Local SEO for Trades Businesses · Nationwide
Your best customers are Googling exactly what you do. Someone else is getting that call.
I help trades businesses show up where it counts, the Google map pack, using a structured 30-point system that builds real local visibility. Not vanity metrics. Not monthly reports that don't move the needle. Actual rankings.
- Core 30 Certified · Trained under Caleb Ulku
- Worked with Miles Beckler and Terry Dean
- 30 Years Teaching and Coaching
- Class V Whitewater Guide
Here's what's actually happening.
Someone in your city just Googled "HVAC repair near me." Or "best plumber in [town]." Or "emergency electrician [city]." Your competitor got that call.
Not because they're better at what they do. Not because they have more experience. Not because their reviews are better than yours.
Because Google couldn't figure out what your business does.
Whether it knows where you work: your city, your service area, the towns you actually drive to. Geographic relevance isn't magic. It's structure.
That sounds harsh. But it's actually good news. Because it means the problem isn't your reputation. It's your structure.
And structure can be fixed. (That's what I do.)
Google doesn't reward reputation. It rewards relevance.
Here's the thing most SEO agencies won't tell you because it makes the work sound less mysterious than they'd like: Google ranks local businesses based on three things.
Topical Relevance
Whether it knows what you do. Not just "plumbing," but drain cleaning, water heater installation, emergency pipe repair, sump pump replacement. Each service needs its own signal. One generic services page isn't enough. It never was.
Geographic Relevance
Whether it knows where you work — your city, your service area, the towns you actually drive to. Geographic relevance isn't magic. It's structure.
Trust
Whether it trusts you — consistent business information across the web, legitimate backlinks, a Google Business Profile that's actually built out, a review profile that keeps growing.
That's it. That's the whole game.
The Core 30 system, developed by local SEO strategist Caleb Ulku, builds all three. Systematically. In the right order. With the right content behind it.
It's not a bag of tricks. It's a buildout. Roughly 900 to 1,100 points of structured work that, when it's done, gives Google exactly what it needs to put you in the top three.
(And in most markets (probably yours) your competitors haven't done any of it.)
About Ted
Why a former English teacher who runs Class V whitewater is the right person to fix your Google rankings.
I know. Bear with me. I spent 30 years in a high school classroom. Taught writing. Coached football and wrestling. Won a national teaching award somewhere in there. And every summer and fall, I guide whitewater rafting on some of the most demanding rivers in the East.
None of that sounds like local SEO. But here's what those three things actually taught me:
- Teaching gave me the ability to take something genuinely complex and explain it clearly enough that a busy trades business owner who doesn't have time for jargon can follow it.
- Coaching taught me that talent doesn't win seasons. Systems do. The Core 30 is a system. I run it like a coach runs a season...with accountability, a clear scoreboard, and no improvising on the fundamentals.
- Guiding taught me that you don't improvise Class V rapids. You scout, you pick your line, you commit, and when the river does something unexpected (and it always does) you adjust without losing your head. Google algorithm updates work the same way.
Before I went deep on local SEO, I spent years in direct response copywriting. I wrote landing pages for Miles Beckler. I worked alongside Terry Dean writing website copy for his clients. I've studied email methodology under Andre Chaperon and Shawn Twing. Copywriting craft under Kevin Rogers.
Most SEO agencies can't write. Most copywriters don't understand search. I've spent years doing both at a high level. Which means the pages I build for your Core 30 don't just signal topical relevance to Google. They convert the people who land on them.
What I Do
Four service areas. One integrated practice.
Local SEO Services
The Core 30 buildout: GBP, citations, schema, link building, and the structural work that moves you into the map pack.
ExploreLocal SEO Copywriting
Service pages, homepages, and GBP copy written to signal topical relevance and convert the visitor on the page.
ExploreDirect Response Copywriting
Email sequences, SMS, sales pages, and lead generation copy from years working under Miles Beckler and Terry Dean.
ExploreMarketing Consulting
Audits, competitor analysis, and a written Core 30 action plan you could hand to anyone . (Or hand to me.)
ExploreOne decision at a time. No pressure, no long pitches.
Step 1
Free Rank Map Audit
Before you spend a dollar, I'll show you where you actually stand. I'll pull your current map pack position, identify your top three competitors, and show you the gap... specifically what they've built that you haven't.
Takes about 15 minutes on a call. No pitch. No pressure. Just data.
(If the data shows you're already dominating your market, I'll tell you that too. I'm not in the business of inventing problems.)
Step 2
The $299 Starter
Full GBP audit. Competitor gap analysis. Keyword research for your specific market and services. A written action plan that tells you exactly what needs to happen and in what order.
You could hand this document to anyone and execute it. Or you could hand it to me.
(The $299 applies as a credit toward your first month if you decide to move forward.)
Step 3
The Core 30 Build
Growth
$795/mo
Core 30 in about four months.
Dominate
$1,100/mo
Core 30 in two to three months.
Accelerator
$1,800/mo
Core 30 in four to six weeks.
Every plan includes the same foundation. The difference is speed.
This works best if you fit this description.
You run a trades business: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, landscaping, well and septic, oil heating, painting, handyman. You have real customers and solid reviews, somewhere between 20 and 200 of them. You're showing up in Google Maps...just not at the top.
You know there's ground to take.
You've probably tried SEO before. Maybe got some reports, saw some activity, didn't see the phone ring differently. That's not a character flaw. That's what happens when someone does SEO without a system.
You're not looking for magic. You're looking for someone who can explain what's wrong, show you the plan, and execute it without drama.
That's the job.
Start with the free audit. See what the data says.
I'll pull your rank map, show you where you stand against your top competitors, and tell you exactly what's holding you back.
No pressure. No invoice. No obligation.
If it makes sense to work together, we'll talk about next steps. If it doesn't, you'll leave with better information than you came with. Either way, you'll know where you stand.