Questions people ask me
If yours isn't here, email me and ask — I'll answer it straight, and it'll probably end up on this page.
What does the free audit actually check?
Whether Apple Maps has a listing for you at all, how fast your site loads on a phone, and whether your business details — name, address, phone, hours, the services you offer — are written in the format a search engine reads rather than only in the format a person reads. It also flags the ordinary things that quietly hurt you: missing page titles, images with no description, no sitemap, a copyright year that stopped a few years ago. You get the findings in plain English, with what each one means.
Do I have to buy anything after the audit?
No. There's no obligation and no sales call attached to it — I'd rather show you the problem than talk you into anything. If what the report finds is worth fixing, we can talk about that then.
I already pay someone for SEO. Is this the same thing?
Not really. Most of what I'm looking at is factual rather than competitive — whether your hours, address and services can be read at all, and whether Apple has you on the map. That tends to fall between the cracks of a general SEO arrangement, which is usually aimed at rankings and content. The audit tells you whether any of it is being covered.
Why does Apple Maps matter if I'm already on Google?
They're separate listings with separate data. Apple's is what answers Siri, Apple Maps and the map inside an iPhone's search results, and it's free to claim — most businesses simply have never been told it exists. If you're not on it, you're not in front of iPhone users, however well you do on Google.
Do you do Google Maps as well?
Yes, and it's part of the same one-time setup. Almost every business is already on Google Maps, so the work there isn't getting you listed — it's making the listing right: claiming the profile if nobody has, fixing the category, adding the services you actually offer, and making the hours agree with your website. Google publishes what it has, and if what it has is three years old, that's what people see.
What's actually wrong with an SEO plugin?
Nothing, in principle. The problem is that a plugin publishes whatever is already in your site, so if your footer has an old phone number or your hours page disagrees with your contact page, it faithfully publishes the contradiction. I go and find those disagreements first and settle them, then write the markup by hand so there's nothing to keep updated and nothing to break when a plugin changes.
Do you need access to my website?
For the audit, no — just the address. If you want me to do the work afterwards, I need temporary manager or admin access to whatever your site runs on (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and so on). Once the markup is in and tested, you can revoke the access and it stays working.
Is there a monthly fee?
Not a required one. The setup is a one-time job, $697, the markup doesn't expire, and your Apple and Google listings stay verified whether or not you ever pay me again. There's also Managed at $199 a month if you want me working the map for you — answering reviews, posting, keeping your listings straight — but it's optional and nothing stops working without it.
What does Managed actually include?
Setup fixes what search engines can read. Managed keeps you winning the map. I answer your Google and Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect) reviews within one business day, post twice a month on both — a seasonal offer, a finished job, a tip — and give you a review-request template to text or email after each job, then keep an eye on whether the reviews are actually coming in. Every month I check that your hours, phone, address, services and holiday hours match across Google, Apple, your site and the major directories, and that your markup is still intact — if a redesign or a plugin update broke it, I fix it. Hours and phone changes get updated everywhere whenever you ask. You get a one-page report each month: calls, direction requests, profile views, new reviews, average rating, and a line on what changed. Once a quarter I show you how you stand against three local competitors. $199 a month, month to month.
Can I stop Managed and keep everything?
Yes. It's month to month, so you can stop any time, and the setup and the listings are yours — the markup stays in your site and your Apple and Google profiles stay verified in your name. Nothing gets switched off when you stop paying.
What happens when my hours or phone number change?
Email or text me and I'll update the markup on your site and your Apple Business and Google profiles. On Managed that also covers the directories and it's part of the month. A change in your hours shouldn't turn into months of inconsistent information scattered across the web.
Where do you work?
I'm in Post Falls, so most of my work is around North Idaho and Spokane — Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Rathdrum, Spokane Valley. The audit itself I can run on any site anywhere.
Still wondering something?
Send me your website address and whatever the question is. There's no charge for the audit and no sales call attached to it.