Journal / Field notes

Notes from the studio.

Essays, methodology, and field notes on getting trade businesses found on Google and AI search — SEO, AI optimization, web design, and the business of keeping technicians busy.

01More from the journal
AI Optimization

Google AI Overviews Are Killing Your Trade Business's Organic Traffic. Here's What to Do About It.

AI Overviews are shrinking organic results by up to 40%. For independent trade businesses already struggling on page 3, this is existential. But there's a counter-strategy that most shops are completely ignoring.

7 min · #02
Lead Generation

How Many Calls Is Your Trade Business Missing? (The Number Will Shock You)

We tracked missed calls across 25 trade businesses for 30 days. The average? 18 missed calls per week. At £186 per missed call, that's thousands in lost revenue every single week.

5 min · #03
GEO

Is ChatGPT Recommending Your Trade Business? If Not, Here's Why.

More people are asking AI for local business recommendations. We tested 500 home services queries across ChatGPT and Perplexity. Here's what determines who gets recommended - and who gets ignored.

8 min · #04
Local SEO

The Complete Hyperlocal SEO Guide for Home Service Trade Businesses (2026)

A step-by-step guide to dominating local search in every neighbourhood you serve. From programmatic service-area pages to citation building, this is the playbook that fills appointment books.

12 min · #05
Strategy

How Independent Trade Businesses Can Compete With National Chains Online

National chains spend millions on digital marketing. But they have a weakness you can exploit: they can't do hyperlocal. Here's the playbook for beating the big boys in your postcode.

6 min · #06
Reviews

From 12 to 150 Google Reviews in 6 Months: A Trade Business Owner's Playbook

Google reviews are the #1 local ranking factor. Here's the automated system our clients use to build review count on autopilot without awkward ask-in-person moments.

5 min · #07
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