“Is this thing on?”
If you’ve been “doing SEO” for a while and it still feels chaotic, this is for you. And before we go further, I put together 7 AI Prompts for Local SEO that will help you think more strategically before you start changing things on your site.
Now let’s talk about why SEO feels so overwhelming in the first place.
Most local service providers I work with aren’t doing nothing. They’re actually doing a lot. They’ve read articles. Watched videos. Tweaked headlines. Published a few blog posts. Asked for reviews.
They’re putting in effort, but it doesn’t feel like it’s adding up.
And let me assure you, these are not the issues:
- Your market is not too saturated.
- SEO is not dead.
- You don’t need a different website platform.
Most business owners I see are taking an ad-hoc approach with their SEO. This isn’t intentional of course. They’re just implementing tactics as they learn about them online.
But here’s the deal with how SEO works, especially local SEO — it only works when you do the right tasks in the right order.
An ad-hoc SEO strategy is like going to the gym and doing random exercises each time you walk in. You’re showing up. You’re trying. You’re putting in effort. But without a program, you’re probably not going to get the full result you want.
“Maybe my market is too saturated.”
I hear this all the time.
You search your service in your city and see competitors ranking above you. It’s easy to assume the arena is crowded and there’s no room left.
But local search isn’t global search.
You’re not competing with the entire internet. You’re competing within a geographic radius, for specific services, with real buying intent behind them. In most cities, many competitors aren’t even paying close attention to their SEO strategy. I can see this when I start digging into their Google Business Profiles, websites, and more.
Saturation is rarely the real issue. You likely don’t have all your SEO ducks in a row, which is the real issue… even if you feel like you’ve done #allthethings.
“I’m pretty sure this is what my audience is searching.”
In most cases, the first SEO duck out of line is target keywords.
If a business owner is optimizing for keywords (many aren’t), they often optimize for the phrases that sound right to them — instead of the one people are actually typing into Google.
If your foundational keywords are slightly off, every blog post, every headline, every optimization that follows undermines your efforts.
Keyword strategy is the blueprint.
If you build a house without a blueprint — or worse, with the wrong one — you might still end up with something standing. But every room you add later is affected by those first decisions.
SEO works the same way.
A solid SEO keyword strategy based on data is non-negotiable for SEO success.
When the blueprint is off, everything built on top of it gets wonky.
“I just need more traffic.”
Let’s say you fix the keyword issue. You stop guessing. You start optimizing for keywords based on actual data.
That’s powerful, but it’s still just one piece of the puzzle.
Because showing up in Google results alone doesn’t create bookings.
That’s just the starting line.
Once someone gets to your website, you’ve got to get them over the finish line.
You want them to convert (take an action). And when your site is in its best possible shape to make that happen, we say that it’s optimized to convert.
Trying to get more traffic before addressing conversion is like pouring more water into a bucket with a small crack in the bottom. You might see movement for a while, but the underlying issue doesn’t disappear.
More traffic amplifies what’s already there.
If your messaging is unclear, your calls to action are buried, or your trust signals are weak, increasing traffic just magnifies that friction.
This is where many local businesses get discouraged. They assume ranking will automatically lead to inquiries. Sometimes it does. But often, it doesn’t — because their site wasn’t intentionally set up to take visitors and turn them into leads.
“It’s a normal slow season.”
There’s another belief that sneaks in quietly.
“This time of year is always slow.”
And sometimes, seasonality is real. Buying cycles exist.
But, I’d like to have you challenge that belief.
And I’m asking you to challenge it, because I’ve had clients tell me that a certain time of the year is typically slow for them, but their SEO optimization turned it around for them.
Order Is Everything
I know it sounds dramatic, but please believe me when I say I’m really not a dramatic person. I say this bluntly because it really matters.
Local SEO works when you do the right tasks in the right order.
Often I see these issues:
- Skipping keyword strategy altogether.
- Trying to get more traffic before making sure their website is optimized to convert.
- Jumping between SEO tactics without a bigger, intentional plan.
- Working on SEO tasks that don’t actually make a difference.
So much of local SEO is not implementing complex strategies. It’s about checking off all the boxes, in the order they’re listed.
When you start with clear, data-backed keywords, then optimize intentionally around them, and finally ensure your website converts the traffic it receives, momentum becomes predictable… dare I say inevitable. 🚀
My 3-Part SEO Framework
Everything I’ve talked about so far is the bedrock of how I do SEO.
My framework rests on three core steps:
- Identify your money-making keywords.
- Optimize your website for SEO.
- Optimize your website for conversion.
When those three pieces work together, results compound.
When one is missing, you won’t see momentum and traction.
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing the right things, in the right order.
Where AI Fits (And Where It Doesn’t)
AI is a powerful tool. I use it regularly.
It’s helpful for refining meta titles and descriptions. Brainstorming content angles. Drafting FAQs. Clarifying messaging.
But AI cannot be trusted for keyword research.
It doesn’t have access to live search data. It predicts ideas. That’s different from knowing what people are actually searching online.
AI can accelerate your execution of local SEO. It can’t replace data and strategy.
P.S. Speaking of AI… I’ve put together a free guide for you. Get Found on Google: 7 ChatGPT Prompts for Local Service Providers. Download it here→
TL;DR
If there’s one thing (okay, six things) you come away with from this post, I want it to be this:
- You don’t need to implement every SEO tactic under the sun to see results with local SEO.
- You just need to implement the right tasks, in the right order.
- I promise you, your market likely isn’t too saturated. I guarantee most of your competitors aren’t even touching their SEO.
- First, start with keyword research based on data (ChatGPT can’t do this).
- Then, optimize your website for SEO.
- Finally, optimize your website for conversion. Because if your website isn’t optimized to convert, it doesn’t matter how high you rank on Google or how much traffic you get to your website.
