blog

Practical marketing advice. Written plainly.

Everything we know about SEO, PPC, analytics, and AI, written for business owners who want results, not buzzwords.

work with us

Want this done for you?

Tell us what you need and we'll send a plan with a clear price, within one business day.

Step 1 of 3

What do you want help with?

Tell us about your business.

Where should we send your plan?

Request received.

We'll review your business and get back to you within one business day with a plan and a clear price. No obligation.

ppc 8 min read

Performance Max for Local Businesses: Where the Budget Goes

The campaign type that decides for you, and the reporting that follows.

Sep 2, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 9 min read

Questions to Ask Before You Let Anyone Run Your Marketing With AI

Ask these of us too. Our answers are at the bottom.

Sep 2, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

What a Marketing Hire Actually Costs a Local Business

The salary is the number people quote. It is rarely the number they pay.

Sep 1, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 8 min read

What AI Website Builders Miss for a Business With a Front Door

The site looks finished. The details customers need are the ones it guessed.

Sep 1, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 8 min read

Fake Reviews Are Rising and Google Is Pausing Profiles

The public banner on your listing is the part that costs you customers.

Aug 31, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 7 min read

When Your Website Chatbot Gets It Wrong, You Own the Answer

A tribunal has already decided who is responsible for what the bot says.

Aug 30, 2026 · Brian Chiou
content 9 min read

Does Google Penalize AI Content? What the Traffic Data Shows

The dividing line is editorial review, and it is visible in the traffic data.

Aug 29, 2026 · Brian Chiou
tools 8 min read

Why Small Businesses Quit Their AI Marketing Tools

Buying the tool is the easy part. Owning the output is the job.

Aug 28, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 9 min read

Google Business Profile Suspended: How to Get It Back

Your listing disappeared overnight. Here is the path back.

Aug 27, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 8 min read

AI Assistants Are Getting Your Business Details Wrong

Someone asked ChatGPT when you close. It answered with confidence.

Aug 26, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 9 min read

LinkedIn Ads and HubSpot Attribution: Why the Numbers Disagree

HubSpot and LinkedIn are both reporting honestly. They just count different events over different windows.

Aug 24, 2026 · Brian Chiou
geo 7 min read

Proving AI Search Is Worth It: Attribution Past the Session Count

The channel that moves revenue while showing up in your reports as direct traffic.

Aug 20, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 6 min read

What Is llms.txt, and Does Your Business Need One?

A sensible idea, an easy afternoon, and a much smaller payoff than the people selling it suggest.

Aug 19, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 9 min read

LinkedIn Ads to Salesforce: Why Your Attribution Is Broken

The gap between what LinkedIn claims and what your CRM shows is a measurement problem nobody set up correctly.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

Conversion Rate Optimization When You Do Not Have Traffic for A/B Tests

A/B testing needs volume you do not have. You can still improve conversion rate; you just do it differently.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 7 min read

You Rank on Page One and Nobody Clicks. Here Is Why.

A page-one ranking that earns no clicks is a more solvable problem than a page-three ranking. It is also more annoying, because it looks like success.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

Social Media for Electricians and Trades: What Actually Books Jobs

The goal is to be the person someone remembers when their panel starts tripping.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 9 min read

SEO for Roofing Companies: What Is Different About This Industry

Roofing search is a knife fight. The tactics that work for a dentist will get you nowhere.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
tools 8 min read

SEO Forecasting: What the Models Get Wrong

Every SEO forecast is a chain of estimates multiplied together. Understanding which link is weakest tells you how much to trust the number.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

The Marketing Metrics That Matter (and the Ones That Do Not)

Most marketing reports are long because the numbers in them are weak. A useful report is short.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 7 min read

What Your CFO Wants From Marketing Reporting

Marketing reports in leads. Finance reports in cash. The translation between them is where most budget arguments start.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
tools 7 min read

Connecting Klaviyo and Google Ads: What It Is For

The integration is easy. Knowing which audiences to build, and what to do with them, is the part that produces returns.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
tools 7 min read

Which Integrations Are Worth Connecting

An integration earns its place when it changes a decision. Most of them just move data from one screen you ignore to another.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
geo 7 min read

Getting Cited in Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode

Four engines, four sets of habits, and a lot of advice that only ever tested one.

Aug 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 7 min read

AEO for Law Firms: How AI Assistants Decide Which Attorney to Name

A referral channel that never rings, never emails, and never tells you it passed you over.

Aug 17, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 7 min read

AEO for Contractors: Getting Named When Someone Asks AI for a Plumber

The referral now happens in a chat window, and nobody tells you that you lost it.

Aug 16, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 8 min read

Why Nobody Can Find Your Business on Google

Work through these in order. It is usually one of the first three.

Aug 10, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 6 min read

Service Pages or Blog Posts? A Local Guide

Most local businesses are writing the wrong pages in the wrong order.

Aug 5, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 7 min read

Do Google Reviews Affect Rankings?

Yes, and the conversion effect is the bigger half.

Jul 31, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 9 min read

SEO for Brick and Mortar Businesses

Your competition is four businesses nearby, and the basics decide it.

Jul 27, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 6 min read

NAP Consistency and Local Citations Explained

Boring, unglamorous, and the reason a lot of local businesses are stuck.

Jul 22, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 7 min read

Location Pages for Multi-Location Businesses

One page per real place, with something real on each one.

Jul 17, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 8 min read

How to Rank in the Google Map Pack

Three slots, most of the clicks, and a different set of rules from ordinary search.

Jul 13, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 7 min read

How to Show Up for Near Me Searches

You cannot optimize for the phrase, only for what it means.

Jul 8, 2026 · Brian Chiou
geo 6 min read

How to Track AI Traffic in Google Analytics

It is already in your analytics. It is just filed under Referral with everything else.

Jul 3, 2026 · Brian Chiou
geo 6 min read

GEO vs AEO vs SEO: What Each One Means

Three acronyms, one body of work, and a lot of people selling the difference.

Jun 29, 2026 · Brian Chiou
geo 8 min read

Generative Engine Optimization: A Plain Guide

Some of it is new. Most of it is work you were already supposed to be doing.

Jun 24, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 7 min read

How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT

There is no submit form. There is a set of signals, and most of them are off your website.

Jun 19, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 7 min read

FAQ Schema for Local Businesses, Explained

The markup changed jobs. It now serves the machines that read your page.

Jun 15, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 7 min read

How to Get Your Business Into Google AI Overviews

The box above the results is the new first position.

Jun 10, 2026 · Brian Chiou
aeo 8 min read

AEO for Local Businesses: Getting Cited by AI

Someone just asked an AI for a plumber in your town. What did it say?

Jun 5, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 8 min read

Page Speed for Small Business Websites

Almost every slow local website is slow for the same three reasons.

Jun 1, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 7 min read

Your Contact Page Is Losing You Customers

The last page before a customer becomes a customer. Usually the worst page on the site.

May 27, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 7 min read

Website Navigation That Helps Customers

Your menu is a set of answers to customer questions.

May 22, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 7 min read

Mobile Website Mistakes That Cost Local Businesses

Your customers are on a phone, and your site was designed on a laptop.

May 18, 2026 · Brian Chiou
usability 8 min read

Website Usability Checklist for Small Businesses

Most local websites fail the same twelve checks. Here they are.

May 13, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 12 min read

The 2026 SEO Checklist for Small Businesses

Everything that matters for SMB SEO in 2026, in one checklist.

May 9, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 10 min read

How to Get More Customers from Google: A Practical Playbook

Seven levers, in priority order. Pull them in this sequence.

May 6, 2026 · Brian Chiou
content 8 min read

How to Use AI for SEO Content Without Sounding Like a Robot

AI writes the draft and a human editor makes it good. The workflow is below.

May 2, 2026 · Brian Chiou
ppc 9 min read

Why Your Google Ads Aren't Converting (And How to Fix It)

Clicks without conversions is the most expensive problem in marketing.

Apr 29, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

How Much Should a Small Business Spend on Marketing in 2026?

The honest framework for setting your marketing budget.

Apr 26, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 8 min read

Best SEO Companies for Small Business in 2026 (And How to Vet Them)

Most "top 10" lists are paid placements. Here's how to vet for real.

Apr 22, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 7 min read

How Long Does SEO Take? An Honest Timeline for Small Businesses

A realistic month-by-month timeline, without the "results in 30 days" lies.

Apr 19, 2026 · Brian Chiou
ppc 8 min read

How to Evaluate PPC Management Services (Before You Sign)

The wrong PPC manager costs you more than no PPC at all.

Apr 15, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 9 min read

SEO vs PPC for Small Business: Which Should You Invest In First?

The honest answer is "it depends." Here's how to decide.

Apr 15, 2026 · Brian Chiou
local-seo 10 min read

Google Business Profile: 12 Things Most Small Businesses Get Wrong

The free SEO asset most businesses leave broken.

Apr 12, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 8 min read

Local SEO in 2026: What Moves the Needle

The local pack has three spots. Here's how to claim one.

Apr 11, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 11 min read

Local SEO for Small Business: The Complete 2026 Guide

If your customers are local, this is the SEO that matters most.

Apr 8, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

Why Your Website Doesn't Generate Leads (and How to Fix It)

Traffic without conversions is just an expensive hobby.

Apr 7, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 7 min read

How to Measure Marketing ROI When You're Not a Data Scientist

The right questions can do the work of a data team.

Apr 3, 2026 · Brian Chiou
ppc 9 min read

The Small Business Guide to Google Ads (Without Wasting Money)

The difference between burning money and buying customers.

Mar 31, 2026 · Brian Chiou
strategy 8 min read

Answer Engine Optimization: Why Google Rankings Aren't Enough in 2026

People are asking AI for recommendations. Is your business in the answers?

Mar 27, 2026 · Brian Chiou
tools 9 min read

AI SEO Tools: What Agencies Use (and What They Charge You For)

Your agency uses AI too. They just charge you 10x more.

Mar 23, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 8 min read

How to Tell If Your SEO Agency Is Actually Doing Anything

The uncomfortable checklist for your current agency.

Mar 19, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 8 min read

Is $99/mo SEO Legit? What You Actually Get

You should be skeptical. The price has a specific explanation.

Mar 15, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 7 min read

DIY SEO vs. Hiring an Agency: When to Make the Switch

You can do a lot yourself. But there's a ceiling.

Mar 11, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 9 min read

How to Choose an SEO Agency (Without Getting Burned)

The questions they don't want you to ask.

Mar 7, 2026 · Brian Chiou
seo 8 min read

What Should SEO Cost for a Small Business in 2026?

The honest answer nobody in this industry wants to give you.

Mar 3, 2026 · Brian Chiou

More customers. Lower costs. Proof it's working.

Website + SEO from $99/mo self-managed, priced on the compute you use, or $600/mo managed. Managed with paid channels is $1,000/mo. A website that gets better every month. Transparent platform included free.

Self-managed is $99/mo and scales with the compute you use. Our team runs it from $600/mo.

the shift

The shops down the street already run on AI.
The data proves it pays.

Auto shops, dental offices, cafés and salons. The local businesses winning right now compete on AI and data. askotter puts those same tools on your side, priced for a business your size.

0% of small businesses already use AI-enabled tools U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2024
0% projected annual growth of the AI market through 2030 Grand View Research
more likely to win customers when decisions are data-driven McKinsey Global Institute
$0T AI's projected boost to the global economy by 2030 PwC

The same tools the shops down the street use, from $99/mo.