Three paths, depending on where you are in the decision process.
Path 1: The $197 audit
This is the highest-leverage starting point for most businesses. You buy the $197 audit, I deliver a 40+ page custom analysis in 14 days, and we have a 30-minute walkthrough call.
After that you have three options:
- Implement the roadmap yourself
- Hand the roadmap to your existing agency or in-house team
- Engage me on a retainer to execute it (the $197 credits toward your first month within 90 days)
The audit is the right starting point if:
- You don’t yet know what shape of SEO work fits your business
- You suspect your current SEO efforts (or vendor) aren’t producing
- You want a written, prioritized plan rather than just a conversation
- You want to evaluate me before committing to a retainer
Refundable in full within 14 days if the deliverable isn’t worth $197 to you.
Path 2: A 15-minute call
If you’re not yet sure whether SEO is the right channel for you, or whether I’m the right person to help, book a 15-minute call via the contact page. No pitch, no audit, no spreadsheet — just a conversation.
A 15-minute call is the right starting point if:
- You want to gut-check fit before spending anything
- You have a specific question that the FAQ library doesn’t answer
- You’re between vendors and want practitioner perspective on what to look for
- You’re an agency considering white-label delivery and want to talk shop
If we click on the call and the audit makes sense, we move to Path 1. If it doesn’t, I’ll usually point you to whoever I think is the better fit. That’s what an honest consultant can promise.
Path 3: Read the blog
If you’d rather absorb context before talking to anyone, the blog has ~170 articles covering local SEO, GBP optimization, citations, schema, technical SEO, content, and AI search. Most of what I’d cover in a paid first hour is published somewhere.
Reading first is the right starting point if:
- You’re earlier in the decision process — maybe a year out from being ready to engage
- You’re a marketer wanting to upskill on local SEO yourself
- You want to vet whether my thinking matches your situation before paying anything
The audit and the call don’t go anywhere; you can come back when you’re ready.
What most people do
Of clients who engage anything paid, roughly:
- 70% start with the $197 audit and decide from there
- 20% start with a 15-min call, then buy the audit
- 10% come in directly to a retainer or Strategy Engagement because they’ve already done diligence elsewhere
The audit-first path is overwhelmingly the most common because it surfaces specifics. Conversations are useful but generic; audits are about your business specifically.
What not to do
Don’t skip the audit and engage a retainer cold unless you’re certain about the engagement shape. The audit is a low-cost diagnostic that prevents engaging the wrong tier or the wrong consultant. If a retainer turns out to be wrong-shaped, you’ve burned three months minimum. $197 is cheaper than that mistake.