches.Read the answer →