The Local Visibility Journal
Visibility insights that help local businesses get found.
Practical advice on Google, Maps, AI search and local marketing. No technical language – Just things that help!
- AEO and GEO Case Study: PULO Compliance Results
Here’s what happened with a little AEO and GEO work: I spent a little time each week on PULO Compliance’s neglected website, answering the questions its customers actually… - Has Someone Else Been Editing Your Google Profile?
A friend of mine runs a small salon near Cropwell Bishop. A few months back, a customer rang to say she’d turned up on a Monday and the… - How do you find the questions your customers are asking AI?
In my last post I said that if you only have a little time, you should pick five questions and answer them really well. A few people asked… - Can a small business really get recommended by ChatGPT?
Short answer: yes! I’ve watched it happen recently with one of my clients, and it’s happened much faster than I thought it would! When AI search first started… - Your Google Profile Has a Services Section. Is Yours Empty?
I had a look at a plumber’s Google profile the other week. A good one, based near Bingham, years in the trade, loads of reviews. And under “Services”… - Does Your Website Say “Not Secure”? Here’s What It Means
A plumber near Bottesford rang me last autumn, a bit flustered. His wife had looked at his website on her phone and said it looked “dodgy”… Not the… - Who Mentions Your Business Online? Why Local Links Matter More Than You Think
A while back a lovely woman who runs a dog grooming business near Bingham asked me why a groomer she’d never heard of kept outranking her on Google…. - Your busiest search weeks are coming. Is your profile ready?
Quick one this week… I want to talk about something that trips up a lot of local businesses, and it’s not really about clever wording or SEO tricks…. - Why your website gets visitors but no enquiries
Have you ever wondered why you get website visitors but no enquiries?? Getting found is only half the job… I think sometimes people forget that bit. You do… - The Google Business Profile mistakes I see most often
I look at a lot of Google Business Profiles! Plumbers in Bottesford, salons in Radcliffe on Trent, a farm shop out towards Elton… And after a while you… - What makes a website easy for Google and AI to read
A while back someone showed me their new website on a phone in a car park in Nottingham, absolutely delighted with it. And it was lovely – Proper… - Do you actually need a website?
‘Do you actually need a website these days?’ Someone asked me this recently, in the slightly defensive way people ask when they’ve already made their mind up… “I’ve… - Becky Halls vs seomarketingnottinghamshire.co.uk: which one’s actually local?
If you’ve searched SEO marketing Nottinghamshire and landed on seomarketingnottinghamshire.co.uk, here’s what sits behind it: a digital marketing agency called Altitude Internet, doing mostly SEO, Google Ads and… - Should I do my own local SEO, or pay someone?
Quick answer: You can do every single thing I do, for free, and some of you absolutely should. A Google Business Profile costs nothing. Claiming your Bing and… - Becky Halls vs Merchynt’s Paige: a robot or a person?
Here’s the quick answer to Becky Halls vs Merchynt: Merchynt is a Santa Monica company, and Paige is their AI agent that runs your Google Business Profile for… - Becky Halls: Searchable Alternative? Which one fits a small business?
Looking into a Searchable alternative?? Searchable is a London-built software platform that tracks how brands show up inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI answers, priced in US… - Best farm shops in Nottinghamshire
The best farm shops in Nottinghamshire, ranked by what you’d actually drive there for. Butchery, cafes, veg and the ones worth a detour. - Best physiotherapists in Bingham
The best dentists in Newark-on-Trent, compared. Private and NHS options, what each practice is known for, and what to check before registering. - How to Reply to Reviews (Including the Bad Ones)
Getting reviews is the bit everyone worries about. I wrote a whole post on asking for them without feeling like a pest. But there’s a second half to… - Bing and Apple Maps: The Listings You’ve Forgotten
Most local businesses I talk to have had a go at their Google Business Profile. Maybe not finished it, but they’ve claimed it, stuck a photo on, tidied… - Becky Halls vs Reputation.com: which one actually fits a small local business?
Quick answer: Reputation.com is a big American software platform for managing reviews, listings and customer feedback, priced per location per month, and you only get a price by… - Why slow websites lose customers
A slow website turns customers away before they see what you offer. Here’s why speed matters for local businesses, and simple ways to fix it. - What actually happens when someone searches “near me”
You’ve probably done it yourself this week. Stood in a car park, thumbed “coffee near me” into your phone, and picked one of the first places that came… - The photos on your Google Business Profile are doing more selling than you realise
Quick one to start: when was the last time you actually looked at the photos on your Google Business Profile? Properly looked, like a stranger would. A lot… - Becky Halls vs TendorAI: which one actually suits your business?
Quick answer first, because I know some of you just want this bit: TendorAI is an AI visibility platform built for UK solicitors, accountants, mortgage advisers and estate… - Why your name, address and phone number have to match everywhere
This one sounds boring… I’ll be honest now. But it’s one of the reasons a perfectly good local business ends up further down Google than the place round… - Someone just asked AI recommendations for a business like yours. Did it pick you?
People now ask ChatGPT and Gemini for AI recommendations instead of searching. How to make sure the AI names you, not the firm down the road. - Your Google Business Profile is doing more work than your website. Are you ignoring it?Your Google Business Profile often matters more than your website for local trade. The bits that move the needle, and the mistakes to avoid.
- Getting Found Online – How to Get StartedThere are brilliant little businesses all over Nottinghamshire that are nearly invisible online. Here is what getting found actually means, and the three places people look.
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