The local SEO deep dive

Built to be found.
Engineered to convert.

If you're a service business in Ohio (or anywhere), the map pack is the new front page. This is the five-layer system we run to put clients on it, and keep them there.

0%Best lift in Maps calls, 90 days
15.4Avg. positions gained, grid-wide
0+Citations cleaned per client
No black box

SEO without the mystery retainer.

Most business owners have been told they need SEO. Nobody explains what actually gets done. Harrigan Creative audits first, identifies the bottlenecks, fixes the work that matters, and shows you the numbers. If a one-time cleanup is enough, Henry will say so. If a 90-day push is warranted, he will show you why before any work starts.

Audit first, always One-time cleanup available Month-to-month ongoing plans Plain-English reporting No long contract
The work, in real time

We move local rankings across the map, not just one pin on it.

Most agencies report on the average. We report on every grid square inside your service radius. Watch a real client climb across a 5×5 search area in 90 days.

Rank
11+
4–10
2–3
#1
Avg. local rank
#18.6#3.2
15.4 positions gained
Across 25 grid squares inside the service area, weighted by population density.
Calls from Maps
12/mo186/mo
+1,450% in 90 days
Tracked through GBP insights and call-tracking numbers we provision per client.
What changed

Audit, then a 90-day plan: on-page rebuild, citation cleanup, GBP optimization, weekly content, and review velocity. No magic. Just the work, done well.

Our local system

Five layers, working together. Most agencies run two.

Local SEO isn't one service. It's a stack. We rebuild every layer for every client. Skip one and the rest stop compounding. This is the system that took the client on the previous map from page two to position one across a 25-square service area in 90 days.

  1. 01

    Geo-grid rank scans

    We map your real position in every grid square inside your service area: 25 points minimum, 49 for larger radii. Run weekly. Drive-time-adjusted, not just zip-code-based. You see where you actually rank when somebody three minutes away searches you. Not the "average" your last agency reported.

    Tools we run · Local Falcon · Local Viking · custom Looker dashboards
  2. 02

    Drive-time audience targeting

    Most agencies target by zip code. Zip codes don't drive cars. We bound campaigns by isochrone, the actual 10-, 15-, or 20-minute drive shape from your front door. Same budget, two to four times the qualified clicks. You stop paying for impressions in places that were never going to call you.

    Where it shows up · Google Ads radius bidding · Meta drive-time geos · GBP service area
  3. 03

    GBP & review velocity

    Your Google Business Profile is your front door. We rebuild the categories, attributes, photos, services, and Q&A, then turn on a review system that asks the right customer at the right moment, the right way. No incentives, no policy violations, just better timing. Most clients triple their review pace inside 60 days.

    What we install · GBP optimization · review request automation · response SLAs
  4. 04

    Schema, citations, technical SEO

    The unsexy layer that makes the rest work. LocalBusiness, Organization, Service, and FAQ schema deployed and validated. NAP consistency across 60+ citation directories. Title and meta tags rebuilt to under 60 characters with city-and-service intent. Duplicate pages 301'd. Staging links nuked. Core Web Vitals into the green.

    Standard deliverables · 14-point technical audit · schema deployment · citation cleanup
  5. 05

    AI Overview visibility

    Half of Google searches now ship an AI Overview before the blue links. Brand mentions correlate with AI citations three times stronger than backlinks do. We deploy llms.txt, optimize for citability (134–167-word answer blocks), and seed brand-mention signals on YouTube, Reddit, and Wikipedia where it matters. Done right, you get cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity for queries your old SEO never touched.

    The 2026 layer · llms.txt · citability scoring · brand-mention strategy · GEO audits

Each layer feeds the next. That's why our results compound: month two outperforms month one, and month six outperforms month two. Most agencies stop at layer two. We don't.

See the full system in your industry
How we work

A 90-day arc: audit, build, ship, optimize.

01

Audit

Week one. We map your current map-pack rank, GBP, schema, citations, and site against three direct competitors. You leave the kickoff with a heatmap and a punch list, even if you never hire us.

02

Build

Weeks two through four. We rebuild what's broken: landing pages, GBP, schema, tracking, citation cleanup. Every change is documented in a shared doc. Nothing happens that you don't see.

03

Ship

Day thirty. Content cadence starts, the review system flips on, the geo-grid baseline runs. From here, you should feel the phone ringing differently.

04

Optimize

Day thirty onward, forever. Weekly grid scans, monthly strategy call, quarterly plan. We don't set and forget. And remember: month-to-month, so we earn the next thirty days every thirty days.

How engagements are scoped

Four types of SEO work. Scoped to fit.

After the audit, you know exactly which of these applies. Most clients start with Foundation Cleanup and move into Maintenance or Growth once the foundation holds. No prebuilt package is required. The audit decides.

Foundation Cleanup

Best for: businesses with no prior SEO work, a suspended or neglected GBP, or bad citation data dragging down rankings.

  • Full technical and local SEO audit
  • GBP rebuild and category optimization
  • NAP cleanup across 60+ citation directories
  • Schema deployment and Core Web Vitals triage
  • On-page title and meta rebuild for primary service pages
Scoped as a fixed project after audit. One-time engagement. No ongoing commitment required.
Local Maintenance

Best for: businesses whose foundation is clean and need consistent upkeep to protect and hold their current map-pack position.

  • Weekly geo-grid rank scans
  • Monthly GBP posts and photo updates
  • Review velocity monitoring and response support
  • Citation drift monitoring and correction
  • Monthly plain-English ranking report
Month-to-month retainer. Scoped after audit. Cancel any time with 30 days notice.
Local Growth Most common

Best for: businesses ready to actively gain ground, add ranking keywords, expand their service-area footprint, and increase call volume over 90 days.

  • Everything in Maintenance
  • Monthly service and location pages written for search intent
  • Drive-time isochrone targeting adjustments
  • Competitor gap analysis and content roadmap
  • AI Overview citability optimization
  • Monthly 45-minute strategy call with Henry
Month-to-month retainer. 90-day growth arc, then reviewed. Scoped after audit.
Local Authority

Best for: established businesses competing in high-volume or multi-location markets where brand signals, AI visibility, and off-page authority are the remaining levers.

  • Everything in Local Growth
  • Brand-mention seeding (YouTube, Reddit, Wikipedia where relevant)
  • llms.txt deployment and GEO audit for AI citation
  • Multi-location or service-area expansion strategy
  • Link acquisition and PR-adjacent signals
  • Quarterly competitive landscape review
Month-to-month retainer. Custom scope after audit. For markets where standard maintenance is not enough.

Every engagement starts with the same free audit. That audit determines which plan fits, whether you need a combination, or whether a one-time project is the right call instead of a retainer.

Get your free audit
Questions we get

Local SEO, demystified.

How fast will we see results?

Some moves, including schema deployment, GBP optimization, and citation cleanup, produce ranking shifts in the first 14 days. Sustained map-pack gains typically show up 60–90 days in once content cadence and review velocity have had time to compound. We share a baseline grid scan at kickoff so the gains are measurable, not anecdotal.

Do you require a 12-month contract?

No. Every retainer is month-to-month. We earn your business every 30 days by doing the work and showing the numbers. If you ever want to pause or leave, you walk away with everything we built: accounts, code, dashboards, content.

What's your service area?

We're based in Ohio and most clients are within driving distance, but we run local SEO for service businesses anywhere in the US. The methodology works the same whether you're in Powell, Phoenix, or Portland.

Do you do the writing too, or just the technical SEO?

Both. Every retainer includes monthly content, including service pages, blog posts, FAQ pages, and GBP posts written for the searches that actually book work in your area, not for keyword stuffing. Citability-scored for AI Overview pickup.

What if my Google Business Profile is suspended?

Henry has handled multiple suspensions and re-instatements. The fix depends on why Google flagged it: service area mismatch, duplicate listing, photo issue, or policy claim. He diagnoses the issue in the first audit. Most clean cases resolve in 1–3 review cycles after the right fix.

Will you also help with paid ads if local SEO isn't enough?

Yes. If your goal is more revenue and SEO needs 60 days to move the needle, Henry can pair it with Google or Meta ads from day one so cash is flowing while the organic work compounds. One plan, one point of contact.

Do I need a monthly SEO retainer?

Not always. Some businesses have a clean foundation and just need a one-time audit and fix. If the audit shows your GBP is solid, your citations are clean, and your site is technically healthy, a one-time project may be all that makes sense right now. If the audit shows gaps that compound over time, a retainer is worth it. Henry will be direct about which applies to your situation.

What actually gets done each month?

Depends on the scope. A typical Local Growth month includes one service or location page written and published, GBP posts updated with current offers or seasonal content, geo-grid scans compared against the prior month, ranking drops investigated and addressed, and a plain-English report with what changed and what moved.

Can I start small?

Yes. Foundation Cleanup is available as a one-time fixed project. Many clients start there, see the ranking shift from cleaned-up citations and a rebuilt GBP, and then decide whether ongoing work makes sense. There is no pressure to commit to a retainer before you see the first results.

Free local audit.
No catch.

We'll run a baseline grid scan, audit your GBP and site, and benchmark you against three direct competitors. You get the report whether you hire us or not.