Here’s a stat that should make every small business owner sit up straight: 90% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses last year. (Source: BrightLocal). For over a decade, I’ve been advising my clients—from lawyers to plumbers to restaurant owners—that their online reputation is their “digital front door.” We all know the drill: a customer searches for you, they

“The best place to hide a dead body is page two of Google.”— Unknown digital marketer, circa 2010. That used to be true.Now? The best place to hide your business is in Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT’s summary, or Bing Copilot’s suggestions — if you’re not mentioned there, you simply don’t exist. Let’s be honest: we’ve entered an era where your