Is Google AI Mode Hiding Your Business From Local Customers?
Google AI Mode is changing how Hamilton customers find local businesses. Here is what changed and three things to fix this month.
Writing about the work
Notes on search, advertising, CRM and automation for service businesses — written from running the campaigns, not from reading about them. 34 posts, oldest 2022, newest 2026.
Latest
Should I Increase My Google Ads Budget? What Changed on September 24, 2026
Google Ads now ties budget prompts to conversion forecasts and auto-reallocates spend. Here's the one check to run before you accept either.
AEO: What Answer Engines Change About Ranking in the Local Map Pack
AEO is changing how local businesses get found before they ever reach Google's map pack. Here's what's actually different and what to do about it.
Why Your Google Ads Look Different This Month: What Google Ads AI Max Actually Changed
Google auto-upgraded Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max starting September 2026. Here's what changed, what carried over, and three things to check this month.
How to Get Your Business Mentioned by AI When a Competitor Keeps Showing Up Instead
ChatGPT names your competitor instead of you? Here's why AI assistants pick who they mention, what to check today, and what actually changes the answer.
Why Leads Don't Get Followed Up — And Why It's Not a Lead Problem
Most service businesses don't have a lead problem — they have a follow-up problem. Here's what happens to a lead between the form submit and the callback.
Everything, by topic
Automation
- Simple Marketing Automation Tasks That Save Time for Service Businesses
- 5 Marketing Tasks Small Businesses Can Automate Without Losing the Human Touch
- Why Marketing Will Be a Game-Changer for Construction Companies in 2025
- How AI is Transforming Digital Marketing: Insights from Marketing and Technology
Paid Advertising
SEO & AI Search
- SEO vs Google Ads: Which Should a Local Service Business Choose?
- Adobe Acquires Semrush: What It Means for Marketers in Canada & Ontario's Digital Market
- The Future of Online Discoverability: How AI Is Reshaping Search—and What Your Business Can Do About It
- Unlocking the Power of SEO: Types of Search Engine Optimization in Digital Marketing
- How Google's Latest Updates Are Transforming Search Engine Optimization
- What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Strategy
- Is Google AI Mode Hiding Your Business From Local Customers?
- Should I Increase My Google Ads Budget? What Changed on September 24, 2026
- AEO: What Answer Engines Change About Ranking in the Local Map Pack
- Why Your Google Ads Look Different This Month: What Google Ads AI Max Actually Changed
- How to Get Your Business Mentioned by AI When a Competitor Keeps Showing Up Instead
- Why Leads Don't Get Followed Up — And Why It's Not a Lead Problem
- Leads Not Showing Up in CRM: Where Inquiries Disappear Before You Ever See Them
- Lead Generation System vs Ad Campaign: What You're Actually Paying For
- How to Rank Higher on Google Maps for Contractors: The Mistakes Killing Your Map Pack Spot
- Why Is My Website Not Generating Calls? A Tuesday Afternoon Breakdown
- Why Your Marketing Keeps Starting Over Instead of Building on Itself
- Why ChatGPT and Google's AI Answers Are Recommending Your Competitor, Not You
- Cost Per Lead vs Cost Per Booked Job: Why the Second Number Is the Only One That Pays the Bills
- Why Does Our Marketing Stop Every Time We Get Busy?
- What Does a Home Builder Actually Get From a Marketing Agency?
- Your Website, Ads, and Automation Need to Work as One: How Small Businesses Win Online in 2025
- How to Create a Simple Dashboard Using Google Sheets and Looker Studio
- Digital Marketing Works
Reading about it is not the same as fixing it.
If any of this describes your business, a free audit will tell you which of it is actually costing you money and in what order to fix it.
You talk to Mathew.Not an account manager, and not a sales team.