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Climb The Ranks

Practical guides to help you rank higher on Google and own your neighborhood.

Editorial line illustration of a service technician in a purple cap holding a toolbox on the front walk of a small house while a homeowner in a purple top opens the door to welcome him in, with a purple work van parked in the driveway, its side door open to shelves of hoses and supplies, a ladder on the roof rack, a glowing purple porch light, a potted fern, a picket fence, and a mailbox with a purple flag.
Growth & Operations

Missed Calls Are Lost Jobs. Here's the After-the-Call Routine.

The call is the easy part. Here's how to answer it, use the first minute, quote without guessing, chase the estimates that didn't book, and ask for the review.

James Sowers James Sowers
Hand-drawn illustration of a camera on a tripod aimed at a house on a quiet street, a plain work van parked at the curb, and a soft teal location pin floating away like a loose balloon, with a teal front door as the only other accent.
Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile Geotagging: The GPS Trick Google Throws Away

Someone's selling GPS-tagged photos as a Map Pack shortcut. Google drops the coordinates on upload, and distance is measured from your business, not your photos. Here's where the time should go instead.

James Sowers James Sowers
Hand-drawn shopkeeper in an apron sweeping a scatter of purple hearts, stars, and sparkles into a purple dustpan in front of a small brick shop with a plain striped awning, a bicycle, and a lamppost
Google Business Profile

Google Says Your Business Name Has Unsupported Characters? Here's the Fix

The error never says which character is the problem. Here's what triggers it, how to clear it in five minutes, and what to do when an ampersand or accent really is part of your name.

James Sowers James Sowers
Hand-drawn vintage food truck parked at a curb beside a brewery patio, with a mint-teal striped awning over the serving window, a hand passing out a paper boat of tacos, string lights, picnic tables, and a mint-teal map pin floating above the roof
Local SEO

Food Truck Local SEO: Google Wants an Address. You Have a Route.

Your commissary isn't a storefront and your hours change daily. How to set up hours, a schedule page, and catering pages so customers find today's stop.

James Sowers James Sowers
Hand-drawn illustration of a suburban house with a purple front door, stacks of toolboxes and two stepladders on the porch, a work truck at the curb, and a purple map pin floating above the roof
Local Marketing

Angi, HomeAdvisor or Google: Which Leads Pay Off?

Paid marketplace leads can fill a slow week, but you may be racing other pros for the same homeowner. Here's how to weigh them against your Google Business Profile by booked jobs, not lead count.

James Sowers James Sowers
Editorial line illustration of a tradesman's back-office corner: an open wooden key cabinet above a workbench with rows of keys, one teal key hanging forward, a push broom with a teal bristle band sweeping a small pile of old tangled keys on the floor, a teal coffee mug, work gloves, a coiled extension cord, and a potted snake plant, with a work van visible through the window.
Local SEO

Local citation services: Pay for the cleanup, not the listing count

A $49 offer for 300 listings is the clearest example of what not to buy. Here's what a citation service should do for you, what it costs, and what to keep yourself.

James Sowers James Sowers
Hand-drawn two-story brick building where a barbershop with a purple striped awning and a florist with hanging ferns and purple tulips share one ground floor, with a purple map pin floating above each business
Google Business Profile

Two Businesses, One Address: Will Google List Both?

Shared buildings, co-working suites, spouses running two companies from one house. Here's how each setup fits Google's one-profile-per-location rule, and what makes two neighbors look like one duplicate.

James Sowers James Sowers
Illustration of a small shop at dusk with its front door closed while a side pickup window under a teal striped awning stays open, a takeout bag on the ledge and a delivery scooter at the curb
Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile More Hours: Stop Hiding Your Second Schedule

Your main hours only tell half the story. More hours lets you publish separate schedules for delivery, pickup, access, and senior hours without bending your regular hours.

James Sowers James Sowers
Editorial line illustration of a shop owner in an apron outside a small storefront with a striped awning, pouring from a watering can into a plain glass jar two-thirds full of purple liquid, with a purple map pin atop a lamp post nearby
Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile Strength: A To-Do List, Not a Scoreboard

That little meter in your profile dashboard is a to-do list, not a scoreboard. Clear what it flags in one sitting, then put your attention on the numbers that make your phone ring.

James Sowers James Sowers
Editorial line illustration of a kitchen counter just after a plumbing repair: a hand holding a phone with a teal screen toward a small tent card printed with a solid teal square, a new faucet over the sink, a closed toolbox, a folded dish towel, a steaming coffee mug, a potted plant on the windowsill, and through the window a service van with a teal stripe parked under a leafy tree.
Reviews & Reputation

Google Review QR Codes: Where to Put Them So People Scan

The code takes five minutes to make. Where you put it decides whether anyone uses it. How to build one, test it, and place it so reviews show up.

James Sowers James Sowers