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Grow Your Business with SEO That Works

Every small business—consulting, trades, or professional services—needs SEO to be discoverable online. Optimizing your website ensures high-intent prospects find you when searching for your services.

We help small businesses turn SEO into growth. From analytics and strategy to on-page optimization and content guidance, we capture traffic your competitors may be missing and convert it into leads and sales.

Businesses often earn $5–$10 for every $1 spent on SEO. Unlike paid ads, quality content and backlinks continue driving traffic long-term, compounding your investment.

What is SEO & Why It Matters

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website’s visibility in search engine results. Effective SEO helps attract high-intent visitors, increasing traffic and ultimately driving growth.

Unlike paid ads, which many users skip over, organic search results are trusted more by users. In fact, 94% of users skip paid ads , making SEO crucial for long-term discoverability.

A well-optimized website combined with thoughtful design improves user experience, keeps visitors engaged, and signals quality to Google — all of which help your rankings.

Every customer journey starts with visibility:

  • Impression → Your page appears in search results.
  • Click Through Rate → A potential customer visits your site.
  • Lead Conversion → They take action — filling a form, calling, or engaging with your content.
  • Sale → A new customer is earned through trust and visibility.

Understanding this flow helps you see how improving one step — like click-through rate or conversions — can multiply your results.

Want to see how this plays out for your business? Estimate your visibility, leads, and ad cost savings in seconds with our SEO Leads Calculator.

Learn More About SEO

Discover Your SEO Potential

See how visibility turns into clicks, leads, and real business growth.

SEO Lead Estimator

This calculator estimates how much visibility and traffic you’d need to reach your monthly lead goal. Data is based on industry averages for click-through and conversion rates by Google rank position.

Data sourced from 2025 SEO click-through studies.

To generate 10 leads, your page would need approximately:

Organic Impressions Estimated number of times your page would appear in search results to generate the desired leads.

Organic Visitors Estimated number of visitors clicking through from organic search to achieve your monthly lead goal.

How SEO Drives Business

Higher Google rankings dramatically increase the likelihood that potential customers will click through to your website. This table shows typical click-through rates (CTR) and estimated conversion potential by search position for local businesses. While individual results vary, the data illustrates how moving up even a few positions can significantly impact traffic and lead generation — helping you understand the long-term value of SEO.

Organic Google Ranking Impact Table

Position CTR (Click Through Rate) Conversion Potential
1 31.7% 4–5%
2 24.7% 3–4%
3 18.6% 2–3%
4 12.5% 2%
5 8.5% 1.5–2%
6 7.0% 1.5%
7 5.5% 1–1.5%
8 4.8% 1%
9 3.9% 0.8–1%
10 3.1% 0.7–0.8%
11-20 0.9 – 2.0% 0.3–0.7%
21-30 0.5 – 0.8% 0.1–0.3%
30+ <0.5% <0.1%

SEO vs Google Ads — Q1–Q5 (Illustrative)

The comparison below uses realistic quarterly estimates to show how long-term SEO performance can begin to outperform Google Ads in cost efficiency. For this example, SEO starts with three “Growth” quarters ($1,250/mo) followed by ongoing “Maintenance” ($750/mo). Google Ads are shown at a steady $1,250/mo spend for comparison. These figures reflect typical local business results and are meant to highlight the trend — not to promise a specific lead volume.

SEO (Growth → Maintenance)

Quarter Spend (quarter) Est. Leads Cost / Lead
Q1 $3,750 20 $187.50
Q2 $3,750 50 $75.00
Q3 $3,750 80 $46.88
Q4 $2,250 80 $28.13
Q5 $2,250 80 $28.13

Google Ads (Constant Spend)

Quarter Spend (quarter) Est. Leads Cost / Lead
Q1 $3,750 63 $59.52
Q2 $3,750 63 $59.52
Q3 $3,750 63 $59.52
Q4 $3,750 63 $59.52
Q5 $3,750 63 $59.52

Quick note: Cost-per-lead values here are simple math (quarterly spend ÷ estimated leads). These estimates are conservative for local businesses and intended to show the comparative trend: SEO typically has higher CPL early (ramp-up) but becomes substantially cheaper once you move to maintenance.

53%

of web traffic comes from organic search

First Page

Captures over 90% of all search traffic

5x

Better ROI compared to paid ads in some industries

Long-Term ROI

SEO investments compound over time, generating higher returns compared to short-lived paid campaigns.

Higher Clicks Than Paid Ads

Research shows over 94% of clicks bypass paid ads, emphasizing the importance of ranking organically.

Brand Authority

Appearing in top positions establishes credibility and trust with potential customers.

Content Longevity

SEO content continues to attract traffic for months or years without additional spend.

Local Visibility

Optimizing for local search ensures nearby prospects can find your business quickly.

Technical Improvements

Fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and well-structured websites increase rankings and engagement.

SEO Tools I Use

These are the same trusted tools I use to analyze, optimize, and monitor websites. Try the free versions below to explore your site’s performance — then reach out if you’d like a deeper review and tailored plan.

PageSpeed Logo

Google PageSpeed Insights

Check how fast your site loads and see what’s slowing it down across mobile and desktop.

Try Google PageSpeed Insights →
SEMrush Logo

SEMrush

Comprehensive keyword research, competitor analysis, and SEO tracking all in one place.

Try SEMrush →
Google Analytics Logo

Google Analytics

Track user behavior, traffic sources, conversions, and gain insights to improve site performance.

Try Google Analytics →
Screaming Frog Logo

Screaming Frog

Powerful desktop crawler for finding broken links, redirects, and on-page SEO issues.

Try Screaming Frog →
Google Search Console

Google Search Console

See how Google views your site, what pages rank, and where you can improve visibility.

Try Google Search Console →
Moz Logo

Moz

User-friendly tools for tracking rankings, local SEO, and domain authority growth.

Try Moz →

Want to know what these tools reveal about your site’s health? Let’s talk.

SEO Glossary: Key Terms to Know

Organic Search

Traffic that comes from unpaid search results on Google or other search engines.

Backlink

A link from another website pointing to your site. Backlinks help build trust and domain authority.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can signal poor user experience or irrelevant content.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action — like filling out a form or making a purchase.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Percentage of users who click your link after seeing it in search results. High CTRs indicate strong titles and relevance.

Meta Tags

HTML elements that provide metadata about a webpage — such as its title, description, and keywords.

Domain Authority (DA)

A ranking score (0–100) that predicts how well a website will rank in search results. Influenced by backlinks, content quality, and age.

Keyword Difficulty

A score showing how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword, based on competition and domain authority of existing results.

Technical SEO

Behind-the-scenes website improvements that enhance crawlability, indexing, site speed, and mobile performance.

Schema / Structured Data

Code added to your site that helps search engines understand your content and show enhanced listings (like ratings or FAQs).

Local SEO

Optimization focused on helping your business appear in local search results, maps, and “near me” searches.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

The page users see after performing a search — includes organic results, paid ads, maps, and featured snippets.

SEO & Web Design Pricing

My SEO services are designed to grow with your business. We start in a Growth Phase ($1,250/mo) to build visibility and rankings through active optimization, link-building, and strategy. Once results stabilize, clients transition into a Maintenance Phase ($750/mo) where we protect progress and continue light optimization. When you're ready to expand again — adding new services, markets, or content — we can seamlessly move back into growth mode. It’s flexible, sustainable, and focused on long-term success.

Maintenance SEO

Keep your momentum strong with consistent monitoring, keyword tracking, and minor content or technical updates.

$750/mo Steady performance focus
Most Popular

Growth SEO

Full-service SEO to grow traffic, visibility, and conversions — including on-page optimization, link-building, and monthly strategy sessions.

$1,250/mo Results-driven growth

On-Demand SEO Projects

Ideal for one-time audits, new service launches, or local SEO enhancements. Custom quotes available based on scope.

Call to Discuss Flexible project work

One-Time SEO Setup / Cleanup

Full site audit, metadata optimization, schema setup, and technical fixes to establish a solid SEO foundation.

$750–$1,200 Perfect for new sites

Website Design Packages

  • Starter (1–3 pages): $600–$900
  • Standard (4–6 pages): $1,200–$1,800
  • Advanced (7–10 pages): $2,000–$2,800

All sites include mobile responsiveness, speed optimization, and basic SEO setup.

Website Review & Optimization

A comprehensive review of site structure, UX, and SEO health with prioritized recommendations for improvement.

$450–$750 One-time audit

Need a custom solution? Every business is different — let’s tailor a plan to your goals and budget. Contact me for a quote.

SEO – Frequently Asked Questions

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google through on-page, technical, and off-page strategies.

Why is SEO important for my business?

SEO drives organic traffic, increases online visibility, builds credibility, and helps attract potential customers actively searching for your products or services.

How long does it take to see results from SEO?

SEO is a long-term strategy. Initial improvements can be seen within 3–6 months, but significant results often take 6–12 months depending on competition, website size, and effort.

What is the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to optimizing content, metadata, and structure on your website, while off-page SEO focuses on building authority through backlinks, social signals, and online reputation.

How do keywords impact SEO?

Keywords are the terms people search for. Strategically using relevant keywords in your content helps search engines understand your pages and match them to user queries.

What is a backlink and why is it important?

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. High-quality backlinks signal trust and authority to search engines, boosting your ranking potential.

How does local SEO work?

Local SEO optimizes your website to appear in local search results, maps, and directories, helping nearby customers find your business quickly.

What metrics should I track to measure SEO success?

Key metrics include organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, bounce rates, and conversions from organic search. These indicate both visibility and business impact.

Can SEO increase my website revenue?

Yes. By attracting targeted visitors who are actively searching for your products or services, SEO can increase leads, sales, and overall ROI over time.

How often should I update my SEO strategy?

SEO is constantly evolving due to search engine updates and market changes. Regularly reviewing and updating your strategy every 3–6 months ensures continued performance and growth.

What is the difference between SEO and SEM?

SEO is focused on organic (free) search visibility, while SEM (Search Engine Marketing) includes paid advertising like Google Ads to drive traffic quickly.

How do I know if my SEO investment is paying off?

Measure ROI through organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, leads, and sales. Consistent monitoring and reporting help ensure that your SEO efforts translate into tangible business results.

About Me - Mark Gemmell

Mark Gemmell

I’m Mark Gemmell, and for over 15 years I’ve been helping businesses run smarter, not harder. I’ve built, scaled, and led high-performing teams across industries, from start-ups to established operations, with a focus on strategy, workforce planning, and data-driven decision-making. Along the way, I’ve developed expertise in helping small businesses leverage their existing resources to grow efficiently — including improving online visibility through SEO and digital marketing strategies.

My approach focuses on maximizing the impact of the tools, people, and processes you already have before recommending new investments. By identifying opportunities, optimizing workflows, and aligning resources, I help small businesses improve performance, uncover efficiencies, and achieve meaningful results — including better search rankings, increased organic traffic, and stronger online presence.

I partner with small business owners who are experts in their craft but may need support in areas like resource planning, workflow optimization, or website and SEO strategy. My goal is to simplify complexity, implement sustainable systems, and provide actionable insights that help leaders make confident decisions.

Every project is a collaboration. I take the time to understand your business, uncover pain points, and design solutions that make a tangible impact on productivity, profitability, and growth. By combining operational strategy with practical digital marketing insights, I help small businesses thrive online and offline with confidence.

Get in Touch for a Free Discovery Call

Serving small business owners in Kitchener-Waterloo — virtual services available across Canada.