Marketing Advice for Local Businesses
No thought leadership and no listicles. These are the things we end up explaining on the phone every week, written down so you can read them without booking a call.
How long does SEO take to work?
Four to eight weeks for first signals, three to six months for movement that matters. Here is what happens in each of those months.
September 2026 · Read → Local SEOWhy is my business not showing up on Google Maps?
Nine reasons a local business is invisible in the map pack, in the order worth checking.
September 2026 · Read → Paid AdsHow much should a small business spend on Google Ads?
Work it backwards from what a customer is worth, not from what feels affordable. Here is the arithmetic.
September 2026 · Read → WebsitesDo I need a new website, or can mine be fixed?
Five tests that tell you whether a rebuild is genuinely warranted — and when it is just an expensive way to change the colours.
September 2026 · Read → ReputationHow to get more Google reviews (without breaking the rules)
Asking is allowed. Incentivising is not. The practical process, and the line you must not cross.
August 2026 · Read → StrategySEO or Google Ads — which should I start with?
A one-page decision guide. If the budget only stretches to one, this is how to choose.
August 2026 · Read → MeasurementWhat is a good website conversion rate for a local business?
Realistic benchmarks by business type, and the four things that move the number most.
August 2026 · Read → StrategyWhat percentage of revenue should go to marketing?
The common rules of thumb, why they are only a starting point, and a better way to set the number.
August 2026 · Read → Local SEOThe Google Business Profile checklist most Calgary businesses fail
For a local business, the map pack often produces more calls than the website. Here is the complete list of what to fill in — and the fields almost everyone leaves blank.
August 2026 · Read → Paid AdsFive ways local businesses waste ad budget — and how to check each one
Every account we inherit has at least three of these. None of them need a bigger budget to fix; they need an hour of attention.
August 2026 · Read → StrategySEO or Google Ads: which should a Calgary business start with?
The honest answer is usually both, in a specific order. If the budget only stretches to one, here is how we decide.
July 2026 · Read → ReputationHow to ask for reviews without breaking the rules
Asking is allowed. Incentivising is not. The difference matters, and getting it wrong can cost you the listing.
July 2026 · Read → WebsitesYour website is slow, and it is costing you enquiries
Most local business sites take too long to load on a phone on mobile data. Here is what actually causes it and what to fix first.
June 2026 · Read → StrategyStop spending your marketing budget evenly across the year
Almost no business has flat demand, yet almost every business runs a flat budget. Here is how to weight spend toward the weeks that actually decide your year.
June 2026 · Read → StrategyWork out what a customer is worth before you spend a dollar
It is the single most useful number in marketing, and most local businesses have never calculated it.
May 2026 · Read → StrategyNine questions to ask before hiring a marketing agency
Most agency pitches answer questions nobody asked. These are the ones that predict how the relationship will actually go.
May 2026 · Read →One useful email a month
New guides and checklists as they are published, plus the occasional thing worth knowing. No sequences, no pitch.
Have a question we have not written about?
Ask it directly. You will get a straight answer, not a proposal document.