SEO vs Google Ads: Which Should a Local Service Business Choose?
Which channel a local service business should choose first, how the costs differ, when to run both, and the website problems that sink either one.
Writing about the work
Notes on search, advertising, CRM and automation for service businesses — written from running the campaigns, not from reading about them. 19 posts, oldest 2022, newest 2026.
Latest
Simple Marketing Automation Tasks That Save Time for Service Businesses
The everyday admin a service business can hand to software — enquiry replies, appointment reminders, quote follow-ups, reviews — and what it gives back.
5 Marketing Tasks Small Businesses Can Automate Without Losing the Human Touch
Lead acknowledgement, follow-up reminders, review requests, record keeping and reporting: five tasks worth automating, and where a person must stay.
How a CRM for Small Business Helps You Follow Up With More Leads
What a CRM does for a small service business: one record per enquiry, reminders that fire on time, and visibility into which leads went quiet and why.
What to Fix on Your Website Before Spending More on Google Ads
A checklist of what to fix on your website before increasing Google Ads spend: page speed, a clear offer, one call to action, forms, tracking and mobile.
The Small-Business Tech Stack Guide for 2025: Simple, Scalable Tools That Won't Overwhelm You
The six tools a small business actually needs — website, CRM, email, scheduling, automation and analytics — and how to connect them without overwhelm.
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
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.