Notes from the road.
10 pieces of practical marketing writing for local businesses, grouped by what you are actually trying to fix. No theory for its own sake, and nothing here that we would not do for a client. New posts monthly.
AI visibility and GEO
Getting named in the answer when a customer asks ChatGPT, Google’s AI or Perplexity for a recommendation.
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2026 / 07 / 11
AI Overviews Are Eating Local Search Clicks: Here's What Coachella Valley Businesses Should Do
Google now answers many local questions itself, before anyone clicks. That's a threat to businesses that rely on ranking, and an opening for the ones who adapt first.
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2026 / 07 / 10
llms.txt, Schema, and Entities: The Technical Checklist for AI Search Visibility
The under-the-hood work that decides whether AI systems can read, trust, and cite your website. A working checklist, the same one we run on client sites.
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2026 / 07 / 08
What Is GEO? Generative Engine Optimization, Explained for Local Business Owners
SEO got you found on Google. GEO gets you recommended by AI. A plain-English explanation of the biggest shift in local search since the map pack.
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2026 / 07 / 02
Why Your Auto Repair Shop Doesn't Show Up When People Ask ChatGPT for a Mechanic
More drivers are asking AI tools to recommend a mechanic. Here's why your shop probably isn't in the answer, and what actually gets you cited.
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2026 / 07 / 01
Will AI recommend your business?
Your next customer may never see a search results page. Here is how to make sure AI assistants name your business as the answer.
Local SEO and Google
Showing up in the map pack and the search results for the people already looking for you.
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2026 / 07 / 06
The 5-Minute Google Business Profile Fix That Gets Repair Shops More Calls
One setting inside your Google Business Profile quietly decides which searches you show up for. Most shops have it half-configured. Here's the fix.
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2026 / 06 / 12
Why your local business isn't showing up on Google
The five most common local-SEO gaps we find, and the order to fix them in.
Ads and measurement
Spending money on customers instead of impressions, and knowing which one you bought.
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2026 / 07 / 04
Car Count vs. ARO: Which One Should Your Marketing Actually Target?
Most shop marketing chases car count by default. Sometimes that's exactly wrong. How to read your own numbers before you spend a dollar on ads.
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2026 / 05 / 28
What to actually track from your ad spend
Cost-per-lead beats impressions every time. Here is the simple dashboard we build for every client.
Websites that convert
Sites built around the one action that pays for everything else.
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2026 / 05 / 09
A website is a road, not a brochure
Why the sites that convert are built around one customer action, not a list of pages.