Get found by the customers already searching nearby
When someone types "near me", Google shows a map and three businesses before any website. We work out why you're in that spot or missing from it, then fix the profile, listings, reviews and pages that decide it.
30 minutes. We look at your listing together and you leave with the first three fixes, whether you hire us or not.
Six problems we find
on most local listings
Most businesses missing from the map aren't doing anything wrong on purpose. The profile was set up once, years ago, and nobody has looked at it since.
The wrong primary category
Google has more than 4,000 business categories. The primary one tells Google which searches you belong in, and it is one of the most common things we find set wrong.
Name, address and phone that don’t match
An old phone number on Yelp, a former address in a directory, a different business name on Facebook. Every mismatch makes Google less sure which details to trust.
Too few reviews, or none recently
Happy customers rarely leave reviews unless someone asks. Without a simple routine for asking, reviews trickle in, and a competitor with a steady flow looks more active.
A half-finished profile
Missing services, hours, photos or a description. No posts in months. A complete, current profile gives Google and customers more reasons to pick you.
No page for the towns you serve
If you want work in Kitchener, Cambridge or Fergus, your website needs to say so clearly. One generic homepage rarely covers a whole service area.
A website and profile telling different stories
Different services, different hours, different phone numbers. Your site and your profile should back each other up, down to the structured data.
Audit, plan, fix,
keep it current
Audit
We review your Google Business Profile, your listings across the web, your reviews, your website’s local pages, and the businesses currently holding the map spots you want.
Plan
You get a short, ranked list of fixes in plain language: what is wrong, why it matters, and what to do first. No 60-page report nobody reads.
Fix
We make the changes, or we coach your team through them. Category, profile details, citation cleanup, review requests, city and service pages.
Keep it current
Local search is not set-and-forget. Regular profile posts, review follow-up, listing checks and a plain-language monthly update keep the work from slipping.
The audit covers
- Primary and secondary Google Business Profile categories
- Profile completeness: services, hours, description, photos, posts
- Name, address and phone consistency across major directories
- Review count, recency and response habits
- Your website's location and service pages
- Local business structured data on your site
- The competitors currently in your map results, and what they have that you don't
- Where you show up today for your most valuable searches
Do it with us,
or have it done for you
No guaranteed #1.
No mystery reports.
Google decides who appears in the map results, and part of that decision is how close you are to the person searching. Anyone who guarantees a top-three spot is guessing or selling.
Here's what we do promise: the work gets done properly, you understand what was done and why, and you get an honest monthly read on what's moving and what isn't. That's the same promise behind everything we do. We're in the peace-of-mind business.
A local business helping local businesses
Intersect is an Indigenous-owned firm based in Guelph. We handle the back office for Ontario small businesses: books, payroll, websites, marketing and admin. If your local SEO turns up a website that needs rebuilding or content that needs writing, it's the same team.
See everything we handle →Local SEO, answered
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the work of showing up when people near you search for what you do, especially in the map results Google shows above regular search listings. It covers your Google Business Profile, your business listings across the web, your reviews and the local pages on your website.
How is local SEO different from regular SEO?
Regular SEO aims to rank web pages for searches anywhere. Local SEO aims to win searches with local intent, like "plumber near me" or "bookkeeper Guelph", where Google shows a map and a short list of nearby businesses. The two overlap, and a strong website helps both.
Can you guarantee I will rank in the top three?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Google decides local rankings, and it says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence (which it also calls popularity). Distance from the searcher is outside anyone’s control. What we can promise is that the work gets done properly, and that we report honestly on what is changing.
How long does local SEO take?
Some fixes, like correcting your category or completing your profile, can be made in the first week. Building reviews and cleaning up listings across the web takes longer, often several months. We will tell you what to expect for your situation after the audit.
Do I need a storefront or office address?
No. Businesses that serve customers at their location, like trades and mobile services, can set up a service-area profile and hide their street address. We will help you choose the right setup under Google’s guidelines.
Will I lose control of my Google Business Profile?
No. You stay the owner. You add us as a manager on the profile, and you can remove that access at any time.
Do you only work with businesses in Guelph?
We are based in Guelph and work with businesses across Ontario. Most of the work happens remotely, so your location does not limit what we can do.
What does it cost?
It depends on how much needs fixing and whether you want consulting or done-for-you support. The first conversation is free, and you will get a clear monthly or project price before any work starts.
Find out what's keeping you off the map
Book a free 30-minute local SEO review. We'll look at your listing together and tell you the first three things to fix.