FIELD NOTES · BLOG
How local businesses actually grow.
Plainspoken guides for the owner-operator: local SEO, reviews, conversion mechanics, industry deep dives, and comparisons that make sense if you've ever been quoted $25,000 for a website.
How to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini for local searches
An 8-week playbook for local businesses to land citations inside AI answers. The 60-word block, FAQ schema, and tracking grid we use to move clients from 0 to 1-3 monthly mentions in ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Read the essay →NAP consistency: the boring fix that doubles local rankings
Name, Address, Phone — identical across 23+ directories. The least sexy item on a local SEO audit and the one that moves Map Pack rank more reliably than almost anything else. Here's how to do it in a week.
How to ask for reviews without sounding desperate (8 templates)
Review velocity moves Map Pack rank more than star count. Here's the SMS + email script library we use to take a typical local business from 1.2 reviews/month to 6+ inside 30 days.
The Google Business Profile setup checklist for local businesses (2026)
A line-by-line GBP checklist used by Growth Local Co. on every audit. Categories, attributes, services, photos, posts cadence, Q&A — what changed in 2026 and what still matters.
Review velocity beats star rating · why 4.4 with 240 outranks 4.9 with 12
A 4.4-star business with 240 reviews outranks a 4.9 with 12 in 9 of 10 Map Pack queries we audit. The asymmetry, the math, and 3 mechanics that move velocity in 30 days.
SEO vs. GEO: what every local business owner needs to know in 2026
Traditional SEO ranks you on a list. GEO gets you cited inside the answer. For a local business in 2026, the two run on different signals and you need both. Here is what changed, and what to do about it.
When Squarespace is the right answer · and when you've outgrown it
Squarespace isn't bad. It's just the wrong shelf for $1M+ operators. Where the line is, what to look for, and the 8 yes/no questions that decide keep vs migrate. Pricing-redacted philosophy comparison.
More than a website: why local businesses need an operating system
Most local businesses don't have a marketing problem — they have a tool problem. Six vendors, no clarity, the asset is rented. Here's what an operating system replaces, and why it matters in 2026.