Insights
Fresh off the shop floor.
Playbooks, field notes and strong opinions — written to be used, not skimmed.
LatestLocal SEO6 min readLocal search in Chicago vs Denver: what we see in the data
Search data for our own services around Chicago and Denver shows a few standout cities and many quiet suburbs. Here's what that means for local SEO.Dylan IcardRead the article
How to find local SEO keywords for your city (with real Chicago and Denver data)
A step-by-step method for finding local SEO keywords, plus real Semrush data from around Chicago and Denver showing where search demand actually is.Dylan Icard
What does an SEO agency actually do each month?
A month-by-month look at what an SEO agency does, the deliverables you should see, how reporting should work and what no honest agency will promise.Simply Works team
Why local SEO matters for small businesses (with the math)
Why local SEO is important for small businesses, how Google picks local results, and a simple worked example of what map visibility can be worth.Simply Works team
The best CMS for small business (and how to choose one)
How to choose the best CMS for a small business. Who edits, how often, integrations, ownership and real costs, from WordPress to Webflow and beyond.Dylan Icard
Landing page best practices that still hold up
The landing page best practices that still work: one goal, message match with the ad, specific proof, short forms, fast loading and honest testing.Simply Works team
AI automation for small businesses: workflows that save real hours
The AI automations that pay off for small businesses are the boring ones. Four workflows to start with, the guardrails to set, and n8n vs Zapier compared.Dylan Icard
Email marketing for small businesses and the three flows worth building first
Skip the newsletter treadmill. Build a welcome series, a post-inquiry nurture and a reactivation flow, then keep your list clean and your domain trusted.Simply Works team
Running Google Business Profiles for more than one location
How to add a second location to Google Business Profile, verify 10+ locations in bulk, organize profiles in groups and avoid duplicate-profile trouble.Simply Works team
Website copywriting that converts (a field guide)
A practical field guide to website copywriting. Clear headlines, honest proof, calls to action that get clicked, and writing for skimmers and AI answers.Dylan Icard
The rebranding checklist: everything that has to change, in order
A practical rebranding checklist, from audit and name checks to website, Google Business Profile, legal paperwork and SEO, in the order that avoids rework.Simply Works team
Topical authority for small businesses: how to plan content that compounds
Topical authority means being the obvious source on the subjects you sell. Here's how to plan content clusters, with the real plan behind this blog.Dylan Icard
How to make your website accessible, with ADA and WCAG basics for businesses
A practical guide to WCAG 2.2 AA for business websites, covering the most common failures, how to test, why overlays fall short and where the law stands.Simply Works team
Google Local Services Ads vs Google Ads (which fits your business?)
Local Services Ads charge per lead, Google Ads per click. How each works, who qualifies, what happened to Google Guaranteed, and when to run both.Simply Works team
Schema markup for local businesses (what to add and why)
What schema markup is, which types a local business should add, what changed with FAQ rich results, and a JSON-LD example you can adapt and test.Simply Works team
B2B website design: what buyers check before they ever call
B2B buyers research on their own before they talk to sales. Here's what a buying committee checks on your site, plus what a B2B website typically costs.Dylan Icard
Do Google Ads work for small businesses? When they pay off
Google Ads can pay off for small businesses, but only when the math works. Here's how to run breakeven numbers, budget honestly and track leads.Dylan Icard
SEO for law firms, from practice-area pages to local search and trust
A plain guide to SEO for law firms, covering deep practice-area pages, attorney bios, a Business Profile per office, reviews and the ethics rules to check.Simply Works team
What is Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and how do you fix a slow score?
Interaction to Next Paint measures how fast your site responds to taps and clicks. What a good INP score is, why it gets slow, and how to fix it.Simply Works team
How much does a website redesign cost?
Typical website redesign costs for small and mid-sized businesses, what drives the price, what a good quote includes, and how to phase the work.Simply Works team
Beyond Google: Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and the listings that matter
Google isn't the only map. Why Bing Places and Apple's business listings matter more in the AI era, and whether to sync your Google profile into Bing.Simply Works team
What a GEO service should actually include (and what's snake oil)
Shopping for generative engine optimization services? Here's what legitimate GEO work includes, the red flags to avoid, and how to judge results.Dylan Icard
SEO for contractors, and how to win local jobs from search
A practical SEO plan for contractors, covering Google Business Profile setup, service pages, real job photos, reviews, and when Local Services Ads fit.Dylan Icard
Internal linking for SEO (a simple system that compounds)
A simple internal linking system for SEO, built around your money pages, with anchor text rules, orphan page fixes and a quick audit you can run.Simply Works team
Squarespace vs WordPress for a growing business
A fair Squarespace vs WordPress comparison on cost, flexibility, SEO and upkeep, plus the clear signs it's time to graduate from one to the other.Simply Works team
How to build local landing pages that rank (and aren't doorway pages)
Build local landing pages only where people search and you have something real to say. How to choose cities, what to put on them, and the doorway line.Dylan Icard
How to measure ChatGPT and AI search traffic in GA4
GA4 now has an AI Assistant channel. Here's how to use it, add a custom channel group with regex, and see what GA4 still can't tell you.Simply Works team
Nonprofit website design that drives donations and volunteers
How to design a nonprofit website that turns visitors into donors and volunteers, with a short donation flow, honest impact stories and Google Ad Grants.Simply Works team
How to choose an SEO agency (12 questions to ask before you sign)
How to choose an SEO agency without getting burned, with 12 questions to ask before you sign, what good answers sound like and red flags to walk from.Dylan Icard
Website maintenance costs (what to pay for and what to skip)
What website maintenance really costs, line by line. Hosting, domains, updates, backups, security and edits, plus the add-ons you can safely skip.Simply Works team
Can you remove a Google review? What's allowed and what isn't
You can't delete a Google review yourself. Here's which reviews Google will remove, how to report and appeal, and what to do when a bad review is allowed.Simply Works team
What is llms.txt, and does your site need one?
llms.txt is a proposed file that summarizes your site for AI tools. Here's what it is, who actually uses it, and whether it's worth adding.Simply Works team
Manufacturing website design that gives engineers and buyers what they need
What engineers, buyers and contractors need from a manufacturer's website, from spec tables and CAD files to certifications, RFQs and document libraries.Dylan Icard
How long does SEO take to work? Honest timelines
How long SEO takes depends on your site, your market and what's broken. Honest timelines by situation, plus what to expect month by month.Simply Works team
Webflow vs WordPress (and when a custom CMS beats both)
A fair Webflow vs WordPress comparison on cost, editing, upkeep, SEO and ownership, who each one suits, and when a custom CMS is the better call.Dylan Icard
Do Google reviews help SEO? What the evidence says
Google says reviews and ratings can help your local ranking. What the evidence shows, which review signals matter, and how to ask for them ethically.Simply Works team
Google AI Mode: what it means for your business website
Google AI Mode answers complex questions by running many searches at once. Here's how it differs from AI Overviews and what businesses should do.Dylan Icard
What visitors look for in church website design (and what your office can maintain)
What first-time visitors and members need from a church website, the pages that matter, and how to choose a CMS your church office can actually maintain.Simply Works team
The SEO KPIs that actually matter (and the vanity metrics to ignore)
The SEO KPIs worth tracking are leads from search, non-brand clicks, money-page rankings and conversion rate. Here's what to measure and what to ignore.Dylan Icard
How to redesign a website without losing SEO (the migration checklist)
The website migration SEO checklist we use on redesigns. URL inventory, 301 redirect mapping, content parity, staging safety and post-launch checks.Simply Works team
Is local SEO dead in the age of AI? No, but it changed
AI answers didn't kill local SEO. They read the same profile, reviews and website the map pack does. Here's what changed and what to do about it.Dylan Icard
How to get cited in Google's AI Overviews
What Google actually says about AI Overviews, how pages get picked as sources, the work that helps, the tactics to skip, and how to measure it.Simply Works team
Google Business Profile suspended? How to fix it and get reinstated
Why Google suspends Business Profiles, how the appeals tool works, what evidence to send, and the mistakes that turn a fixable suspension into a long one.Simply Works team
How often should you redesign your website? The signs it's time
There's no right calendar for a website redesign. Here are the signs it's actually time, and when steady improvements beat starting over.Dylan Icard
Local citations explained (what they are and which still matter)
What local SEO citations are, why consistency matters more than volume, and which listings still earn their keep for a local business in 2026.Simply Works team
How to show up in ChatGPT answers (without gaming it)
You can't pay or ask to be cited in ChatGPT. Here's how its search picks sources, what you can influence, and how to measure the visits it sends.Simply Works team
SEO for manufacturers: how industrial buyers actually search
Industrial buyers search by spec, part number and capability, then send an RFQ. Here's how to build a manufacturer site that shows up for those searches.Simply Works team
How much does a website cost in 2026? Real ranges for small businesses
Real price ranges for small business websites in 2026, from DIY builders to custom builds, plus the hidden costs and ownership questions to ask first.Dylan Icard
How much does local SEO cost? Real price ranges and what you get
What local SEO really costs for one location or several, what drives the price, what you should get each month, and the red flags to walk away from.Dylan Icard
SEO vs GEO — what actually changes when AI answers the question
GEO is mostly SEO with a sharper focus on being quotable, easy to identify and mentioned elsewhere. What carries over, what's new and what to ignore.Dylan IcardMarketing that pays for itself: the measurement-first playbook
Most marketing reports activity. Ours reports revenue. Here is the simple, measurement-first playbook we run for every client engagement.Simply Works teamShowing 13 of 51