Your website is talking to Google — but it’s saying all the wrong things
The on-page elements that move your organic rankings
On-page SEO accounts for approximately 24% of local ranking factors. Most local business websites I audit have the same problems: title tags under 40 characters with no location signals, H1s that say “Welcome to our business” instead of naming the service and city, no service-area pages, and zero schema markup. Each of these is a signal Google needs that you’re not providing.
Title Tag Optimisation
I use a 150–200 character title tag formula that includes your primary service, city, and neighbourhood names. Research shows this formula produces a 15% average increase in search visibility compared to standard short title tags. Every page gets a unique, keyword-informed title that targets a specific intent.
15% visibility lift testedService-Area Pages
One page for your whole business isn’t enough. I build a three-tier content architecture: city pages (San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale) + service pages (plumbing, HVAC, roofing) + city-service combination pages (HVAC repair San Jose, plumbing Santa Clara). Each targets a specific, lower-competition keyword cluster.
3-tier architectureSchema Markup (JSON-LD)
I implement LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Service, HowTo, Person, and AggregateRating schema in your page head — not body. Google reads head-placed schema first for AI Overview eligibility. This is the structured data layer that makes you visible in AI-generated local answers, not just traditional organic results.
AI Overview eligibilityInternal Linking Architecture
Every page on your site should be reachable in 2–3 clicks from the homepage. I map your full internal link structure, fix orphan pages (pages with zero internal links — invisible to Google), and create contextual anchor text links that distribute authority from your strongest pages to your target service pages.
2–3 click ruleH1 and Header Structure
Every H1 must answer: what service, in what city, for what customer? “Welcome to our plumbing business” answers none of these. I rewrite every H1 and header structure to communicate clearly to both Google’s crawler and your customers — what you do, where you do it, what they should do next.
Clarity + keyword signalMobile + Speed Signals
Most local searches happen on mobile devices. I audit your Core Web Vitals, fix TTFB (AI crawlers drop sites over 200ms), compress images, implement lazy loading, and verify your layout is fully responsive. A fast, mobile-first site is a prerequisite for AI search visibility in 2026.
Sub-200ms TTFB targetWhat happens when I work on your website
Full Audit
I crawl every page, check title tags, H1s, schema, internal links, speed, and content coverage. I identify every gap between your current setup and what’s needed to outrank your competitors.
Fix Existing Pages
Homepage, service pages, and location pages get rewritten title tags, corrected H1s, schema markup installed, and footer NAP added sitewide. Quick wins first — most changes are live within days.
Build New Pages
Service-area pages built for every service-city combination I target. Each page unique, hyper-local, and structured with answer units for Google AI Overview extraction.
Internal Links
Full internal link architecture implemented — every page linked contextually, no orphans, 2–3 click rule enforced. Blog posts link to commercial pages with exact-match anchor text.
Dental practice, Sunnyvale — page 2 to page 1 in 5 months
H1 said “Welcome to Our Dental Practice.” Title tags under 40 chars. No service-area pages. No schema. No location signals anywhere on the site.
On-page SEO — the questions I get asked most
How is on-page SEO different from technical SEO?
On-page SEO covers the visible content elements of your pages — title tags, H1s, body copy, internal links, and schema markup. Technical SEO covers the infrastructure your site runs on — server speed, crawlability, robots.txt, HTTPS, and Core Web Vitals. Both matter, and I work on both, but on-page changes often produce faster ranking improvements because they directly tell Google what each page is about.
Do I need separate pages for every city I serve?
Yes — if you want to rank organically for searches in multiple cities. A single homepage cannot rank competitively for “plumber San Jose” AND “plumber Santa Clara” AND “plumber Sunnyvale” simultaneously. Dedicated service-area pages with unique, local content for each city are the only reliable way to rank across multiple markets. Each page targets a specific, lower-competition keyword and builds ranking authority independently.
What is schema markup and why does a local business need it in 2026?
Schema markup is structured data code (JSON-LD) added to your website that tells Google and AI search engines exactly what your business is, where you operate, what services you offer, and what customers say about you. In 2026, LocalBusiness schema, FAQPage schema, and areaServed schema are essential for appearing in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT recommendations. Most local business websites have zero schema — implementing it is a straightforward competitive advantage.
Stop losing customers to competitors who outrank you
I’ll audit your current situation — GBP, citations, website, competitors, and AI search visibility — and send you written findings within 5 business days. No pitch. Just the honest picture your previous agency never gave you.
100% free · Written findings in 5 days · I respond within 24 hours · Month-to-month if you proceed
On-Page SEO Works Best With