Search. In plain English.
Notes on SEO, local search, and AI search optimisation — written for the person doing the work.
-
12 AUGUST 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Marketing roles every small company gets wrong.
The marketing roles small companies get wrong, from hiring a junior to run strategy to expecting one person to do six jobs. Here's how to fix it.
-
11 AUGUST 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Tone of voice: how to sound calm in a category that shouts.
A calm tone of voice wins in loud categories because it signals competence. Here is how small businesses build one that reads as trust, not timidity.
-
10 AUGUST 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Topical authority: how to build it as a small firm.
Topical authority means Google trusts you as a source on a subject. Here is how a small firm builds it with focused content, not volume.
-
9 AUGUST 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Building a marketing team of one (without burning them out).
A marketing team of one works when you cut the job to fit one person, protect focus, and stop measuring output by hours. Here's how to do it without burnout.
-
8 AUGUST 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Pillar pages, cluster content, and the architecture that compounds.
Pillar pages and cluster content organize your site so Google understands what you know. Here's how the architecture works and why it compounds over time.
-
7 AUGUST 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Words to never write in your marketing (and why).
A field guide to the marketing words that quietly cost you clients "world-class," "passionate," "solutions" and what to write instead so people trust you.
-
6 AUGUST 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Why your homepage does the work of four pages — and ranks for none.
Your homepage tries to introduce, sell, prove, and convert all at once. That's why it ranks for nothing. Here's how to split the work across pages.
-
5 AUGUST 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Coaching a junior marketer: the five things to teach first.
The five skills to teach a junior marketer first: how to read data, write plainly, ask why, ship on time, and tie work to revenue. A practical coaching order.
-
4 AUGUST 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
The "say this, not that" table that fixes most copy problems.
A simple side-by-side table fixes most small business copy problems by swapping vague marketing lines for plain, specific sentences your clients actually respond to.
-
3 AUGUST 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
The "people also ask" goldmine most SEOs ignore.
People Also Ask boxes hand you your customers' real questions for free. Here's how to mine them for content that ranks and answers what people actually search.
-
2 AUGUST 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
The agency RFP: how to run one that doesn't waste everyone's time.
How to run an agency RFP that gets you honest proposals and comparable answers, without burning weeks of your time and theirs. A practical guide for owners.
-
1 AUGUST 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
How to write a page that answers what your client actually typed.
A page ranks when it answers the exact question a client typed into search. Here is how to write one that matches intent, not just keywords.
-
31 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Plain English in marketing: a rule we will never apologise for.
Why plain English beats marketing jargon in every piece of small business copy — and how clear writing gets you found, trusted, and hired faster.
-
30 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Positioning: why most professional service sites sound identical.
Most professional service sites sound identical because they describe what they are, not who they help. Here's how positioning fixes that — and why it matters for search.
-
29 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Vendor contracts: three clauses every founder should understand.
The three vendor contract clauses that decide who owns your marketing assets, how you exit, and what you actually pay. Plain English for founders.
-
28 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Brand voice: how to write one down so the team can use it.
A brand voice guide only works if the team can actually use it. Here's how to write one down in plain terms, with examples your writers will follow.
-
27 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Query-to-page mapping: one page, one job.
Query-to-page mapping means every page on your site answers one search intent. Here's how to assign one job per page and stop competing with yourself.
-
26 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Switching agencies without losing six months of progress.
Switching SEO or marketing agencies doesn't have to cost you six months of rankings. Here's how to move vendors while keeping your progress, data, and momentum intact.
-
25 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Long-tail vs short-tail: what to write when starting from zero.
Starting from zero on search? Write long-tail keywords first. They convert better, rank faster, and match what your clients actually type. Here's how to choose.
-
24 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
When to rebrand vs when to refresh.
A rebrand changes who you are to the market. A refresh updates how you look. Here's how to tell which one your business actually needs before you spend a dollar.
-
23 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Search intent: the four types, and why most pages get them wrong.
Search intent is the reason behind a search. There are four types, and matching your page to the right one is why some rank and others never do.
-
22 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
When to fire a vendor: the signals that matter.
How to tell when a marketing vendor should go — the signals that matter, the ones that don't, and how to run the conversation without burning your budget.
-
21 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Typography for trust: choosing fonts for a professional brand.
Fonts shape how much a professional business is trusted before a word is read. Here is how to choose typography that reads as credible, calm, and easy to trust.
-
20 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Keyword research without paid tools: a 90-minute workflow.
A 90-minute keyword research workflow using only free tools. No paid subscriptions. Built for small business owners who want to find the terms clients actually search.
-
19 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
The vendor scorecard: the simple tool that holds everyone accountable.
A vendor scorecard is a one-page tool that tracks what each marketing vendor promised, delivered, and cost. Here's how to build one and use it monthly.
-
18 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Local schema: LocalBusiness, Service, and what most agencies skip.
Local schema helps Google understand your business, but most agencies stop at LocalBusiness. Here is what to add and what gets skipped.
-
17 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Colour palette discipline: why three colours beats twelve.
Three colours beat twelve because a small palette is easier to reproduce, cheaper to run, and easier for clients to recognize. Here's how to set your palette.
-
16 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
How to handle a fake negative review (without panicking).
A fake negative review needs a calm, documented response and a flag to Google — not panic. Here's the step-by-step for small business owners.
-
15 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Scope creep: how to spot it, stop it, when to renegotiate.
Scope creep quietly drains marketing budgets. Here's how to spot the early signs, stop the slide, and when to renegotiate the contract instead.
-
14 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Logo design for professional services: restraint as strategy.
A good logo for a professional services firm does one job: signal competence without noise. Here's why restraint beats decoration for law firms, clinics, and advisors.
-
13 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Citation cleanup: the unglamorous first 20 hours of local SEO.
Citation cleanup is the tedious first job in local SEO: finding and fixing your business name, address, and phone number everywhere they appear online. Here is how to do it right.
-
12 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Vendor management: the cadence that prevents nasty surprises.
A simple review cadence for managing marketing vendors so problems surface early. What to check monthly, quarterly, and annually to avoid nasty surprises.
-
11 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Multi-location SEO: GBP for two clinics without cannibalising.
Two clinics, one owner, one search footprint. Here's how to run separate Google Business Profiles for each location without the two listings competing against each other.
-
10 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
The brand book: what to include, what to leave out, when to ship it.
A brand book for a small business needs about five things, not fifty. Here's what to include, what to cut, and when to ship it instead of polishing forever.
-
9 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Local SEO for dentists: what a 60-day fix actually looks like.
A 60-day plan to fix local SEO for a dental practice. What to fix in the first two weeks, what to expect by day 60, and what a real timeline looks like.
-
8 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
PR agencies for small companies: are they ever worth it?
PR agencies work for some small companies and waste money for most. Here's how to tell which one you are before you sign a retainer.
-
7 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Brand identity vs brand book: which do you actually need?
Brand identity is the parts. A brand book is the rulebook that keeps them consistent. Most small businesses need identity first — and only need a book once they hand off the work.
-
6 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Local SEO for law firms: the four-page structure that wins.
Most law firms lose local search by cramming everything onto the homepage. The fix is four pages: one per practice area, one per city you serve. Here's how it works.
-
5 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Content agencies: the brief that gets you content worth using.
A good content brief tells the agency who the reader is, what the piece must do, and how you'll judge it. Here's the brief that gets you content worth publishing.
-
4 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Why your competitor with the worse website is outranking you locally.
Your competitor with the uglier website outranks you locally because Google's local rankings reward proximity, reviews, and consistent signals over site design.
-
3 JULY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Trademark basics every founder should know before naming.
A plain-English guide to trademark basics for founders naming a business — what a trademark protects, how to run a clearance search, and the mistakes that cost you later.
-
2 JULY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Map pack ranking: the three signals that actually move it.
Three signals move the Google map pack: proximity, relevance, and prominence. Here is what each one means, what you can control, and where the effort pays off.
-
1 JULY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Paid ads agency: when to hire one, when to bring it in-house.
How to decide between hiring a paid ads agency and running ads in-house — the volume, complexity, and oversight signals that point either way for a small business.
-
30 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Choosing a domain in 2026: the rules have changed.
Picking a domain in 2026 isn't about exact-match keywords or chasing new extensions. Here's what actually matters now: brand clarity, trust signals, and a name people remember.
-
29 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
GBP posts: are they worth the time? An honest answer.
Google Business Profile posts are worth a small, steady effort for most local businesses — but not the daily grind some agencies sell. Here's the honest math.
-
28 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Working with a web design agency: how to brief them properly.
A good brief tells a web design agency what your business does, who it serves, and what the site must achieve. Here is how to write one that saves you money.
-
27 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Service-area businesses: the GBP settings most owners get wrong.
Service-area businesses keep getting the same Google Business Profile settings wrong. Here's what to fix — hidden address, service areas, primary category, and more.
-
26 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Why most law firm names are forgettable (and what to do instead).
Most law firm names blur together because they're built from surnames and legal jargon. Here's why that hurts you in search and what to name your firm instead.
-
25 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
How to get reviews without paying for them or asking robots.
You get more reviews by asking real clients at the right moment, making it easy, and following up once. No payment, no fake reviews, no bots.
-
24 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Hiring an SEO agency: five questions that filter out the bad ones.
Five questions that separate SEO agencies worth hiring from the ones that will waste your money. What to ask, what good answers sound like, and the red flags.
-
23 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Naming a professional services business: three failure modes.
Professional services business names fail in three predictable ways. Learn to spot them before you file the paperwork — and before your clients can't find you.
-
22 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Local citations: which ones still matter in 2026, which to skip.
Local citations still matter in 2026, but only a handful drive real ranking power. Here's which directories to build, which to skip, and how to stop wasting time on dead platforms.
-
21 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
The board-ready marketing report: structure, length, frequency.
A board-ready marketing report needs a single page of outcomes, a section on what the numbers mean, and a clear next step. Here's the structure, length, and cadence that works.
-
20 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
NAP consistency: the boring fix that beats every link-building scheme.
NAP consistency — matching your business name, address, and phone across every directory — is the unglamorous fix that stabilises local search rankings faster than most link campaigns ever will.
-
19 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Positioning statement vs tagline vs mission: three different jobs.
A positioning statement, tagline, and mission statement do three different jobs. Mixing them up wastes all three. Here's how to tell them apart and use each one correctly.
-
18 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Why your business doesn't show when San Diego clients search for you.
Your San Diego business isn't showing up in local search because of fixable technical, profile, and content gaps. Here's what causes invisibility and how to resolve it.
-
17 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
When the founder is the marketer: the moment to bring in help.
Most founders handle marketing until it quietly breaks. Here's how to spot the moment when carrying it yourself stops being scrappy and starts costing you.
-
16 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Repositioning: when (and when not) to do it.
Repositioning makes sense when the market has shifted or your clients have changed — but it's the wrong move when the real problem is execution, not identity. Here's how to tell the difference.
-
15 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Google Business Profile: the categories that move the map pack.
Your Google Business Profile category choices directly control which map pack searches you appear in. Here's how to pick the ones that actually bring clients through the door.
-
14 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Building a marketing function from zero: a 90-day playbook.
A 90-day playbook for building a marketing function from zero — what to do in weeks 1–12, what to skip, and when to bring in a Fractional CMO to lead it.
-
13 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
The 12-point technical audit we run on every client site.
A 12-point technical audit covers the site issues that quietly block search visibility — crawlability, speed, structure, and more. Here's exactly what we check and why each point matters.
-
12 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Positioning a firm that does many things: the focus paradox.
Firms that do many things struggle to position clearly — not because they lack focus, but because they solve the wrong problem. Here's how to fix it without shrinking your service list.
-
11 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Core Web Vitals fixes you can ship this afternoon.
Core Web Vitals fixes don't all require a developer. Here are the changes you can make this afternoon to improve LCP, CLS, and INP without touching your codebase.
-
10 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Strategic leadership for small teams: how to lead without managing.
Strategic leadership for small teams means setting direction clearly, removing blockers, and trusting your people to execute — without micromanaging every step. Here's how it works.
-
9 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Niching down: the math that makes it terrifying — and right.
Niching down feels like losing revenue. Here's the math that shows why a smaller audience almost always produces more clients, higher fees, and faster growth.
-
8 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
HTTPS, mixed content, and the trust signals you can't fake.
HTTPS and mixed content errors are silent trust killers for small business websites. Here's what they are, why they matter for search, and how to fix them.
-
7 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
The annual marketing plan: the document that earns its existence.
An annual marketing plan earns its existence when it connects every tactic to a business goal, sets a clear budget, and gives the owner a way to say no to distractions.
-
6 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
404s, 301s, and what to do with the old pages you don't need.
404s and 301 redirects explained for small business owners: when to delete a page, when to redirect it, and how to stop leaking search value through broken URLs.
-
5 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
How to position yourself against a louder, larger competitor.
A smaller business can beat a louder competitor by owning the specific ground the bigger player ignores. Here's how to find that ground and hold it.
-
4 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
JavaScript SEO: when your front end is hiding you from Google.
If your website relies heavily on JavaScript to display content, Google may not be reading it at all. Here's how to tell — and what to fix first.
-
3 JUNE 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Why most marketing strategies fail in execution, not design.
Most marketing strategies fail because the plan never connects to the people, systems, and daily decisions that actually drive results. Here's what breaks down—and how to fix it.
-
2 JUNE 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
The "who is this for" question that kills bad positioning fast.
The 'who is this for' question exposes weak positioning faster than any audit. Here's how to use it to sharpen your message and attract the clients you actually want.
-
1 JUNE 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Image SEO: the boring 20-minute fix that compounds for years.
Fix your image alt text, file names, and file sizes in under 20 minutes. Here's why those three small changes keep paying off in search for years.
-
31 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Marketing strategy on one page: how to write it, how to use it.
A one-page marketing strategy tells you what you're selling, who wants it, and what to say next. Here's how to write one that actually guides decisions.
-
30 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Why duplicate content is silently costing you rankings.
Duplicate content confuses search engines, splits ranking signals, and quietly buries pages you need found. Here's what causes it and how to fix it.
-
29 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Positioning for service businesses: clarity beats cleverness.
Positioning for service businesses comes down to one thing: clarity. Learn why being specific about who you serve and what you do wins more clients than being clever.
-
28 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Mobile-first indexing: what changed, what most sites haven't fixed.
Mobile-first indexing is now the default for every site Google crawls. Here's what actually changed, why most SME sites still have unfixed gaps, and what to do about it.
-
27 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Setting a marketing strategy when you have no data.
You can set a useful marketing strategy with no data — but only if you know what questions to ask first. Here's how to start from zero without wasting money.
-
26 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
The competitive frame: positioning isn't about you, it's about them.
Positioning isn't about your credentials or services — it's about the specific problem your ideal client is already trying to solve. Here's how to frame it around them.
-
25 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Sitemap, robots.txt, canonical tags: three files that run your SEO.
Sitemap, robots.txt, and canonical tags are three small files that control what Google crawls, indexes, and treats as the authoritative version of your pages. Here's what each one does.
-
24 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
The quarterly strategy review: the meeting most companies skip.
Most companies skip the quarterly strategy review and pay for it in drift, wasted spend, and missed pivots. Here is what the meeting is, why it matters, and how to run one.
-
23 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Internal links: the free SEO most sites still get wrong.
Internal links are free SEO that most small business sites waste. Here's what they actually do, how to audit yours in an hour, and the mistakes worth fixing first.
-
22 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Category design: when to invent a category, when to claim one.
Category design is one of the highest-leverage moves in positioning — but most SMEs use it wrong. Here's when to invent a category and when to claim one that already exists.
-
21 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Crawl errors: how to find them in 20 minutes.
Crawl errors stop Google from indexing your pages. Here's how to find every broken URL, redirect loop, and blocked resource in under 20 minutes using free tools.
-
20 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
What a Fractional CMO does in their first 30 days.
A fractional CMO's first 30 days follow a clear pattern: audit, align, and build a 90-day plan the business can actually execute. Here's what that looks like in practice.
-
19 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
The one-sentence positioning test: can a stranger repeat it?
Your positioning statement works only if a stranger can repeat it after one hearing. Here's a simple test — and what to do when they can't.
-
18 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Schema markup, in plain English.
Schema markup is structured code you add to your website so search engines understand what your content means — not just what it says. Here's what it does and why it matters.
-
17 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
The plumbing under your homepage: what we audit first.
A technical SEO audit starts with crawlability, indexation, site speed, and structured data — not rankings. Here's what we check first and why the order matters.
-
16 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
Fractional CMO vs agency: the difference that matters.
A fractional CMO sits inside your business and owns the strategy. An agency executes tasks. Here's how to tell which one your company actually needs.
-
15 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Why most small business positioning statements sound identical.
Most small business positioning statements sound identical because owners describe what they do, not why buyers should choose them over everyone else. Here's how to fix that.
-
14 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Core Web Vitals: the three numbers that decide if Google bothers.
Core Web Vitals are three Google metrics — LCP, INP, and CLS — that measure real loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Fail them and your rankings suffer.
-
13 MAY 2026 · FRACTIONAL CMO
When you actually need a Fractional CMO (and when you don't).
You need a Fractional CMO when marketing strategy is the bottleneck — not execution. Here's how to tell the difference, and when it's a waste of your money.
-
12 MAY 2026 · BRAND & ROADMAPS
Positioning, not branding: the difference that decides everything.
Positioning tells the market who you are for and why they should choose you. Branding makes that story visible. Confuse the two and neither works.
-
11 MAY 2026 · SEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Why your slow site is a sales problem, not an IT problem.
A slow website costs you sales, not just search rankings. Here's why page speed is a revenue issue and what to do about it.