Technical SEO
We fix what stops Google reading your site, in the code itself rather than with another plugin.
- Page speed and Core Web Vitals
- Crawling, indexing, redirects and sitemaps
- Structured data that matches the page
Services
SEO and AI search optimization
We help businesses in Chicago and across the US get found on Google and named in AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google. It starts with how your site is built.
Get found
From one search to a quote request
Follow a buyer from their phone to your contact form. Every step is something we build into your site.
They type what they need and where. Most of your next clients start this way.
An AI answer names a few, the map shows three, and everyone else is further down.
Titles and headings for what your buyers search, on fast pages with clean code that search engines read easily.
Clear pages, structured data and direct answers make it more likely Google and AI tools name you.
It says what you do and where you work, with a clear way to ask for a quote.
We report from Search Console, so you can see what is moving.
Below: what we do, how it runs each month and what you see in your report.
What we do
Everything search needs, from one team
Search is six jobs that depend on each other. We do all six, on sites we build and on sites built by others.
Local SEO and Google Business Profile
For buyers who search with a city or “near me”. Your Business Profile and your site should tell Google the same story.
- Business Profile set-up and upkeep
- The same name, address and phone everywhere
- Pages for the areas you serve
Content and on-page SEO
Pages that answer what your buyers ask, written for the searches that bring you work.
- Keyword research from real search data
- Service, area and answer pages
- Titles, headings, descriptions and internal links
Links and citations
Mentions and links from sites people already trust. We earn them; we never buy them.
- Directory and review-site listings
- Links from clients, partners and associations
- Fixing broken links that point to you
AI search
Being cited and named in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- Direct answers near the top of key pages
- Letting AI search crawlers reach your site
- Checking what AI tools say about you
Analytics and reporting
Search Console and Google Analytics set up properly, so you see real inquiries, not bots.
- Search Console and GA4 set-up
- Tracking for forms and phone calls
- A plain report every month
How it works
Audit, fix, publish, measure, improve
The audit comes first. After that the work runs in a monthly loop, and each month starts from what the numbers show.
Step 1: Audit
We check how your site is built, what it ranks for today and what holds it back, using Search Console, a full crawl and your analytics.
You getA short written audit, with fixes in order of impact.
Step 2: Fix
Technical problems go first: slow pages, broken links and redirects, pages Google can’t index and missing structured data.
You getA faster, cleaner site and a list of every change.
Step 3: Publish
We improve the pages you have and add the ones buyers look for: services, the areas you serve and answers to their questions.
You getNew and better pages, each one approved by you.
Step 4: Measure
We track searches, clicks, positions and inquiries, and check what AI tools say about your business.
You getA plain report every month.
Step 5: Improve
The numbers choose next month’s work: which pages to improve, which questions to answer, which links to chase.
You getNext month’s plan, agreed with you.
Every month
A report you can read in five minutes
No dashboards to decode. Once a month you get a short report that says what we did, what moved and what comes next.
Monthly search reportExample
- Searches you showed up for, and how often
- Clicks from Google, and the pages people landed on
- Positions for the searches that matter most to you
- Inquiries from search: form sends and phone calls
- AI answers: whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI features name you, for a set list of questions
- What we did, and the plan for next month
The figures come from your own Search Console and Google Analytics, which you can open any time.
SEO and AI search
AI search runs on the same groundwork as SEO
Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. What changes is how people ask, and what they see.
What stays the same
- Google can only link to a page in AI Overviews or AI Mode if it’s indexed and eligible to show a snippet in Search.
- Fast, helpful pages written for people still come first.
- Structured data helps when it matches what’s on the page. There’s no special AI markup or AI text file to add.
- Google still has to be allowed to crawl your pages, and find them through your own links.
- An up-to-date Google Business Profile still matters.
What's different
- People ask longer questions and expect a direct answer, so your pages need to give one.
- One AI answer can link to several sites. Being one of its sources counts, not only ranking first.
- ChatGPT and Perplexity send their own search crawlers, OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot, which your site has to let in.
- Search Console counts AI Overviews and AI Mode inside its normal Web results, with no separate AI report.
- Answers change from one ask to the next, so we track a set list of questions over time.
Proof
The record behind the work
Our numbers since 2014, and what LabKey saw after we designed and built its site.
300+
Custom websites launchedSites launched
243
Client reviews on Upwork, Google and ClutchClient reviews
4.9 out of 5
Average rating across all 243 reviewsAverage rating
12
Years building websites in ChicagoYears in Chicago
The site is super-fast and we can see the difference when analyzed with various tools as well as in our own interactions with the site. We are also seeing positive increases in our search positioning, user traffic and page views.
Speed test
Performance 100
LabKey's finished site in a speed test
It scored 100 for performance, with the main content on screen in 0.6 seconds. From the LabKey case study, April 2023.
Questions
Questions about SEO and AI search
Something else on your mind? We're happy to talk it through.
- How much does SEO cost?
- It depends on the size of your site, how much needs fixing and how many new pages you need each month. We quote it after a short call and a first look at your site.
- How long does SEO take?
- Usually several months. Google picks up fixes as it recrawls your pages, which can take days or months, and new pages and links take longer to build up. Your monthly report shows what is moving.
- Can you guarantee a first-page ranking?
- No. Google decides rankings, and its own advice is that no one can guarantee a #1 ranking. What we can promise is the work, a plain report every month and straight advice on what is and isn’t moving. Google’s advice on hiring an SEO.
- What is AI search optimization?
- Making it more likely that ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews find your pages, quote them and name your business. Most of it is good SEO: clear pages, direct answers, accurate facts and a site their crawlers can reach. Read our article on AI and search.
- Can you get our business named in ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers?
- We can make it more likely, not certain. We make sure their crawlers can reach your site, that your pages say plainly what you do and where, and that trusted sites mention you. Then we check a set list of questions every month to see if you’re named.
- Do you do local SEO for Chicago businesses?
- Yes. We’re a Chicago team, and we work on Business Profiles, local pages and reviews for businesses here and across the US. About our Chicago work.
- Do you work on WordPress sites you didn’t build?
- Yes. Most of the sites we build run on WordPress, and we often take over WordPress sites from other developers. We start with an audit, then fix what holds the site back. About WordPress development.
- Do you use AI to write content?
- We use AI tools to research and draft, and a person edits and checks every page before you see it. We don’t publish pages in bulk: Google treats mass-produced pages made to game rankings as spam.
Insights
Insights on search from our team
Plain answers to the questions we hear most about Google, AI and getting found.
How ChatGPT and other generative AI are changing search
You’ve probably heard about ChatGPT and other large-language-model generative AI that has been all over the news recently. Depending on what business sector you are in, this may or may not be something you’re actively discussing at work. But one thing seems certain: with its ability to understand and generate human-like text, these AI tools will have huge impacts on nearly every business in the coming years. This is a technology with a very large potential to change the way we interact with the world.
Read the article
What is structured data, and how can it help my website?
So, you’ve got a great new website with a captivating design and a great message. Maybe you even got Millennial Web Development to build it (extra points for that!). Now you just need people to visit your site. But that’s not always as easy as it seems.
Read the article
Google rankings and SEO
If you’re like most people embarking on the creation of a new website, you probably have heard about SEO. Maybe you know that you are supposed to work on the SEO of the new site, but you’re not quite sure what that entails, or where to start, or why it would be worth the extra energy and/or cost.
Read the article
Ten steps to digitally market your local business and succeed online
Congrats. You’ve built a new local business and you want to spread the word. Time to start bringing the customers in! But how do you most effectively reach them? Where do you find them and how do you inform them that you’re the new business to check out?
Read the article
Staying on top: how to audit your own website, and why you should
If you’ve been in the website game for a while, you know how much work it takes to get your website launched and looking great. But, like anything in business, once you’re on top, it’s even more work to stay there. It’s like the rapper Dr. Dre says about success, “Anyone can get it – the hard part is keeping it”.
Read the article
The benefits of Google Analytics
Congratulations, you’ve done it! Your professional website is up and running, and the business you’ve long dreamt of is now a reality. Time to pop the champagne, right? Not so fast! In today’s highly competitive online business world, having a great business idea and a world-class website is only half the battle. Keeping up with what’s working, what’s not, who’s coming and who’s leaving your site is crucial to the success of your business. So if you haven’t already, it’s time to get familiar with Google Analytics.
Read the article